Newsmakers

Newsmakers for September 2017

PAUL BRYANT
Athens Daily Review
ATHENS – Paul Bryant has been named the new editor of the Athens Daily Review.
Bryant succeeds Chad Wilson, who accepted a position with Brownsboro ISD.
Bryant, 41, came to Athens from The Daily Sentinel in Nacogdoches, where he spent the last five years. He started at the Sentinel as a beat reporter before being promoted to city editor and, finally, managing editor.
In making the announcement, Publisher Lange Svehlak noted that Bryant was the Review’s toughest competition at newspaper contests. “Now that he is on our team. I am looking forward to working with Paul and seeing what he can bring to the pages of the Review,” he said.
While in Nacogdoches, Bryant received more than 35 awards from Texas Associated Press Managing Editors, Texas Press Association and North and East Texas Press Association, including journalist of the year (NETPA) and Star reporter of the year (TAPME) a combined five times.
Bryant has been in the newspaper industry for 22 years. Before moving to Nacogdoches, he was editor of The Chandler and Brownsboro Statesman and the Bullard Banner News.

JOSH EDWARDS
The Daily Sentinel
NACOGDOCHES – The Daily Sentinel has named news editor Josh Edwards as managing editor.
A native of Paris, Texas, Edwards joined The Daily Sentinel staff in October 2015 as news editor, assuming the responsibility of layout and design of the daily paper.
“After spending most of my time in Nacogdoches working at night to ensure readers get their morning paper, I’m looking forward to being out in the community more,” he said.
In edition to his editing duties, Edwards has also contributed stories to the paper and Nacogdoches magazine in the past two years, primarily focusing on religion, history and entertainment.
“Josh has always demonstrated excellent news judgment and attention to detail and has both technical and people skills, both a requirement for managing editor,” Publisher Debi Ryan said in announcing his promotion.
Before returning to Texas and moving to Nacogdoches, Edwards worked at the Pulitzer Prize-winning Vicksburg Post, covering crime, courts, civil rights, Civil War history and features. He is also is a former writer and editor for The Paris News in his hometown and was an editor at The Denton Record-Chronicle.

MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
The Monitor
McALLEN – Michael Rodriguez, a seasoned editor with extensive knowledge of the Rio Grande Valley, is the new metro editor of The Monitor.
Rodriguez, who has been editor of the Mid-Valley Town Crier for the past three years, will oversee a staff of 10 editors and reporters whose coverage primarily is focused on Hidalgo County and its municipalities.
The Monitor and the Mid-Valley Town Crier are both AIM Media Texas publications.
Executive Editor Carlos Sanchez, who announced Rodriguez’ appointment, said a metro editor must have both a good working knowledge of the community and strong journalistic skills.
Rodriguez, 36, will continue to oversee the Mid-Valley Town Crier, which he took over at the end of 2014.
Previously, Rodriguez, a lifelong resident of San Benito, served as managing editor of the San Benito News.

DANNIE OLIVEAUX
Silsbee Bee
SILSBEE –Dannie Oliveaux has assumed the role of editor of the Silsbee Bee, owner Danny Reneau announced.
Oliveaux returns to Hardin County after a 30-year absence. He worked for the Hardin County News from May 1985 to Feb. 1987.
The veteran journalist worked in Washington and Oregon from July 1999 to April 2015. While in the Pacific Northwest, he served as sports editor of Tacoma Weekly, editor of The Orting (Wash.) Gazette, sports editor of the Seaside (Ore.) Signal, and editor of the Port Orchard (Wash.) Independent from 2012-15.
He is a native of Hebert, La. and attended the University of Louisiana-Monroe, majoring in advertising design and photography.
 
SALLIE SOLLY
The Kirbyville Banner
Sallie Solly is the new editor of The Kirbyville Banner, publisher Danny Reneau announced.
Solly has lived in Southeast Texas most of her life and has been a substitute teacher in the Kirbyville ISD system for several years. Previously, she worked for the Bill Dover Company in Jasper and for First National Bank of Jasper. She is a graduate of Burkeville High School.
She succeeds Patricia Bagwell, who accepted a teaching position with KISD.
 
PATRICIA DILLON
Tri County Leader
WHITEHOUSE – Patricia Dillon is the new editor of the Tri County Leader.
She replaces Suzanne Loudamy, who recently retired from the newspaper.
Dillon was most recently a copy editor and layout/page designer for The Eagle in Bryan. She also was the chief layout designer at the Daily Tribune in Mount Pleasant, and was the managing editor, webmaster and staff writer at The East Texan student newspaper at Texas A&M University – Commerce. Dillon also interned as a reporter at the Bogata News/Talco Times.
The valedictorian of her high school Class of 2013 from Rivercrest High School in Bogata, Dillon has a bachelor of arts degree in English from Texas A&M University – Commerce.

APRIL TOWERY
JENNIFER McDONALD
AMY LIEB
The Sealy News
SEALY – Sealy News Publisher Karen Lopez announced several staff changes.
April Towery, a staff reporter for the past three months, was promoted to managing editor. Jennifer McDonald is the new advertising sales representative and Amy Lieb is the new office manager.
Towery studied journalism at Texas A&M University and has worked for several Texas newspapers over the past two decades, including The Navasota Examiner, The Huntsville Item, The Bryan/College Station Eagle and The Madisonville Meteor.
Lieb, 30, grew up in Cypress and recently moved to Sealy from Magnolia. She worked in childcare for seven years at La Petite Academy and then served as an executive assistant for Schulte Building Systems.
McDonald grew up in the Katy area and moved to Sealy about six years ago. She worked in the medical field for 18 years and also has experience in mortgage lending. She has also been active as a volunteer with the Austin County Fair and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

JONATHAN TOYE
Kerrville Daily Times
KERRVILLE – Jonathan Toye is the new sports editor at the Kerrville Daily Times.
Toye hails from Johnson City, Tennessee, and earned his journalism degree in May from the University of Tennessee. Following his graduation, he interned with MLB.com in Pittsburgh, covering the Pirates.
Noting that covering a major league team requires an aggressive style of reporting, Toye said he was drawn to Kerrville by the nature of community sports and the opportunity to cover high school football.
RICHARD ZOWIE
Highland Lakes Newspapers
MARBLE FALLS – The addition of Richard Zowie to the staffs of the Marble Falls Highlander and the Burnet Bulletin was announced by Highland Lakes Newspapers Publisher Frank Shubert.
Zowie is sports editor for The Highlander, covering Marble Falls and Faith Academy sports, but will also take an active role the on the news side, covering Marble Falls ISD for The Highlander. As a staff writer for the Burnet Bulletin, Zowie will cover the City of Burnet. In addition, he will handle general assignments for both newspapers and utilize his layout and design talents on the production side of the newspapers.
Zowie previously worked at the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post for nearly four years.
He has worked as a journalist for publications in Texas, Illinois and Michigan.
He has a bachelor of arts degree in history with a minor in English from Pensacola Christian College.
He also has an associate’s degree in the Russian Basic Course from the Defense Language Institute in California and served four years in the U.S. Army as a Russian linguist. He also studied Mandarin Chinese.
A native of Louisiana, he lived in Kansas before moving to South Texas, where he grew up.
 
JENNIFER ROBISON
Burnet Bulletin
BURNET – Jennifer Robison is the new office manager and staff writer for the Burnet Bulletin, Highland Lakes Newspapers Publisher Frank Shubert announced. 
In addition to managing the Bulletin office in Burnet on a day-to-day basis, Robison covers Burnet
Consolidated Independent School District and the city of Bertram for the Bulletin.
Robison is a 2012 Quest High School graduate and has been a resident of Bertram for the past 12 years, having grown up on her family’s ranch outside town.
Most recently, Robison worked at Blair’s Western Wear in Marble Falls and helped with the Mutton Bustin’ event at the Burnet County Rodeo.

COURTNEY McNEAL
The Paris News
PARIS – Courtney McNeal has joined the staff of The Paris News as a general assignment reporter, Publisher J.D. Davidson announced.
McNeal, a graduate of Roxton High School and Texas A&M University - Commerce, first developed an interest in journalism while competing in UIL editorial and news writing events in high school. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in English in 2012.
McNeal said she looks forward to expanding her knowledge of different styles of writing and developing skills to become an editor.