Newsmakers

Staff additions, promotions and other changes at Texas newspapers.

Emily Banks Wooten
Polk County Enterprise
LIVINGSTON – Emily Banks Wooten is the new editor of the Polk County Enterprise, according to an announcement by Polk County Publishing Company Publisher Kelli Barnes.
Wooten previously spent 15 years with Polk County Publishing Company (PCPC), first as a general assignment reporter and then as news editor, before taking a break to start her family. During those 15 years she earned numerous writing, photography and community service awards.
She returned to PCPC in March 2020 as the creator of “Bite by Bite - Conquering My Culinary Bucket List One Dish at a Time,” a food page feature that runs every Sunday in the Polk County Enterprise.
Earlier this year she created “Small Town Bites,” a restaurant showcase that appears in the quarterly East Texan Magazine.
“This is really a ‘coming home’ of sorts, as my first job out of college was with the Polk County Enterprise. I gave a lot of blood, sweat and tears during those 15 years and I look forward to doing that again,” Wooten said,
adding that she feels the local news source should be the hub of a thriving community.
“Providing news to the people is an ever-evolving endeavor, today moreso than at any other time in our history with the numerous platforms available,” she said. “My goal – in conjunction with our team – is to produce a product that not only has relevance for our community, but that serves our readers and advertisers in a first-class manner.”
Most recently Wooten served eight years as the Court Coordinator for the 411th Judicial District which comprises Polk, San Jacinto and Trinity counties. She also taught high school English and journalism, had a brief
stint in the banking industry and briefly served as the interim editor of the Houston County Courier in Crockett.
A graduate of Baylor University, she is wife to Kevin, a history instructor at Angelina College, and mother to Natalie, a Livingston High School student. She’s a lifelong member of First United Methodist Church of Livingston.

Andi Foster
The Light and Champion
CENTER – Andi Foster recently joined The Light and Champion as advertising consultant.
The appointment was announced by Leon Aldridge, publisher.
Foster has an extensive background in promotions and brand marketing, journalism and photography. She is an honor graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University where she earned a bachelor of arts in communication, majoring in journalism with a concentration in advertising, public relations and English and minoring in writing.
Her previous experience includes positions in journalism, communication, advertising and marketing including social media marketing through Facebook, Instagram and website management. Prior to entering marketing and journalism, she held positions in human resources and international business.
Foster moved to Center in 1993, where she has been an active member of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, serving on the board of directors, and currently serving as a Chamber Ambassador. She is a past-president of the Ambassadors and served on several other committees.
Her volunteer work includes Friends of the Library for Fannie Brown Booth Memorial Library and the Lakes Area Arts League. 
She is a member of the First United Methodist Church in Center where she serves as communication/social media chair volunteer.