Gannett Veteran Susie Ellwood Named Executive Vice President and General Manager of USA TODAY

MCLEAN, Va., June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Gannett (NYSE: GCI) announced today that Susie Ellwood has been named executive vice president and general manager of USA TODAY.  Ellwood will manage the day-to-day operations of USA TODAY and report to President and Publisher David L. Hunke.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110606/DC14709 )

USA TODAY's editorial and business operations will report to Ellwood.  USA TODAY Sports Media Group, USA WEEKEND and Gannett's Detroit properties will continue to report to Hunke.  

"We are in the midst of a significant strategic transformation of USA TODAY into a world class, multi-media company," said Hunke. "Susie is a proven leader with tremendous industry experience and insights. As she manages the day-to-day responsibilities and focuses on implementation and execution of our strategies, we will be able to accelerate our efforts and aggressively pursue further innovations, including the expansion of our unmatched Sports, Travel and Life franchises."

Ellwood was named chief executive officer of Detroit Media Partnership in April 2009, after serving as executive vice president and general manager of that company since February 2006. Prior to her appointment in Detroit, she was vice president/market development for Gannett's Newspaper Division for two years. She served as vice president, market development for Detroit Media Partnership from 1991 to 2004. Before transferring to Detroit, Ellwood had been vice president and director of marketing for the Arkansas Gazette in Little Rock since 1984.

Ellwood is an Arkansas native and a graduate of Arkansas State University (Jonesboro, AR) with a B.S.E. in business.

Ellwood was named Gannett's Manager of the Year for 2009 and is a nine-time winner of Gannett's President Ring. Ellwood is a previous recipient of the Newspaper Association of America's Distinguished Marketing Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award.  She was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the International Newsmedia Marketing Association (INMA) North America.  

In Detroit, Ellwood has been active in community organizations, serving on the board of the Detroit Regional Chamber, the Detroit Economic Club, Inforum Center for Leadership, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan and CATCH, Sparky Anderson's Charity for Children. She is also a member of the International Women's Forum.

Ellwood's successor at Detroit Media Partnership will be announced Tuesday.

USA TODAY is a multi-platform news and information media company. Founded in 1982, USA TODAY's mission is to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Today, through its newspaper, website and mobile platforms, USA TODAY connects readers and engages the national conversation. USA TODAY, the nation's number one newspaper in print circulation with an average of more than 1.8 million daily, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper website launched in 1995, reach a combined 5.9 million readers daily. USA TODAY is a leader in mobile applications with more than eight million downloads on mobile devices.  The USA TODAY brand also includes USA TODAY Education and USA TODAY Sports Weekly. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).

SOURCE USA TODAY