Indigenous storyteller Debra Utacia Krol is an award-winning journalist with an emphasis on Native issues, environmental and science issues, and travel. She is an enrolled member of the Xolon (also known as Jolon) Salinan Tribe from the Central California coastal ranges. Krol's forceful and deeply reported stories about peoples, places and issues have won nearly a dozen awards.
With nearly 20 years’ professional experience, Krol has covered topics ranging from how the Tohono O’odham Nation addressed border incursions and Arizona tribal communities’ efforts to deal with Alzheimer’s disease, to how a diverse group of artists, gallery owners and activists worked to create a live/work arts overlay district in downtown Phoenix. Krol's Arizona Indian tourism guides have been distributed across the U.S., and her coverage of the impact of invasive species on Native communities has won her accolades. She has also contributed articles and photos to two books, "First Families: A Photographic History of California Indians" (Heyday Books, 2007) and "Seaweed, Salmon, and Manzanita Cider: A California Indian Feast" (Heyday Books, 2008).
Krol’s project for the Center for Health Journalism will examine the issue of toxic stress on tribal communities and the strategies to address this debilitating condition.