Josh Harmon has been named audience director for the Central Illinois Newspaper Group for Lee Enterprises.

Skip Foster, president and publisher of the Tallahassee Democrat, announced that he is stepping down.

Dennis DeRossett has been named executive director of the Nebraska Press Association. DeRossett succeeds Allen Beermann, a former Nebraska secretary of State.

Thomas A. Silvestri, who has been at the Richmond Times-Dispatch for 37 years, including the last 15 years as president and publisher, announced his retirement. Silvestri will stay on until Dec. 31. Effective immediately, Paul Farrell becomes the newspaper’s publisher. Farrell most recently served as vice president of sales for Lee Enterprises.

Chris Argentieri has been named president of California Times, which includes the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune. He will keep the title of COO, which he's held since 2018. Jeff Crawford has been named CFO of California Times.

Cliff Chandler has been named publisher of The Bakersfield Californian. Chandler’s role will include oversight of The Californian, Tehachapi News, The Record, Kern Business Journal, The Bakersfield Voice, Bakersfield Life and affiliated websites. Chandler was promoted from the position of general manager, a role he had held since the July purchase of The Californian by Sound News Media.

The following members of senior leadership will report to Bascobert: Kris Barton, chief product officer; Alison Engel, chief financial officer: Jay Fogarty, SVP, corporate development; Kevin Gentzel, chief revenue officer; Samantha Howland, chief people officer; Adam Reinbach, CEO and president, BridgeTower Media; Polly Grunfeld Sack, general counsel; Bill Scanlon, interim head of UpCurve; Bernie Szachara, president, U.S. publishing operations; Jason Taylor, president, events and promotions; Maribel Wadsworth, president, news and publisher, USA Today; Henry Faure Walker, CEO, Newsquest Media Group; chief marketing officer, position to be filled, includes ownership of consumer marketing, led by Denise Robbins.

Paul Bascobert will serve as CEO of the operating company, Gannett Media.

Gannett has announced senior leadership for the newly merged Gannett-GateHouse company. As previously announced, Michael Reed will remain chairman of the board and CEO of the public company. Alison Engel will serve as chief financial officer of the public company, Gannett Co., Inc., and operating company, Gannett Media Corp.

Paxton Media Group announced that Jamie Paxton has been named president and CEO effective Jan. 1. He succeeds David Paxton, who had held the position for 20 years. David Paxton will remain with the company as chairman. Jamie Paxton has also been elected to the board of directors of PMG.

Tim Van Driessche has joined the imPRESSions Worldwide sales team. Van Driessche, who is based in St. Paul, Minnesota, brings over 40 years of experience in the printing industry.

Capital Newspapers (Wisconsin) has named Aaron Holbrook regional editor,  overseeing the news staff of the Beaver Dam Daily Citizen, Portage Daily Register and Baraboo News Republic. Holbrook previously was assistant regional editor.

PageSuite has hired Simon Fry, former head of product at the U.K’s Independent and Evening Standard, as its new product director. Most recently Fry was responsible for delivering digital solutions at ESI Media and overseeing The Independent’s transformation to becoming a digital-only publication. Simon will work with PageSuite’s management team, designers and developers to help shape the company’s product roadmap.

Bob Geiger has been named vice president of sales for PA Media Group, responsible for advertising and marketing operations at PennLive.com and The Patriot-News (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania). Most recently, Geiger was senior vice president of sales for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Kirk Davis, chief operating officer of New Media Investments and CEO of GateHouse Media, owner of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, intends to leave New Media upon the close of the Gannett newspaper company acquisition, which is now in works, according to Mike Reed, New Media CEO.

The New York Times announced that Dave Shaw, a leader of audio at Politico, is joining The Times as a senior audio editor and the first Washington-based member of the “Daily” podcast team. 

Brian Corcoran has been named publisher of The Post-Star (Glen Falls, New York), which Lee Enterprises owns.

Sabine Geldermann, director of drupa, the trade fair for printing technologies, is the recipient of this year’s Girls Who Print Girlie Award. Girls Who Print is an online network of women in the print sector.www.girlswhoprint.net

Chad Pauling has been named publisher of the Sioux City Journal and its associated publications. Pauling, who was previously the Journal's retail and digital advertising director, had served as interim publisher since former publisher Ron Peterson retired in June.

Chris Blade has been named publisher of the Rochester Post Bulletin (Minnesota).

She had been interim publisher since June 1, when Fargo-based Forum Communications acquired the Post Bulletin.

Walter V. McKinney, longtime publisher of the Hillsboro Argus (Oregon) newspaper, died Oct 15 at age 92 from pancreatic cancer. McKinney's family ran the Hillsboro Argus newspaper for three generations. The paper printed its last issue in 2017.

The Cheyenne Post (Wyoming) has announced the appointment of two people to newsroom leadership roles. Brucene Wilson has been named editor of The Cheyenne Post and Dave Lerner has been named director of digital media.

Steve Fisher is joining Adams Publishing Group as regional president of APG Media of Southern Minnesota. Before joining APG, Fisher spent 18 years at Dubuque, Iowa-based Woodward Communications, serving in advertising and marketing management and as a publisher. He was most recently group publisher of Woodward Community Media, which includes WCI’s paid newspapers, shoppers, niche publications, events and commercial printing operations.

Robert Lee Bradford II, owner of 17 newspapers in Minnesota and Wisconsin has died at 80. Bradford, a one-time reporter, believed weeklies were a vital link to keeping small towns connected.

Richard “Dick” Hartnett, a former Florida Today circulation executive who helped launch USA Today in 1982, died Sept. 21 in Sarasota. He was 71.

Lloyd Case, CEO for Forum Communications (Fargo, North Dakota), will retire at the end of December.

Stephanie Eubank, a veteran circulation manager, has been named audience development director for The Roanoke Times (Virginia). In her new role, Eubank will not only lead circulation sales and service for The Roanoke Times, but also for The (Lynchburg) News & Advance, the Danville Register & Bee and the Martinsville Bulletin. BH Media owns the four papers.

Edward VanHorn, executive director of SNPA and the SNPA Foundation, has announced that he will retire at the end of 2019 after 43 years at SNPA. VanHorn's retirement date was set more than a year ago, but it closely coincides with the consolidation of SNPA and the Inland Press Association.  The two organizations merge into a new association on Oct. 1. VanHorn will work with the CEO of the new association to assure a smooth transition.

Indiana Gazette (Pennsylvania) circulation manager Roque Carrasco was appointed in mid-September to a one-year term as president of the Inter-State Circulation Managers’ Association.

Dawn Burleigh has been named general manager of the Orange Leader (Texas). Burleigh has been a reporter for the newspaper since December 2010 and editor since January 2015. Prior to that, she worked in the production department for Triangle Press.