Our Board | South Seattle Emerald

Marcus Harrison Green

Founder and Publisher

Marcus Harrison Green is the publisher of the South Seattle Emerald. Growing up in South Seattle, he experienced first-hand the impact of one-dimensional stories on marginalized communities, which taught him the value of authentic narratives. After an unfulfilling stint in the investment world during his twenties, Marcus returned to his community with a newfound purpose of telling stories with nuance, complexity, and multidimensionality with the hope of advancing social change. This led him to become a writer and found the South Seattle Emerald. He was named one of Seattle’s most influential people by Seattle Magazine in 2016 and was awarded 2020 Individual Human Rights Leader by the Seattle Human Rights Commission.

Marcus is currently on sabbatical but remains the Emerald’s publisher.

Devin Chicras

Board President

Devin Chicras (she/her) is a multidisciplinary brand builder whose day job conveniently lends itself to her favorite hobby of using design and communication as tools of choice in the fight for a good cause for over a decade. She also serves as VP for the nonprofit West Hill Community Association and lead organizer of events like Skyway Outdoor Cinema and formerly was founding President of the Seattle Central AIGA.

Andrew (AJ) Johnston

Board Vice President

Andrew (AJ) Johnston (he/him) joined the Emerald board shortly after the Emerald’s first anniversary. He is a South Seattle-based architect specializing in residential and commercial projects. Andrew is an outspoken supporter of Black-led, community-centered media as a way to speak truth to power and inspire positive change within communities in need. He is also a passionate volunteer and organizer with Social Justice Fund NW (SJF) where he is working to foster a network of BIPOC donors in Seattle and the greater NW area.

Ijeoma Oluo

Board Secretary

Ijeoma Oluo (she/her) is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race and the forthcoming Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America. Her work on race has been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post, among many others. She was named one of Seattle’s Most Influential People of 2015 by Seattle Magazine and one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Seattle by Seattle Met in 2018. She has twice been named to the Root 100, and she received both the 2018 Feminist Humanist Award and the 2020 Harvard Humanist of the Year Award from the American Humanist Association. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

Lucas Draper

Board Treasurer

Lucas Draper (he/him) is an architectural designer. New to Beacon Hill, but a long-time resident of the Central District, Lucas has witnessed firsthand the power of community outreach to build lasting change, and actively seeks to use art as a medium for critical social justice in a communal space. Recognizing the powerful interplay between arts and advocacy, he is invested in grassroots efforts to enact foundational reform at a macro and micro level. A tireless advocate for gay rights and racial equity, Lucas is compelled by the intersectionality afforded by community engagement, and the transformative power of working together for a common goal. In his spare hours, he is a fine baker and is blossoming into a confident parent of several plants.

Khyree Smith

Board Director

Khyree Smith (he/him, they/them) is an educator, facilitator, and lifelong Seattleite working in various roles with Austin Foundation, OneWorld Now and Seattle University. Khyree has been fortunate to provide services for thousands of youth and young adults throughout King County, often known commonly as “Coach Khyree.” Khyree believes in doing work “for the sake of the children,” holding the importance that any work you do should be in efforts to make a safe, happy, and flourishing world for youth to grow up in and to continue to live in as adults.

Jini Palmer