Member News

Kelly Lecker, a veteran journalist and Wisconsin native, has been named executive editor of the Wisconsin State Journal. She succeeds Jason Adrians, who was named vice president of local news for Lee Enterprises in January.

Lecker is the interim editor and managing/investigative editor for the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, where she has spent the last 13 years. Prior to joining the Gannett-owned newspaper, she served as an editor at The Toledo (Ohio) Blade  and worked as a reporter for The (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Journal Gazette. She earned her bachelor's degree in journalism and Spanish from UW-Stevens Point.

Eric A. Johnson, a veteran journalist and former newspaper owner, has joined the Lake Geneva Regional News as a reporter.

Johnson is the former editor and publisher of the Boulder Junction-based FYI Northwoods News, a bi-weekly newspaper he owned from 2010 to 2018. Prior to his move to Lake Geneva, he served as assistant editor of the Vilas County News-Review in Eagle River, as a business reporter for The (Racine) Journal Times, and as a reporter for The Lakeland Times in Minocqua.

Pete Wicklund, managing editor of the Kenosha News, will retire this week after a 37-year career in journalism. Wicklund’s last day at the newspaper will be Friday, March 4. John Sloca, who has worked as deputy editor under Wicklund, will lead the newsroom as local news editor.

Wicklund has been managing editor of the News since October 2020. Prior to his time in Kenosha, he spent 21 years with The Journal Times. He started in the Burlington bureau and went on to serve as a police reporter, copy editor, photographer and assistant managing editor. Wicklund and his wife, Susan Shemanske, are part owners of the Washington Island Observer. 

Tannette Elie, a UW-Parkside lecturer and longtime journalist, has been named as the school's executive director of university relations.

In the role, Elie is the school's primary legislative liaison and public information officer. She also will serve as a member of the chancellor's cabinet and will lead the communications, branding and marketing efforts at UW-Parkside. Prior to her career in higher education, Elie spent 20 years as a reporter and columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

Jason Adrians, who has served as executive editor of the Wisconsin State Journal since September 2020, has been named vice president of local news for Lee Enterprises. Longtime city editor Phil Brinkman has been named interim editor while the newspaper searches for Adrians' replacement. 

In his new role, Adrians will be the top news executive for all Lee local news organizations, including the State Journal. He previously had held the role of national editor for Lee since January 2017.

Kevin O'Brien, longtime editor of The (Abbotsford) Tribune-Phonograph, is stepping down from the role. In a farewell column, O'Brien noted his decision was due to a personal medical issue. He said he hoped to continue his journalism career once his health is back on track.

O'Brien has served as Tribune-Phonograph editor since August 2008. During his time as editor, the newspaper won numerous awards in the WNA Foundation Better Newspaper Contest, including O'Brien's recent first-place honors for local column and general news photo.

Hannah Coyle, who joined the staff of the (Hudson) Star-Observer full-time in June, has a new beat covering the city of Hudson.

Coyle, who played a major role in O’Rourke Media Group’s efforts to relaunch the River Falls Journal as an online-only publication, previously covered the city of River Falls and Pierce County. She previously contributed as a freelancer for the group of papers along the Wisconsin-Minnesota border. She also served as an intern for the newspapers in summer 2018, when they were still part of RiverTown Multimedia.

Craig Gilbert and Tom Haudricourt, veteran reporters of more than 70 combined years at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, each announced on Twitter this week their plans to retire from the newspaper.

Gilbert, the newspaper’s Washington bureau chief, has spent 35 years as a political reporter for the Journal Sentinel, covering every presidential campaign since 1988 and chronicling Wisconsin’s role as an important swing state in national elections. Through a fellowship with the Marquette Law School’s Lubar Center, he will be doing Wisconsin political analysis that will appear in the Journal Sentinel later this year. 

Haudricourt has spent the last 36 years covering the Milwaukee Brewers and Major League Baseball for the Journal Sentinel. He has won numerous awards for his work, including being named Wisconsin sportswriter of the year by the National Sports Media Association four times, including back-to-back honors in 2018 and 2019.