Ali Mai, formerly working under Ali C. M. Watkins, is a freelance visual journalist and reporter based in Boulder, CO.

She was raised in Colorado Springs and has covered the Denver Metro region, Boulder Valley and northern Colorado. 

Mai previously served as co-founder and visual editor for Ms. Mayhem Magazine and the column writer of the "Longmont Local" business column for the Longmont Leader. 

With a focus on local businesses navigating the Covid-19 pandemic, Mai worked as a business reporter, writing the "Business Plus" features for BizWest/Prairie Mountain Publishing. 

She served as the photo editor, managing editor and editor-in-chief for MSU Denver’s student newspaper, The Metropolitan, from 2017 to 2019. Mai was named the national general news photography winner of the 2019 SPJ MOE awards for her photo of a Columbine survivor during the 20th anniversary of the shooting for The Metropolitan. 

Mai graduated from MSU Denver in 2019 with a B.A. in Social Documentary and a minor in art photography. 

Mai has served as secretary to the Colorado Pro Chapter of SPJ since September 2019. 

Her work can be found in BizWest, various Prairie Mountain Media publications through a partnership with BizWest, The Sentinel, Ms. Mayhem Magazine and The Metropolitan.