New publisher leading Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel

NACOGDOCHES – The Daily Sentinel has welcomed Jackland Berry-McDowell as publisher to lead the award-winning community newspaper.

“I am incredibly proud to have Jackland Berry-McDowell step into the publisher role for The Daily Sentinel in Nacogdoches. With her experience growing up in the area combined with her energy, there is no doubt she will make the community proud,” said Leonard Woolsey, president of Southern Newspapers, Inc. “I see great things ahead for The Daily Sentinel and the community.”

Berry-McDowell comes to The Daily Sentinel most recently from The Baytown Sun, where she was advertising sales manager.

“I cannot tell you how excited we are to have Jackie,” said Yvonne Mintz, vice president of Southern Newspapers.

Berry-McDowell called becoming publisher “a privilege and a true honor.”

She has a long career in newspapers.

“I’ve been in the newspaper industry for over 35 years and have always loved what I do. My background is in advertising sales, so I’ve had some experience in many areas such as inside and outside sales, national / major accounts coordination, with some management experience along the way. I’ve even done a bit of writing, so look to hear from me periodically,” she said.

Taking the publisher position in Nacogdoches is a return home to East Texas for Berry-McDowell.

“I was born and raised just under 40 miles from Nacogdoches in a small town called Tenaha, along with my eight siblings. My parents were probably the only Black business owners in the area,” she said.

Her father was a barber who also operated a pool hall, a laundromat, a gas station and a snack shack. “That’s where I learned at an early age to work hard,” Berry-McDowell said, adding that both her parents were important influences on her professional development.

The Daily Sentinel is owned by Southern Newspapers, Inc. a Houston- based company, and the leading sources of print and digital news and information in East Texas.

(Excerpts from a staff report published Nov. 8 in The Daily Sentinel.)