The Columbus Dispatch names Edwina Blackwell Clark as next executive editor

For the first time in its nearly 151-year history, The Columbus Dispatch will be led by a woman and person of color.

Edwina Blackwell Clark, 59, was named the next executive editor of The Dispatch on Wednesday, capping a months-long national search for the news organization's next leader. She will officially assume the new role June 27, replacing Alan Miller, who retired at the end of 2021. 

"I'm really excited about the next chapter for The Columbus Dispatch ..." Blackwell Clark said upon meeting the news staff. "Together, we're going to figure things out. We're going to forge that path together."

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Blackwell Clark's rise to The Dispatch's top job marks her return to newspapers, which she helped lead from 1998 through 2011.

She previously served as editor and publisher of a set of southwest Ohio newspapers, including the Middletown Journal and the Hamilton Journal News. She also worked as reporter and later as an assistant managing editor for the Dayton Daily News.

Most recently, Blackwell Clark served as the communications director for the Alzheimer's Association of Ohio. She has also worked as the director of public relations for Central State University, one of Ohio's two historically Black colleges, and as director of marketing and college relations at Rhodes State College in Lima, Ohio.

Blackwell Clark earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Ohio University and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Dayton.

Amalie Nash, senior vice president of local news for Dispatch parent company Gannett, praised Blackwell Clark for her journalistic acumen, knowledge of Ohio, pursuit of digital innovation and connection with the Columbus community.

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"We found the right person and we couldn't be happier ..." Nash said. "I'm really excited to get her fresh perspective as someone who grew up in the news business, spent a ton of time in the business and now is coming back into the business."

With her years of experience in the press, Blackwell Clark is both a "fantastic journalist and a fantastic person," said Peter Bhatia, Ohio and Michigan regional editor for the USA TODAY Network.

As a Springfield native and lifelong Ohioan, Blackwell Clark said she's followed The Dispatch for a long time and commended the paper's coverage of state government and politics and the Ohio State Buckeyes, among other news.

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Blackwell Clark said she's a fan of many Dispatch initiatives such as the award-winning mobile newsroom, a partnership between the newspaper and the Columbus Metropolitan Library that allows reporters to work out of branches in underserved communities.

She also praised The Dispatch's Storytellers Project, a live show during which five members of the community share their stories on specific topics. The second show, centered around the theme of "neighbors" is June 15.

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"When I think about The Columbus Dispatch, I really think about how the brand is really so much more than what's on the page," Blackwell Clark said. "If ever there was a time that our community or any community needed a trusted news source, it is now and we will continue to be there."

As editor, Blackwell Clark will face an evolving environment for local news.

The Dispatch has become a digital-first news organization as its focus has shifted away from the daily print edition to covering news in real-time online. Like other local news outlets, The Dispatch is trying to broaden its online footprint while strengthening its relationship with the community at the same time.

Both figuring out how to best engage with readers and growing digital subscriptions to support The Dispatch's journalism will be top priority, Blackwell Clark said.

"But, there's some things that will never change," Blackwell Clark said. "What we need to be doing and what we always do is hold the powerful accountable ... shine a light on those issues that the underserved need people to understand and tell the stories of people in central Ohio."

mfilby@dispatch.com

@MaxFilby