Danielle Harrison named next editor of Smoke Signals

Danielle Harrison, a 25-year veteran of Pacific Northwest journalism and Smoke Signals staff member for the past six years, was named Smoke Signals editor on Monday, July 3.

Harrison hails from the Seattle area and graduated from Eastern Washington University with a journalism degree in 1998. She started her journalism career working for The Blue Mountain Eagle in John Day, Ore., where she covered the community of Prairie City -- city government, schools and sports -- and wrote numerous feature stories.

She joined the staff of the Gresham Outlook/Sandy Post in 1999, covering the Mt. Hood-area community of Sandy by herself, and also has worked for the Wilsonville Spokesman and Camas-Washougal Post-Record as an education reporter.

She has spent the past six years working for Smoke Signals as the staff writer and then assistant editor, garnering numerous writing awards, including the Native American Journalists Association’s Best Coverage of Native America category several times.

“When Smoke Signals was looking for a new staff writer six years ago, I already was zeroing in on a January 2024 retirement,” Publications Coordinator Dean Rhodes said. “I wanted to hire someone who I knew would be able to succeed me and keep Smoke Signals as one of the preeminent newspapers in Indian Country. Danielle has the experience, news judgment and knowledge about the Grand Ronde Tribe to keep Smoke Signals where it is, and she has new ideas that will take the newspaper into the future. I feel confident I, after 16 years at the helm, am leaving the newspaper in good hands.”

“Danielle has served as both a staff writer and assistant editor for Smoke Signals and is a natural choice to succeed Dean as our next editor-in-chief,” Smoke Signals Editorial Board Chair and Tribal member Mia Prickett said. “In addition to her strong knowledge of the Tribe and Tribal history, Danielle is a strong, thoughtful journalist and her work is consistently recognized and awarded across Indian Country. We are so excited and proud to see her take this next step and lead Smoke Signals into the future.”

Rhodes will remain the department’s publications coordinator until January 2024 to help ensure a smooth management transition.

In her spare time, Harrison is an avid swimmer, runner and cyclist, and regularly participates in road races and triathlons. She also was the volunteer director with Why Racing Events and served as the assistant cross country coach at Washougal High School for three years.

“I am looking forward to continuing to work for the Grand Ronde Tribe,” she said. “I’m really excited about leading the team at Smoke Signals into the future, and continuing to write about the Tribe’s culture, traditions and history. I feel that my entire journalism career has been leading up to this great opportunity.”

Harrison lives in Monmouth with her husband, Brian, and has a 16-year-old son, Alex, and three stepchildren, Peytin, Luke and Wyatt.

She can be contacted at 503-879-4663 or danielle.harrison@grandronde.org.