EXPERIENCE
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, OMAHA, NE
October 2004-August 2019
March 2017-August 2019: Features and Entertainment Editor
August 2011-March 2017: News and Presentation Editor
February 2008-August 2011: Presentation Editor
December 2005-February 2008: Deputy Sports Editor
October 2004-December 2005: Deputy Design Director
During my first two years, I collaborated with the sports editor to modernize coverage and presentation. We expanded the scope of content in four signature beats — Nebraska football, the College World Series, high school sports and Creighton basketball. Soon, I was tasked to lead a similar makeover with the rest of the newspaper. As News and Presentation Editor, I led a staff of more than 30 journalists, managed design and editing newsroom-wide and oversaw coverage hierarchy decisions — including story lineups for Page 1 and the regional news cover.
WICHITA EAGLE, WICHITA, KS
January 1998-October 2004
I worked as a sports page designer during my first year, and was promoted to lead sports designer, a position I held until my departure. I also worked in news and features.
STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER, SPRINGFIELD, IL
November 1996-January 1998
Hired as a copy editor, I worked page design shifts as needed. My supervisors soon took notice and encouraged me to develop my skills working with visuals. Doing so launched a major career shift.
USA TODAY, ARLINGTON, VA
September 1993-January 1998
I worked as a freelance reporter, serving as Illinois’ lone high school sports correspondent.
NEWS TRIBUNE, LA SALLE, IL
July 1990-November 1996
I began my journalism career as a freelancer, writing sports stories while in college, beginning in December 1985. I became full-time in 1990, working as a sportswriter for three years and Sports Editor for three more.
QUALIFICATIONS
BRAND DEVELOPMENT/MARKETING
Omaha World-Herald logo, color scheme: Our CEO commissioned my team to create newspaper brand elements. Most notable were the company’s Gothic “O” logo and the move to blue as its signature color.
The Bottom Line marketing: The World-Herald launched an internet radio sports talk show. (TBL, as it was commonly known, eventually was picked up by an AM station.) Starting with its 2014 launch, I conceived, wrote, art directed and designed marketing materials including billboards, display ads, radio spots, email blasts and advertising pitch placards.
REBRANDING/REDESIGN
Omaha World-Herald newspaper redesign, Go Magazine redesign, Omaha.com redesign:
I supervised all three major projects, the first two which occurred simultaneously in 2013. In-house redesigns are rare in newsrooms because of the stress they place on production resources. Some elements of these efforts remain, although today’s products align heavily with formats of other properties owned by the new parent company.
The Press of Atlantic City newspaper redesign, At the Shore magazine redesign: When our New Jersey sister paper sought to take on a potentially costly print redesign, our CEO commissioned me to lead these projects. Much of the work was done remotely, although I was on site for a week early in the project and again for the 2015 launch. I consulted and coached a newly hired design director through the daily print project and worked alone on the entertainment magazine redesign.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Omaha Dines website, newsletter, app: When analytics displayed an untapped audience for coverage of the Omaha dining scene, I worked with our food writer to develop a dining-specific website. There, readers could more easily access reviews, news and “best-of-market” collections. I did all the design work on the site as well as that for a mobile app and a weekly email newsletter. Parts of the app remain in use under new ownership.
AWARDS
254 SOCIETY FOR NEWS DESIGN AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
Judged annually, the Society for News Design competition is perhaps the most world-wide contest in print journalism. A tiny fraction of newspapers have won even a single SND award. Prior to my arrival, the World-Herald had netted just one SND honor during the first two decades of the competition. My team won 253 such honors in Omaha; we multiple times ranked among the top 10 award winners in the U.S. and once cracked the world top 10.
15 ASSOCIATED PRESS SPORTS EDITORS TRIPLE CROWNS
A publication earns a Triple Crown when it is judged to rank among the top 10 newspapers in daily, Sunday and special coverage. It is the most comprehensive competition rewarding overall excellence in North American sports print journalism. During the 14-year period from 2006-2019, the Omaha World-Herald collected 13 Triple Crowns, ranking among the top 10 in 41 of 42 possible categories. That feat went unmatched. Similarly, our team won in eight of nine possible categories during my final three years at the Wichita paper. Those 15 Triple Crowns, coinciding with my time working with those journalists, are the only such honors either paper has won before or since.
3 ILLINOIS ASSOCIATED PRESS EDITORS ASSOCIATION WRITING AWARDS
All were for sportswriting, including first place for sports columns in 1996 and second place for investigative/in-depth reporting in 1992 and 1993.
5 ILLINOIS PRESS ASSOCIATION WRITING AWARDS
All were for sportswriting, including a first place in 1990.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
AMERICAN PRESS INSTITUTE EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Spring 2008
SILVERSTONE GROUP EVERYDAY MANAGEMENT TRAINING
Fall 2005-Spring 2006
LEADERSHIP OMAHA
Class 32: September 2009-June 2010
AMERICAN PRESS INSTITUTE TABLE STAKES AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Class of 2018
EDUCATION
NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
DEKALB, IL