Seven new department heads will complete The Observer’s 2019-2020 Editorial Board, incoming Editor-in-Chief Kelli Smith announced Tuesday night.
The new department editors will accompany Smith as well as incoming Managing Editor Charlotte Edmonds and Assistant Managing Editors Maria Leontaras, Mary Steurer and Natalie Weber in directing the editorial responsibilities of the paper.
Juniors Mike Donovan, Tom Naatz, Anna Mason and Evelyn Stein and sophomores Maeve Filbin, Ellen Geyer and Diane Park will take over their respective departments March 18.
Now in his third year at The Observer, Donovan — a Detroit native and resident of Alumni Hall — will take over as Scene Editor. An arts and culture enthusiast, Donovan enjoys writing about emerging movements in music, film, television and literature. Donovan is studying English and Business Analytics.
Naatz, a native of Rockville, Maryland, will serve as News Editor. A political science and Spanish major and theology minor, Naatz has written for the News department since his freshman year. As a News writer, has covered a variety of events, including former President Jimmy Carter's visit to campus, University President Fr. John Jenkins’ annual address to the faculty and College GameDay's Michigan game broadcast. He is currently studying abroad in Toledo, Spain, and resides in Keough Hall on campus.
Mason will take over as Photo Editor. A business administration major with concentrations in finance and management, Mason is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan and lives in Le Mans Hall at Saint Mary's. Mason has photographed numerous events on campus, including this year's opening football game against Michigan and the student body government elections.
Evelyn Stein, a Madison, Wisconsin native, will take on the role of Viewpoint Editor. Stein is majoring in English and Psychology with a minor in education, schooling and society and has worked for The Observer since second semester her freshman year. Stein currently serves as vice president of Welsh Family Hall.
Filbin, originally from LaGrange Park, Illinois, started writing for The Observer as a freshman and will serve as Saint Mary's Editor. Filbin is a political science and economics major, and is currently studying abroad in Maynooth, Ireland. She has covered a variety of topics during her time with the paper, including the recent changes made to the Blinkie schedule, the re-evaluation of the Saint Mary’s mission statement and a Saint Mary’s student start-up.
Geyer will take over as Sports Editor. A sophomore from Columbus, Ohio, Geyer is majoring in international economics and Spanish and minoring in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy. Geyer has covered women’s basketball, men’s lacrosse, women’s soccer and men’s tennis during her time in the department and currently lives in Ryan Hall.
Park, a native of Irvine, California, has been designing graphics for The Observer since her freshman year and will be joining the board as the new Graphics Editor. As an industrial design and sociology major with a computing and digital technologies minor, she is excited to contribute to the creative environment of The Observer. She hopes to bring improved design ideas and new features together with the members of the graphics team.
