Newsmakers

New hires, promotions and other recent staff changes at Texas newspapers.

COURTNEY SEBESTA
Austin American-Statesman
AUSTIN – The Austin American-Statesman has named Courtney Sebesta managing editor.
Executive Editor Manny García announced the promotion.
Sebesta moved into the position Dec. 5 after leaving her job as a director of digital optimization for the Gannett USA Today network.
After graduating with a journalism degree from the University of Texas, Sebesta joined the Statesman in 2002 and spent time in several editorial positions and as a feature and style writer.
She was promoted to digital editor in 2015, overseeing Statesman.com, Austin360.com and Hookem.com before taking a leadership position with Gatehouse Media while the company owned the Statesman in 2018.
Sebesta was promoted to senior director of audience development for the network, a job she kept in 2019 under a new Statesman owner and with an appointment to become director of digital operations in the Sunbelt and Midwest regions for Gannett, which merged with Gatehouse to create the largest newspaper company in the country. 
Sebesta’s hiring comes after former Managing Editor Andy Alford left the Statesman in March to join The Texas Tribune.
Over those months, Texas politics and education editor Bob Gee filled the role as acting managing editor. He left the newspaper in early November to accept the Texas bureau chief post at Axios.

ANDY SEVILLA
Austin American-Statesman
AUSTIN – Andy Sevilla has been promoted to deputy managing editor at the Austin American-Statesman. He will oversee politics, education, local government, business, technology and community publications.
Executive Editor Manny García announced the promotion.
Sevilla, who has a bachelor’s degree from Texas State University, joined the Statesman in March 2015 as a community news editor. He was promoted earlier this year to associate news editor and training coordinator for diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Andy is a bilingual journalist who also leads our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts,” García said. “He brings a nuanced eye to news coverage, from a statewide perspective to local news.”

RYAN AUTULLO
Austin American-Statesman
AUSTIN – Veteran journalist Ryan Autullo is the Statesman’s new chief political reporter.
Executive Editor Manny García announced the promotion, calling Autullo’s new position an important newsroom role.
A veteran journalist, Autullo will lead coverage of Texas government and the governor. He is a former sports reporter who has covered courts and is known for his source building and enterprise reporting.

RONNIE HOLCOMB
The Marshall News Messenger
MARSHALL – Ronnie Holcomb is the new sports editor for the Marshall News Messenger.
Holcomb is responsible for coverage of area high school sports, college sports at East Texas Baptist University and Wiley College and other sports-related news.
“We’re very excited that Ronnie has joined our staff, and we know our readers will be delighted by his sports coverage,” Editor Meredith Shamburger said.
Holcomb studied at Alvin Community College (ACC), earning an associate of applied science in mass communications. After ACC, Holcomb transferred to Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches to finish his bachelor of arts degree in mass communications with a sports minor.
After graduating, Holcomb wanted to stay in East Texas to be near SFA, where his fiancé Marlys Baldwin is still studying forestry.
In October 2021, he was hired by KETK/Fox 51 in Tyler as a news photographer. He traveled all over East Texas covering festivals, breaking news, weather and sports.

BAILEY DANIELS
Kaufman Herald
KAUFMAN - Bailey Daniels has joined the staff of the Kaufman Herald as a writer.
A former intern with the Herald in 2018-19, Daniels has experience working in the local community. She returned to the Herald following graduation from Texas State University with a degree in electronic media.
Her return to Kaufman came after a year in Nashville working as a musician. “When it was time to return to Texas, it was also time to start my next creative adventure, and I’ve found that very opportunity here in Kaufman,” she said.

AUSTIN JACKSON
Wise County Messenger
DECATUR – Austin Jackson has been promoted to editor of the Wise County Messenger, succeeding Richard Greene, who resigned to become communications manager of the National Independent Auto Dealers Association in Irving.
Jackson joined the Messenger staff in 2018 as a general assignment reporter and was promoted to assistant editor in 2021. His primary assignments were city and school government in West Wise County, including the city of Bridgeport and Bridgeport ISD.
Publisher Roy Eaton announced the promotion, noting that Jackson’s work for the newspaper “has been outstanding and we are thrilled for his commitment to community journalism in Wise County.”
Jackson attended Baylor University and studied journalism at the University of North Texas. He joined the Messenger staff from the Daily Ardmoreite in Oklahoma, where he was a sports and general assignment reporter.
He has won numerous awards from the Texas Press Association and North and East Texas Press Association for writing and photography.

MEGAN ZAPALAC
Beaumont Enterprise
BEAUMONT – Megan Zapalac has joined the the Beaumont Enterprise as the paper’s new public safety reporter.
A native of Rockport, Zapalac graduated from Texas Tech University in May 2021 with a bachelors degree in journalism and a minor in media strategy. While a student, she interned for MKV Publishing in Lubbock, working on magazines.
Zapalac said she is excited “to get to know Beaumont and learn more about the business of the journalism industry” while developing investigative reporting skills.