Nicole McMullin has been appointed group marketing director of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. McMullin will be the chief marketing officer and will take on the added role of being the RTD subscription sales champion, working closely with Audience Services Vice President David Kirkman and Executive Editor and Vice President of News Paige Mudd.

Former Getty Images sales exec Leslie Picard is joining Hearst Magazines as associate publisher and chief revenue officer of Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health and Seventeen. 

Neil Westergaard, who spent more than 30 years reporting and guiding the news of the Denver area and served for 18 of those years as the editor of Denver Business Journal — has died. He was 67, having retired just one year ago.

Digital printing tech manufacturer Durst and press manufacturer Koenig & Bauer have appointed Robert Stabler as managing director of their new joint venture effective Aug. 1. Koenig & Bauer Durst was officially established in early May, following antitrust regulation clearance from the relevant authorities. Before joining Koenig & Bauer Durst, Stabler was senior vice president with Xerox’s continuous feed business. Previous executive roles also included HP and Agfa.

Chris Kupferer, 56, a copy editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer for almost a quarter of a century, was found dead July 5 at his home. The cause of death was not immediately known, said the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office

Stephanie Pedersen has been named general manager of The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina), adding to her role as the newspaper’s executive editor. Pedersen has served as executive editor for three years.

Carol A. Smith has been named senior vice president, publishing director of Hearst Magazine’s Harper’s BAZAAR, ELLE and Marie Claire. Smith, who has been vice president, publisher and chief revenue officer of Harper’s BAZAAR since 2011, adds ELLE and Marie Claire to her responsibilities, as longtime Senior Vice President, Publishing Director and Chief Revenue Officer Kevin O’Malley has decided to retire.

Jon Van, a science writer for most of his 34 years at the Chicago Tribune, has died. Van, 75, died of complications from Parkinson’s disease July 10.

A veteran journalist at The Charlotte Observer, Taylor Batten, has been named its new managing editor. Batten has spent his 24-year career at the Observer, most recently as editor of its opinion pages for the past 11 years.

Stacey Woelfel, a professor at the Missouri School of Journalism and the director of the Jonathan B. Murray Center for Documentary Journalism, will be adding some new oversight duties to his portfolio as RJI’s new director of aerial Journalism. In this role, he’ll be overseeing the institute’s four-drone fleet, teaching a drone-flying class in the spring and working with interested Missouri journalism students who want to get their FAA licenses to become drone pilots.

Carlene Cox, formerly director of specialty content for GateHouse Media, has been named the company’s director of communications. Cox has been with GateHouse since 2012.

David Starr, Advance Publications newspaper group’s longest-serving news executive, has died. He was 96.

Lee Enterprises announced that Quad-City Times Advertising Director Janet Johnson has been named publisher of Globe-Gazette in Mason City, Iowa; the Summit-Tribune in Forest City and Britt, Iowa; and the Mitchell County Courier in Osage, Iowa.

The Lincoln Journal Star (Nebraska) announced the appointment of Marie Silfer to the team as the regional retail advertising manager. Silfer has two decades of advertising experience in print and digital media. Silfer was most recently the local advertising manager at The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for the McClatchy Company.

Journal Star executive editor Dennis Anderson has been named GateHouse Media’s Illinois state editor. He is one of 13 state editors across the country named as part of a project to reorganize and refocus newsroom efforts to better serve readers.

Steve Dunleavy, New York Post crime reporter, editor and columnist, died June 23 at his home on Long Island. He was 81. “Steve Dunleavy was one of the greatest reporters of all time,” Rupert Murdoch, Post owner, told the Post.

Michael Tackett has joined The Associated Press as deputy bureau chief in Washington, overseeing White House, Congress and politics teams. Tackett comes to AP from The New York Times.

Investigative journalist Mark Horvit is joining the board of directors of the Institute for Nonprofit News, along with three member representatives elected to the board. Horvit is an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Barry Lewis, editor for the Times Herald-Record (Middletown, New York), has left his post after 20 years at the newspaper.

David Crawshaw of The Wall Street Journal will join The Washington Post to become an Asia-based news editor, based in Hong Kong.

Newspaper publisher Sammy Lopez has been named executive director of the New Mexico Press Association. Lopez was most recently publisher of the Farmington Daily Times. 

Sally Stapleton has taken a position as global religion editor for The Associated Press, directing a new team that will report on faith around the world. Stapleton’s team is funded by a $4.9 million grant from the Lilly Endowment to the Religious News Foundation. The AP is working with Religion News Service and The Conversation to expand religion news reporting in the U.S. and around the world.

Rob Galloway has been named general manager of the Swift Communications Sierra Nevada Media Group, which includes the Nevada Appeal.

Columbus Dispatch statehouse reporter Jim Siegel has died at age 46.

Pam Sander, regional editor for GateHouse Media’s Coastal North Carolina Group, has been named editor of the company’s publications in the eight-state Southeast region. Sander will now lead newsrooms in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama and Georgia.

Dallas Morning News photo editor Guy Reynolds has died at 62.

Kendra Majors has been named publisher and editor of The Andalusia Star-News (Alabama) and its associated media products. Majors returns to Andalusia from Brewton, where she most recently was publisher of The Brewton Standard.

Evelyn Connatser Sandlin, advertising director for The Daily Times (Maryville, Tennessee), is retiring July 1, after 20 years.

McClatchy named Mandy Jenkins as general manager of The Compass Experiment. The Compass Experiment was announced this year by McClatchy in partnership with the Google News Initiative. The Compass Experiment aims to develop new, sustainable business models for local news and information in three U.S. communities that have limited sources of local, independent journalism.