George Stanley, former editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, has been named president of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.
Stanley, who was elected president at the association’s annual meeting in March, officially took the reins during the WNA Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, July 21, in Madison. He was passed the gavel from J. Patrick “Pat” Reilly, co-owner of The Dodgeville Chronicle. Reilly, who had served as president since July 2022, will now serve a term as past president.
Stanley, who joined the WNA Board of Directors in 2017, retired from the Journal Sentinel at the end of 2022, after working at the newspaper for more than three decades. He led the newsroom as editor since 2015 and as managing editor since 1997. During his tenure, the Journal Sentinel won nearly every major national award for reporting, including three Pulitzer Prizes.
Stanley now serves as Local News Initiatives Advisor for Multi Media Channels, where he works with the group’s “Pass it Forward” internship program, as well as other company initiatives to nurture a healthy community journalism environment in the state. He also is the project manager for the State of Local News 2023, an effort of the Local News Initiative at Northwestern University, as well as a past president of the News Leaders Association.
The slate of officers elected during this year’s annual meeting also included:
- 1st Vice President: Kris O’Leary, publisher of The Record Review, Edgar
- 2nd Vice President: Jeff Patterson, president of APG Media of Wisconsin
- Secretary & Treasurer: Gregg Mellis, publisher of the Shawano Leader
WNA board directors include:
- John Ingebritsen, publisher of Morris Newspapers, Lancaster
- Dave Wood, director of operations at the New London Press Star
- Andy Fisher, VP of Sales for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
- David Eliot, publisher of the Peninsula Pulse, Baileys Harbor
- Joe Yovino, associate publisher/editor of The Daily Reporter, Milwaukee
- Mark Lewis, publisher of The Gazette, Janesville
