Longtime Daily Iowan staff member Kelsey Beltramea will be the editor in chief for the 2009-10 school year, working toward continued web and television convergence, in addition to community involvement.
The Student Publications Inc. board announced Monday that Beltramea will replace departing Editor Emileigh Barnes. She will begin in June.
Beltramea, who is studying abroad in Seville, Spain, interviewed with the 10-person board via Skype, an online video conference software. Faculty members, alumni, students, and staff made up the board.
“She’s an excellent candidate, and she’ll fit right in with the rest of the group,” DI Publisher William Casey said. “She’s already done everything at the DI; this was the obvious next step for her.”
“There’s no lack of quality with Kelsey,” he said. “She was the clear front-runner for the position, and I don’t foresee any problems working her right back into the swing of things.”
Her first order of business as editor in chief will be to work closer with web and television broadcasting to give the DI a competitive advantage. One of her goals is to find new ways to promote the newspaper.
“This is a difficult time for anyone in journalism,” Beltramea said. “I hope to help better connect the DI with the community and develop more sustainable activities.”
Beltramea came to the UI on a scholarship from the DI the summer before her freshman year. Last semester, Beltramea served as managing editor for the paper. She has also held the politics and courts beats as a reporter.
The 21-year-old junior started in journalism in high school, serving as the co-editor of the yearbook staff. She also held an internship in Washington, D.C., with the Student Press Law Center, and worked as an Iowa City correspondent for the Des Moines Register.
While abroad, Beltramea said, she is looking forward to taking over the editorship, and she is having a difficult time being so far away from journalism.
“I’m excited about everything,” she said. “It’s strange for me to be out of the news cycle for four months. I’m excited to be back with the pulse of the newsroom.”
Barnes said she was confident in Beltramea’s ability to lead the newsroom.
“It’s obviously apparent to anyone who knows Kelsey that she has the drive, passion, and talent to not only guide the DI through this difficult economic time but to make it better,” Barnes said.
Barnes’ enthusiasm for Beltramea is matched by Casey’s.
“She’s everything you want in an editor,” Casey said. “She’s got the ambition to push the envelope, and the attitude to come to work every day with a smile.”
