The Dallas Morning News has named Colleen McCain Nelson as its new executive editor. Nelson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist with nearly three decades of experience, will take up the role on August 11.
Currently executive editor of the Sacramento Bee and regional editor for McClatchy in California, Nelson has overseen five newsrooms. Her appointment follows a four-month national search to find a leader to guide the Dallas newsroom through digital transformation and regional expansion. She replaces Katrice Hardy, who left earlier this year to run The Marshall Project.
Nelson spent 12 years at the Morning News earlier in her career, covering politics at all levels and contributing to the series of editorials that won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize. The award recognised the paper’s work exposing stark economic and social disparities between the city’s affluent north and underserved south. In local interviews, Nelson described the Morning News as a “reference point” for impactful journalism and Dallas as home.
Her return comes as the paper looks to deepen its digital capabilities and sharpen its coverage of North Texas, now one of the fastest-growing regions in America. It also follows DallasNews Corporation’s $43.5 million sale of its Plano printing and distribution plant, part of a wider restructuring effort to support financial stability and strategic reinvestment.
Nelson’s career has included high-profile roles such as White House correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and national opinion editor at McClatchy. As editorial page editor at the Kansas City Star, her team was recognised as a Pulitzer finalist three times.
Publisher Grant Moise said Nelson “embodies the best qualities sought in a national executive editor”, citing her editorial leadership, digital acumen and deep local roots.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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