Mary Junck will become Executive Chairman; Kevin Mowbray
advances to President and CEO
A planned leadership transition will begin at the annual meeting
on February 17, 2016, for Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NYSE:
LEE), a leading digital and print provider of local news,
information and advertising in 50 markets.
- Mary E. Junck, chairman, president and
chief executive officer, will become executive chairman, continuing
to guide Lee’s overall strategy and direction.
- Kevin D. Mowbray, a 29-year veteran of
Lee, will advance from executive vice president and chief operating
officer to president and chief executive officer.
"Mary has been an outstanding CEO for 15 years. During that time
Lee has been recognized as a leader in local news and information,
producer of consistent results, and an innovator in its industry.
The board, shareholders and employees are all thankful for her many
contributions," said Herb Moloney, lead independent director. "It
is also fortunate for Lee that Mary has developed and identified
Kevin as her successor. Like Mary, Kevin is an extraordinary leader
with a deep understanding of our markets, customers, operations and
people."
Moloney added: "The board has total confidence in both Kevin and
Mary, and we’re thankful for Mary's careful planning of this
transition. We believe her continued strategic guidance will help
Kevin keep Lee at the forefront of our evolving industry.”
He said the board intends to nominate Mowbray for election to
the board of directors at the annual meeting.
As executive chairman, Junck will serve as an advisor and mentor
to the CEO and will continue to provide overall leadership for the
board of directors. Her key areas of focus will include strategic
direction, financial matters and growth initiatives.
As CEO, Mowbray will have direct responsibility for all aspects
of Lee’s operations, including more than 50 divisions in 22 states
and the corporate staff with special emphasis on revenue growth and
business transformation.
“Kevin brings tremendous talent, knowledge, intelligence and
drive,” Junck said. “He is an astute, forward-thinker with
wonderful people skills, a keen ear, sharp foresight and nearly
three decades of success after success in top markets across Lee. I
am thrilled to be handing over the reins to a leader so capable and
deserving, and I very much look forward to beginning this exciting
transition.”
“As Mary reminds us so often,” Mowbray said, “we’re in a great
industry with many promising opportunities. She also reminds us
that what we do matters – really matters – for our readers,
advertisers, business partners and communities. Even in a changing
media landscape, we fill an indispensable, enduring role. It’s a
role that inspires us daily throughout Lee as we continue driving
our digital transformation to serve even larger audiences.”
Mowbray, 54, was elected executive vice president and chief
operating officer in April 2015, having served as vice president
and chief operating officer since 2013. He previously was publisher
of Lee's largest newspaper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch since
2006.
He began his career with Lee in 1986 as an advertising sales
representative in his hometown of Kewanee, Ill. He advanced to
sales positions in Helena, Butte and Billings, Montana, before
moving to Chicago as Lee’s national sales manager for corporate
sales and marketing. In 1995, he advanced to the Lincoln Journal
Star as advertising manager, where he served three years before
becoming general manager at the Missoulian in Missoula, Montana, in
1998. In 2000, he became publisher of The Bismarck Tribune in
Bismarck, North Dakota, where he guided the newspaper to the 2001
Lee President's Award for Enterprise of the Year. In 2002, he moved
to the corporate office in Davenport as vice president for sales
and marketing, and in 2004 he became a vice president for
publishing, with responsibility for markets in Indiana, Illinois,
Iowa, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, while
also serving as publisher of The Times of Northwest Indiana. In
2005, Suburban Newspapers of America honored The Times as national
Newspaper of the Year. In 2012, the Post-Dispatch received Lee's
highest honor, Enterprise of the Year, for strong financial
performance and leadership in developing company-wide sales and
audience initiatives. While in St. Louis, as a Lee vice president
of publishing, he also oversaw 13 Lee operations in Arizona,
California, Illinois, New York, Missouri, Pennsylvania and
Utah.
Mowbray has been active in many civic and industry
organizations. His charitable and civic involvement has included:
board of directors of Ladue Education Foundation, Regional Business
Council, St. Louis Regional Chamber, St. Louis Sports Commission,
St. Louis Variety, and Old Newsboys Day Children's Charity. Among
industry activities, he serves on the Newspaper Association of
America board of directors. He is a journalism graduate of Western
Illinois University. He and his wife, Linda, have four
children.
Junck, 68, joined Lee in 1999 as executive vice president and
chief operating officer. She became president in 2000, chief
executive officer in 2001 and chairman in January 2002. She is
chairman of the Executive Committee of Lee’s board of
directors.
She previously held senior executive positions at the former
Times Mirror Company. As executive vice president of Times Mirror
and president of Times Mirror Eastern Newspapers, she was
responsible for all newspaper operations in the region, including
Newsday, The Baltimore Sun, the Hartford Courant, The Morning Call,
and Southern Connecticut Newspapers. She also had responsibility
for Times Mirror magazines and StayWell, Times Mirror’s consumer
health company. She held that position from 1997 until she left the
company in 1999. From 1993 to 1997, she was publisher and chief
executive officer of The Baltimore Sun. From 1990 to 1992, she was
publisher and president of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, where she
had served as president, general manager and senior vice president
since 1985. She began her career at the Charlotte Observer in 1972
as marketing research manager and advanced to retail advertising
manager. In 1977, she joined the Miami Herald as advertising
marketing manager, and later was promoted to assistant advertising
director. She was appointed to the Knight Ridder corporate staff in
1982 and became assistant to the senior vice president of
operations.
Before moving to Davenport, she was widely known in Baltimore
civic circles, where she had been a member of several boards and
the Greater Baltimore Alliance, a regional economic development
group. She also served on the Johns Hopkins Medicine Board of
Trustees, Greater Baltimore Community Board, Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra Board, University of Maryland Baltimore County Visitors
Board and Washington Baltimore Regional 2012 Coalition.
She currently is chairman of the board of directors of The
Associated Press. She serves on the boards of the (Iowa-Illinois)
Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce; Augustana College in Rock Island,
Illinois, and the Women’s Leadership Council of United Way of the
Quad Cities Area. She is co-chair of the Quad Cities Regional
Opportunities Council and also is a kindergarten Sunday school
teacher at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport.
She is a native of Ogden, Iowa. She received a Bachelor of Arts
degree in English from Valparaiso University in Indiana and a
master’s degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill. She and her husband, Ralph Gibson, have a son,
daughter and three grandchildren.
Lee Enterprises is a leading provider of local news and
information, and a major platform for advertising, in its markets,
with 46 daily newspapers and a joint interest in four others,
rapidly growing digital products and nearly 300 specialty
publications in 22 states. Lee's newspapers have circulation of 0.9
million daily and 1.3 million Sunday, reaching more than three
million readers in print alone. Lee's markets include St. Louis,
MO; Lincoln, NE; Madison, WI; Davenport, IA; Billings, MT;
Bloomington, IL; and Tucson, AZ. Lee Common Stock is traded on the
New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LEE. For more information
about Lee, please visit lee.net.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151217006394/en/
Lee Enterprises, IncorporatedCharles Arms, 563-383-2100Director
of CommunicationsIR@lee.net
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