Mary Junck will become Executive Chairman; Kevin Mowbray advances to
President and CEO
DAVENPORT, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 17, 2015--
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.
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Mary E. Junck, chairman, president and chief executive officer, will
become executive chairman, continuing to guide Lee’s overall strategy
and direction.
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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.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151217006394/en/
Source: Lee Enterprises, Incorporated
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated
Charles Arms, 563-383-2100
Director
of Communications
IR@lee.net
