MADISON – Kris O’Leary, publisher of the (Abbotsford) Tribune-Phonograph, (Cornell) Courier Sentinel, (Edgar) Record-Review, (Loyal) Tribune Record Gleaner and The (Medford) Star News, has been elected president of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.
O’Leary succeeds George Stanley, CEO of Wisconsin Watch, who becomes immediate past president.
Stanley passed the gavel to O’Leary during the WNA Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, March 14, in Madison. The appointment became official during the association’s annual meeting the next day — following a motion made by her mother, Carol O’Leary, publisher of The Star News, Medford, and seconded by her husband, Kevin Flink, publisher of TP Printing.
“People still want local news. What we do matters to our communities,” O’Leary said to an audience of nearly 200 members during the annual Better Newspaper Contest Awards Banquet. “Being a watchdog for local government. Being a cheerleader for community events. Letting people share their opinions. Strong local editorials to encourage community or government action.
“The people in this room get it. You understand the assignment. We need to get the message out that newspapers aren’t dying, they are changing and evolving from print, to online, to nonprofit. But newspapers are still one of our most valuable community resources. And the people in this room who investigate, cover meetings, write features, shoot sports, design ads and pages and print the papers are the heart and soul of those pages.”
Other newly elected officers include:
Jeff Patterson, president of APG Central Division, first vice president
Greg Mellis, publisher of the Shawano Leader, second vice president
Dave Wood, Director of Operations at New London Press Star, secretary/treasurer
WNA board directors include:
Greg Borowski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
David Eliot, Peninsula Pulse, Baileys Harbor
John Ingebritsen, Morris Newspapers, Lancaster
Kelly Lecker, Wisconsin State Journal, Madison
Richard Lee, Inter-County Cooperative Publishing
Mark Lewis, The Gazette, Janesville
Patrick Wood, Multi Media Channels, Green Bay
Joe Yovino, The Daily Reporter, Milwaukee
