Executive Appointments Announced at Gannett
McLEAN, VA – Virgil L. Smith today was named vice president of talent management at Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) and promoted to chairman of the Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times, where he has been president and publisher since 1996.
Jeffrey P. Green, senior vice president of advertising and marketing for the Honolulu Advertiser, was named to replace Smith as president and publisher in Asheville. The appointments are effective immediately.
“Gannett is fortunate to have two such talented executives able to move into these key roles,” said Roxanne Horning, senior vice president of Human Resources. “Gannett’s corporate staff will be getting an experienced hand in Virgil, whose background and education are in Human Resources. Developing strategies for hiring and retaining talented employees is of the utmost importance to Gannett.”
“This is a win-win for the Asheville community and the Citizen-Times,” said Sue Clark-Johnson, president of the Gannett Newspaper Division. “Virgil is an important part of the community, and the newspaper can continue to rely on his expertise and knowledge. Jeff is an excellent leader with a diverse and wide-ranging background.”
Smith became president and publisher in Asheville in 1996 after five years at Gannett’s newspaper in Stockton, CA as assistant publisher, publisher and president. He also served as assistant to the senior group president of the Gannett Pacific Group.
Before joining Gannett, Smith worked at the Sacramento Bee in a number of positions including circulation manager and personnel director. In 1984, he moved to the Fresno Bee as director of consumer marketing and chief labor negotiator.
Smith has bachelor and master’s degrees from the University of San Francisco and served six years in the U.S. Army.
In 2003 and 2005, the Asheville Citizen-Times under Smith’s leadership won Gannett’s Diversity Award, a top honor that goes to the newspaper that is the most diverse and most reflects the diversity of its community.
Before joining the Honolulu Advertiser in 2004, Green was president of Media Solutions in Tampa, FL. From 1993 to 1999, Green was director of advertising sales and marketing for the Tampa Tribune.
He also worked in marketing and advertising at The Journal in Winston-Salem, NC; the Washington Times in Washington, DC; and at Madison Newspapers in Madison, WI. He began his career as a researcher at the Journal Sentinel in Milwaukee, WI.
Green has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
Gannett Co., Inc. is a leading international news and information company that publishes 90 daily newspapers in the USA, including USA TODAY, the nation’s largest-selling daily newspaper. The company also owns nearly 1,000 non-daily publications in the USA and USA WEEKEND, a weekly newspaper magazine. Gannett subsidiary Newsquest is the United Kingdom’s second largest regional newspaper company. Newsquest publishes more than 300 titles, including 17 daily newspapers, and a network of prize-winning Web sites. Gannett also operates 23 television stations in the United States and is an Internet leader with sites sponsored by its TV stations and newspapers including USATODAY.com, one of the most popular news sites on the Web.
For media inquiries:
Tara Connell
Vice President of Corporate Communications
(703) 854-6049
tjconnel@gannett.com