Monique Balas Butler

Office Coordinator / Friendly Filer

She may be the friendly face and voice of TG, but Monique conducts most of her work behind the scenes by ensuring team members and vendors get paid, HR questions are answered, and office supplies are stocked. Along her bumpy and circuitous road to becoming a “recovering journalist,” Monique acquired her administrative skills by working as an office manager at a local winery and as a receptionist at a veterinary hospital, and also served as a stewardship assistant at a nonprofit arts organization.

Professional background: Monique worked as a newspaper journalist for more than a decade, including five years as a pet columnist for The Oregonian/OregonLive. In 2014, she received the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association’s Veterinary Service Award for her columns.

Education: Northwestern University, Master’s Degree in Print Journalism

Interests: Reading, hiking, spending time with her husband, dog and two cats, and playing the clarinet in a Eugene-based clarinet choir called Platypus

Fun facts: She was an exchange student in France during her senior year of high school and spent two months backpacking around Europe after college.