Kelly Tidwell is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. His ancestors belonged to the Thewathle Tribal Town. Kelly is also of Cherokee lineage. Through VNN, he hopes to lift up more Indigenous voices in Oklahoma’s news ecosystem.

Kelly has been a noteworthy leader in the energy sector for more than a decade. He took the plunge into news entrepreneurship after meeting his future wife Brittany Harlow and learning about her passion for community service through news and information.

In addition to news entrepreneurship, Kelly also works as a consultant and data scientist in the Exploration and Production sector of the energy industry.

Brittany Harlow grew up in Massachusetts. In 2008, she enrolled at Middlesex Community College to pursue a degree in journalism and broadcasting, while also pursuing an acting career in Boston.

​A year later, Brittany moved to Oklahoma. After graduating from Northeastern State University, Brittany was hired as a content producer for KRMG’s Evening News with Dick Loftin on NEWS102.3 and AM740 KRMG in Tulsa. She was promoted to full-time reporter in December 2014.

​Brittany began her TV career with News12 KXII as an Ada bureau reporter in July 2015 and made her way down to the main station in Sherman, Texas, in June 2016. She was promoted to Weekend Anchor in January 2017.

​​Brittany left KXII in June 2018 to work for VNN. She had her first child in March 2019 and became a foster parent in 2021. Brittany knows finding a healthy balance between work and home life is important and enjoys helping others do the same. She also enjoys playing soccer and traveling in her spare time!

Trista Vaughn is United Keetoowah Band, Hualapai, and Chickasaw. Trista graduated from Northeastern State University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies with an emphasis in Public Relations and in 2020 with a Master of Arts in Communication.

Trista volunteers for Mvscokee Mentor and Tahlequah Area Coalition for the Homeless.

She is a member of the Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority Alumna, ONABEN Girl Talk, and Oklahoma Council for Indian Education, and she served as Miss Keetoowah 2013.

Trista currently resides in Tulsa, OK with her dog Luna. She enjoys hiking, kayaking, running, and yoga.

Born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Rachael has spent her whole life living in the mitten. She is descended from the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and proud to be part of a Native-owned social news media company.

Rachael graduated from Central Michigan University with both her undergraduate and graduate degree.

She started her journalism career at WILX-TV in Lansing, Michigan, as a producer and reporter followed by two years as a reporter at Upnorthlive In Traverse City. The stories she’s covered range from the opioid crisis, erosion along the great lakes, local government politics and COVID-19.

Rachael has a passion for meeting new people and sharing their stories. If you have a great story idea, she would love to hear from you.

In her spare time Rachael enjoys hiking, going to the beach, traveling, reading, and cooking.

Jessica Penn currently resides in Owasso, OK. She is a tribal member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.

Jessica graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Rogers State University. She started her multimedia career in the Automotive Industry in Texas as a Marketing Director, then continued her multimedia journey as a Senior Marketing Manager for a global company in the Food & Beverage Industry. With more than a decade of writing for various platforms under her belt, Jessica is looking forward to growing as a journalist through VNN Oklahoma and VNN Indigenous News.

Jessica’s work passions are developing innovative ideas with various project teams. Developing partnerships, growing programs, and tracking the success that tells a story.

In her downtime, Jessica enjoys watching a great game of football and volleyball, creating memories with her children, and traveling with friends.

Cait Medearis grew up in Portland, Oregon, and has lived all around the U.S. (and beyond) for her work as a journalist.

During her time studying broadcast journalism at the University of Oregon, she completed her school’s affiliate communications program in Seville, Spain, followed by a second stint studying journalism in London, England. After graduating, she accepted a role as a morning reporter at Central Washington’s NBC station. Later, she was recruited to help launch a brand new NBC station in West Tennessee as one of its first primetime reporters.

Most recently, Cait jumped back into reporting as an evening reporter at ABC in Hawaii. She now works as a full-time freelancer, telling stories from the islands. She’s also passionate about ocean, reef, and land conservation, and is working on various environmentalism projects!

Mackenzie Oestreich (pronounced A-Strike) is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She graduated from Owasso High School in 2017 as a SkillsUSA National Officer. Mackenzie pursued a degree in Media Studies with a minor in Communication at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK, where she developed a passion for writing and media. During her time at NSU, Mackenzie contributed as a writer for the campus newspaper and honed her skills in content creation, which eventually led to an internship with Verified News Network in 2021.

After graduating in May of 2021, she worked at the Stilwell Democrat Journal, writing community news for Adair County and photographing the surrounding areas. Along the way, Mackenzie also gained experience in social media marketing, using platforms to drive engagement and promote content.

In a career twist, Mackenzie moved into the legal field, balancing work at a local agency with her passion for media. Now, she’s back at Verified News Network as a Multimedia Specialist, where she not only creates content but also manages social media strategies, helping clients enhance their online presence and engage with their audience in meaningful ways. As an experienced storyteller, you can expect some news stories from Mackenzie, too!

Hanna Olson is always looking for ways to expand her impact in the creative and media fields. With a background in content creation, teaching, advertising and SEO, she is ready for the next challenge and enjoys leading others with curiosity and passion.

Nico Berlin is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation. She currently attends the University of Missouri, Columbia. As a freshman, Nico reported for The Maneater, the university’s student publication, covering city council politics, student healthcare, housing, union bargaining, and local culture, engaging in data investigation and collaborating with other student journalists. Within Columbia’s Native community, Nico served as vice president of Four Directions, the only student organization on campus dedicated to representing Native students. She utilizes her journalistic skills to advocate for better institutional and financial support for those students and designed a zine to educate the campus on issues in Native communities.