The staff of The Herald gathered at Waterplace Restaurant and Lounge downtown Friday evening to welcome the 117th editorial board and bid farewell to outgoing editors and managers.
At the banquet, outgoing editors Robbie Corey-Boulet '07, Justin Elliott '07, Ben Miller '07, Stephanie Clark '07 and Katie Lamm '07 thanked staff members for their hard work and introduced next year's editorial board.
Eric Beck '08 and Mary-Catherine Lader '08 will serve as editors-in-chief, joined by Allison Kwong '08 and Ben Leubsdorf '08 as executive editors and Stephen Colelli '08 and Sonia Saraiya '08 as senior editors.
A native of Tampa, Fla., Beck seemed right at home upon assuming the role of news editor in 2006, using his encyclopedic knowledge of the University administration to enrich coverage of on-campus issues. Beck continued to be a go-to reporter for major stories, covering fallout from 2005's Sex Power God, turnover in President Ruth Simmons' administration and allegations of police misconduct over the past two semesters. A public policy and American institutions concentrator, he will serve as president of The Brown Daily Herald Inc.
Lader, a history concentrator from Charleston, S.C., and London, took on the newly created position of features editor in 2006 and quickly improved The Herald's features desk by leaps and bounds. Though she has an eye for softer stories and a talent for working with young writers, Lader proved she can handle hard-hitting breaking news, contributing to in-depth coverage of the slavery and justice committee's final report. Lader will serve as vice president of The Brown Daily Herald Inc.
A Latin and biochemistry and molecular biology concentrator who hails from Los Altos Hills, Calif., Kwong comes to the editorial board after serving as design editor for the last three semesters and completing a stint as a copy editor. She has spent innumerable hours at 195 Angell St. and helped ensure an attractive, well-designed paper makes it to the printer each night. As a foilist for the women's fencing team, Kwong is also the only member of 117 trained to handle a weapon.
Leubsdorf will return to College Hill this spring after spending this semester abroad in Egypt. An indefatigable reporter with a nose for scandal, the native of Washington, D.C., and international relations concentrator is an expert on Ocean State politics, having served as an editor of the metro section last spring. Leubsdorf also paid his dues in the campus news section, uncovering student donations to Assistant Professor of Political Science Jennifer Lawless's congressional campaign and penning an obituary for University benefactor Sidney Frank '42.
Colelli is the third consecutive sports editor to transition to the editorial board. A native of Pittsburgh, Colelli has been a reliable beat writer for football, men's basketball and baseball and wrote numerous features for both The Herald and Sports Information. Taking up the reins as the sole sports editor this semester, the English concentrator has kept the section running smoothly with insightful features, solid team coverage and creative headlines.
Saraiya joins the editorial board after a yearlong stint as editor-in-chief of post-, The Herald's arts and culture weekly. A Tampa, Fla., native, Saraiya brought sex columns back to post- and created a new "super-classy booze column." Saraiya's newest position will add to the exhaustive list of Herald titles she has held, including staff writer and copy editor.
Leading the business staff next year as general managers will be Ally Ouh '08, a Seoul, South Korea, native, and Mandeep Gill '09, who hails from Fresno, Calif. Ouh will serve as The Herald's treasurer, and Gill will be The Herald's secretary. Joining the business team as executive manager will be Portland, Ore., native Dan DeNorch '08.
Taking over as arts & culture editors are Lindsey Meyers '09, who hails from Miami, and Chicagoan Lydia Gidwitz '07.5. Meyers, who signs her e-mails "smiles" and always sports one, too, served as assistant arts & culture editor this semester and has consistently written theater reviews with clear prose and striking insight.
Gidwitz, an arts & culture staff writer, marks her entry at The Herald's offices with her distinctive fast-talking bursts of energy. Her flair for purple prose - marked by creative metaphors and bold diction - dazzles readers and copy editors alike.
After a semester off the Hill working for the Chronicle of Higher Education, Stu Woo '08.5 will bring his likeability and dogged reporting style back to The Herald as a features editor. Long a familiar face at The Herald, the San Francisco native served as campus watch editor in the spring before leaving Brown to report on Jerry Falwell's fanatic love of football, among other pressing issues.
Joining Woo as features editor will be Newton, Mass., native Stephanie Bernhard '09. As a senior staff writer, Bernhard demonstrated particular skill for incisive high-profile interviews with novelist Jonathan Safran Foer, "The Price of Admission" author and Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Golden and Frances Halsband, the architect behind the University's master plan.
Taking the helm as co-editors of The Herald's metro section will be Simmi Aujla '09 and Sara Molinaro '09. Aujla, a senior staff writer from Timonium, Md., has taken on a wide range of stories and was on the demanding crime beat in the spring. With boundless energy and finesse, she reported on town-gown relations and discrepancies in crime reporting between the Department of Public Safety and the Providence Police Department.
Molinaro, who hails from London, has impressed with her dedication and good humor as a senior staff writer and copy editor. She comes to the job well-prepared, having recently covered the troubled Providence public schools, the interminable firefighter union talks and the University's expansion into the Jewelry District.
Ross Frazier '09 will bring to the role of news editor his sharp news sense, unbridled enthusiasm for even the dullest University policies and an obsessive knowledge of the October 2006 status report of the Plan for Academic Enrichment. As a senior staff writer, the Tampa, Fla., native plunged into the depths of the Sharpe Refectory to track the progress of a Ratty dish "from planning to plate" and immersed himself in the details of the University's undergraduate research policy.
Taking over as editors of the sports section will be Peter Cipparone '09, a sports staff writer from Old Lyme, Conn., and Assistant Sports Editor Justin Goldman '07, a Philadelphia native. Cipparone, who remains a devout Buffalo Bills fan despite the team's nearly four decades of futility, covered the field hockey team this semester. His extensive knowledge of sports and expertise on the basketball court will serve The Herald well.
Goldman has been one of the most reliable writers for the sports section over the last three years. Although he is accustomed to having his hopes dashed as an Eagles, Phillies and '76ers fan, he continues to bring his enthusiasm for sports to The Herald offices after each successive heartbreaking defeat.
Sarah Demers '07 and Madeleine Marecki '07 will continue to serve as assistant sports editors and will be joined by Erin Frauenhofer '09.
Michal Zapendowski '07 will continue as opinions editor next semester. The Texas resident will help spearhead efforts to enhance The Herald's opinions page. Joining Zapendowski as opinions editor will be Huntingdon Valley, Pa., native Jacob Schuman '08, who has earned a loyal following on the IvyGate blog for his trademark sarcasm and wit.
Manchester, N.H., native Steve DeLucia '10, who quickly learned the ins and outs of InDesign as a fresh-faced design staffer this semester, will take over as design editor. With his cheerful confidence, DeLucia is well-prepared to serve in one of The Herald's often underappreciated - and most demanding - positions.
As copy desk chief, Chris Gang '09, a Massachusetts native who has served as a copy editor for three semesters, will continue to grace The Herald's offices with his cheery demeanor and to ensure that The Herald's grammar and spelling are impeccable.
Mark Brinker RISD '07 and Roxanne Palmer '08 will continue to serve as graphics editors. Brinker pens the popular Chocolate Covered Cotton comic, and Palmer's editorial cartoons consistently impress.
Chris Bennett '07, a Durham, N.C., native, and Eunice Hong '10, who hails from Seoul, are both experienced shutterbugs and will lead The Herald's photography team as photo editors. New York City native Jacob Melrose '09, currently a news photo editor, will transfer to the sports photo desk.
Melanie Duch '09, Hillary Dixler '08 and Taryn Martinez '08 will all take the helm of post- with wit, sarcasm and grace as managing editors. Duch, a native of New Jersey, brings keen editing experience, refined taste and a secret obsession with skiing, while Dixler, also from the Garden State, brings rich experience with theater to the job. Long Island native Martinez, currently abroad in Ecuador, may introduce more video game features than post- really has room for, but post- is willing to take that risk.
Post- will also have two daring new features editors, Mindy Smith '07 and Rajiv Jayadevan '09. Smith, a Rhode Island native, brings feature-writing experience and an obsession with amusement parks to her new position, while New York native and athlete Jayadevan offers a critical eye for cuisine. Aaron Cutler '08, film critic extraordinaire, will be at the helm of the film and television section, while Ben Bernstein '09 and Katherine Chan '09 will continue to run the music section and Maysa Jarudi '08 will continue to officiate off the Hill.
Oliver Bowers '08 and Kristina Kelleher '09 served as senior staff writers this past semester.
Joining The Herald in 2006 as new staff writers are Susana Aho '10, Rachel Arndt '10, Taylor Barnes '09, Michael Bechek '10, Evan Boggs '10, Zachary Chapman '10, Chaz Firestone '10, Sarah Geller '08, Thi Ho '09, Debbie Lehmann '10, Hannah Levintova '09, Scott Lowenstein '10, Jennifer Park '09, Nathalie Pierrepont '07, Michael Skocpol '10, Josh Tobias '08, Max Winograd '09 and Allissa Wickham '09.
The Herald's new sports staff writers are Kaitlyn Laabs '09, Kathleen Loughlin '07 and Megan McCahill '09.
