Boone Newspapers, Inc.

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Boone Newspapers, Inc.

Management Team

	James B. Boone, Jr. Chairman of the Board Chief Executive Officer and Director Boone is active in group and individual management for Boone Newspapers Inc. (BNI), lives in and works from Tuscaloosa, Ala. BNI's first newspaper acquisition was made in 1970 while Boone was publisher of The Tuscaloosa News. The News was published by Boone's father, Buford Boone, a Pulitzer Prize winning editor, from 1947 until 1968 when he was succeeded by his son. The Boones operated The News through a family-owned company that leased the newspaper's franchise and certain assets from Public Welfare Foundation until 1981. Prior to becoming publisher of The News, Boone was publisher of The Suffolk (Va.) News-Herald, then owned by the Carmage Walls and Gene Worrell organizations and prior to then did newspaper management work for Walls in Georgia and Texas. Boone's newspaper background is news, advertising, circulation and production. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama.



	Todd H. Carpenter President Chief Operating Officer and Director Carpenter, president and chief operating officer of Boone Newspapers since 2004, is active in BNI group and individual management. He lives in and works from Natchez, Miss. Carpenter was previously publisher of The Natchez Democrat and The Greenville (Ala.) Advocate and three associated weekly newspapers. Earlier, he was general manager of The Andalusia (Ala.) Star-News and regional circulation manager for BNI. He began his newspaper career at The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Carpenter, whose background is circulation, production and general management, is a graduate of the University of Alabama.



	William T. [Bill] Beckner Senior Vice President, BNI Group President, Beckner Group Beckner, senior vice president and group manager of Boone Newspapers since 2003, is active in BNI group management. He lives and works from Tuscaloosa, Ala. Beckner's prior experience includes group management of Cox Newspapers' North Carolina non-daily newspaper group, publisher of The Andalusia [Ala.] Star-News and group management for the Boone Newspapers organization along with group management and publishing for the Lancaster Management organization of Gadsden, Ala. He began his newspaper career in Hopewell, Va. in circulation, production, advertising, and business management in 1967.



	David D. Churchill Senior Vice President, BNI Group President, Midwest Group Churchill, publisher of The Fergus Falls (Minn.) Daily Journal since 1998, is active in BNI group and individual management. He is president of the Midwest operating division of BNI. He lives in and works from Fergus Falls. Churchill was previously publisher of the Austin (Minn.) Daily Herald and has been the general manager of weekly newspapers in Minnesota and Wisconsin. He joined BNI in Fergus Falls in 1992. Churchill, whose background is news and production, is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.




	Kevin Cooper Vice President, BNI Group Manager Cooper, publisher of The Natchez (Miss.) Democrat, is active in group and individual management. He lives and works from Natchez. Cooper was previously publisher of The Ironton (Ohio) Tribune newspaper. He also previously served as BNI’s new media director. His background is in news, joining BNI in 1993 as a staff photographer in Natchez. Cooper is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi.



	Michele C. Gerlach Vice President, BNI Group Manager Gerlach, publisher of The Andalusia (Ala.) Star-News, is active in group and individual management. She lives in and works from Andalusia. Gerlach previously was publisher of The Brewton (Ala.) Standard and The Atmore (Ala.) Advance. She also has worked with BNI in Franklin County (Ala.) Newspapers, and Tallapoosa (Ala.) Publishers. Her background is in news/editorial, and she also has worked in the public relations and marketing field. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama.



	Dennis M. Palmer Vice President, BNI Group Manager Palmer, publisher of The Selma (Ala.) Times-Journal, is active in group and individual management. He lives and works from Selma. Palmer was previously publisher of The Greenville (Ala.) Advocate and president of Houston (Miss.) Newspapers and its affiliated publications. He joined BNI in 1998 as circulation director of The Natchez (Miss.) Democrat after spending 10 years with the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group. Palmer, whose background is in circulation, began his career at The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News.



	Joseph C. [Jay] Davis, Jr. Vice President, BNI Group Manager and Controller Davis, business manager of The Selma (Ala.) Times-Journal since 1979, currently manages the BNI group's Accounting, accounts payable center and employee retirement plan. He lives and works from Selma, Ala. Davis has a varied experience in the newspaper industry, with emphasis in the area of accounting. During the years of his association with the BNI group, Davis has directed the group's accounting work, overseen accounting software development and implementation, administered employee benefits, and handled corporate insurance. He began his career as a newspaper carrier in Selma.



	Michael R. Kelley Vice President, BNI Kelley, publisher of The Clanton (Ala.) Advertiser since 1975, is active in BNI group and individual management. He lives in and works from Clanton. Kelley began his newspaper career at The Alexander City (Ala.) Outlook where he worked in numerous positions including editor. Kelley, whose background is in news, production and general management, is a graduate of Jacksonville State University.