Daily Herald appoints Lisa Miner executive editor

Daily Herald Managing Editor Lisa Miner has been appointed the newspaper’s next executive editor, replacing Jim Baumann, who is retiring May 13.

Miner has spent four decades at the Herald, joining in 1984 as a city staff reporter.

“I am honored and humbled to be named executive editor, following in the impressive footsteps of Jim and others before him,” Miner said. “I started my career at the Daily Herald years ago as a reporter, and I am grateful to have worked with so many talented and dedicated journalists. Local journalism is essential, and I look forward to building on the Daily Herald legacy.”

Baumann has been with the newspaper his entire professional career, joining in 1985 after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. After four years as a reporter, he assumed various editing positions for the DuPage and Fox Valley editions. In 2012, he became managing editor, and a corporate vice president in 2016. He was named executive editor in 2021, following the retirement of John Lampinen.

“We’ve hidden Lisa’s light under a bushel for too long. She has all the attributes of a newsroom leader: she’s a great journalist, she leads by example and she is tremendously organized. First and foremost, she is compassionate and is sensitive to the needs of the communities we serve,” said Baumann, who post-retirement will live full-time in Tennessee, where he plans to pursue fiction writing, traveling and working outdoors. “I wouldn’t be leaving unless I knew the paper would be in good hands.”

A fellow Illini, Miner earned a bachelor of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she served as editor of the Daily Illini. Before joining the Daily Herald, she interned at the Arizona Daily Star and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

She spent 30 years of her Daily Herald career working in the features department, first as a reporter and later editor. She was named a metro editor for news in 2016 and later assistant managing editor. As part of her duties, she envisioned and planned the Sunday editorial product and Sunday print improvements.

Miner became the newspaper’s managing editor a little more than two years ago. Since stepping into the role, she has been immersed in the day-to-day activities of the news department, supervising news, sports and digital editors, the copy and design desk, and the photo staff. She has been involved in every aspect of the editorial department, personally running the daily news and Page 1 meetings.

She writes regular editorials and has been the newspaper’s primary liaison to Northwestern Medill’s Local News Accelerator, a pilot project to spur innovation and improve sustainability of Chicago-area news organizations.

“I hired Lisa as a young wide-eyed reporter with great potential, and that potential has been borne out through her many increasingly responsible roles in the newsroom through the years,” said CEO/Publisher/Chairman Doug Ray. “Now, as executive editor, she will lead a talented group of journalists with a mission to produce the best community newspaper in the country.”

As executive editor, Miner will be the principal department head responsible for not only the news operation, but also for budgeting, strategic planning and departmental collaboration.

“We expect a seamless transition and know the editorial department will be in capable hands under Lisa’s stewardship. She will play a vital role in leading our restructuring and strategic planning efforts,” according to a newsroom memo.