CNHI reassigns two senior executives, names new publisher

Beverly Joyce, Robyn McCloskey and Henry Bird

Beverly Joyce, a veteran newspaper executive, has been appointed publisher of The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.

Joyce succeeds Henry Bird, who is moving to Knoxville, Tenn., to become a regional executive for Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., parent company of The Herald Bulletin. Bird will oversee CNHI operations in Texas and several markets in Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.

In addition, Robyn McCloskey, senior vice president of operations, was named to oversee all CNHI operations in Indiana in addition to her current responsibilities as publisher of the Kokomo Tribune and Logansport Pharos-Tribune in Indiana. She also currently has oversight of the company's newspapers in Iowa and Illinois.

Joyce has been publisher of The Commercial-News in Danville, Ill., for nearly two years. Before that she was regional sales director for the Kokomo Tribune and The Pharos-Tribune in Logansport. She began her newspaper career in 1986 as advertising director for The Herald-Tribune in Batesville.

She is also a former president and director of sales for Trace Communications, an Indianapolis-based company that provides printing services to newspapers and advertising agencies.

"It is an honor to have the opportunity to work with the award-winning staff of The Herald Bulletin," said Joyce. "I am anxious to get involved with the Anderson market and to continue to provide readers with quality news and advertising content in print and online."

McCloskey described Joyce as "not only a very talented newspaper executive but a great leader with a proven track record. She will serve the Anderson readers and advertisers with energy and creativity."

McCloskey said a search is underway for Joyce's replacement in Danville.

Bird has been the publisher of The Herald Bulletin for the last seven years. He also served as senior vice president and regional manager for CNHI after joining the company in 2005. He started his newspaper career as a tea and copy boy for the Irish Times while attending boarding school in Dublin. He is a former publisher of the Muncie (Ind.) Star Press and the Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph.

During his 40-plus year career, Bird has also worked as an executive with Thomson Newspapers, Lee Enterprises, Pulitzer Newspapers and Central Newspapers.

"While I will greatly miss working in Indiana, I am excited about taking on new responsibilities in the south," said Bird.  "The CNHI markets there are served by outstanding print and digital products, and this is a wonderful opportunity for me to learn new things about our industry."

McCloskey had been responsible for CNHI newspapers in Texas for the last several months. She said she will miss the people she has met with there but looks forward to working with the company's 13 Indiana newspapers.

"In a sense, it will be like going home again," she said.

Steve McPhaul, chief operating officer for CNHI, who announced the reassignments, praised Bird and McCloskey as among the company's most insightful and experienced executives. "I look forward to working with both of them in their new responsibilities," he said.