The Observer General Board elected news editor Claire Heininger as the 2005-06 editor in chief on Saturday.
Heininger, a junior American Studies major and Journalism, Ethics and Democracy minor from Ann Arbor, Mich. who lives in Howard Hall, joined The Observer as a news reporter during her freshman year. Since then, she has covered a wide variety of topics, including the transition in the Notre Dame Office of the President, the Taco Bell protests and the "Gay? Fine by me." campaign.
"I look forward to the opportunity to use the experience I've gained with the news department to improve the paper as a whole," Heininger said. "It is a challenge, but one I am honored to accept."
During Heininger's term as news editor, she coordinated special sections on student government and the 2004 presidential election and a series exploring Holy Cross religious.
She is the first editor in chief to come from the news department since Jason McFarley held the position from 2002-03.
"I have confidence in Claire's ability to lead The Observer next year," outgoing editor in chief Matt Lozar said. "She has a wealth of great ideas and an excellent relationship with the staff."
The projects Heininger hopes to undertake during her tenure include establishing a system to improve writing paperwide, increasing recruitment and planning The Observer's 40th anniversary in 2006.
"I was excited to see what I could do to see The Observer improve next year," Heininger said. "And I'm extremely eager to work with a very talented staff."
Heininger assumes the position as editor in chief on Feb. 28.
