JANESVILLE — Longtime newspaper executive Mary Jo Villa is leaving her leadership role with Adams Publishing Group and The (Janesville) Gazette, the company announced Monday.
Villa, the regional president of APG’s southern Wisconsin media group, has held several executive leadership roles with The Gazette and its parent companies over the last 30 years. She moved into her most recent position following APG’s purchase of Bliss Communication’s newspapers and printing facility in 2019.
Prior to the acquisition, Villa was the chief operating officer for Bliss Communications. She also served as circulation director and vice president of human resources, among other roles, during her tenure.
Villa said in the announcement that she is leaving the media industry in large part to spend more time with her family.
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Taking over for Villa as president of APG’s southern Wisconsin group is Orestes Baez. He will oversee all of the company’s southern Wisconsin publications, which include four daily newspapers — The Gazette, Beloit Daily News, Watertown Daily Times and the (Fort Atkinson) Daily Jefferson County Union — and several weeklies.
Baez comes to Wisconsin after two years in Michigan as the regional vice president and group publisher of a chain of Gannett-owned newspapers. During his time there, Baez spearheaded a model that helped the group’s newsrooms work together on statewide projects.
Before his time in Michigan, Baez was regional vice president of sales and general manager for the Greenville (S.C.) News and Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times. He also held similar roles with The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla.
