New Editor for Daily Camera in Boulder

Posted on August 20, 1997

Colleen C. Conant, editor of the Naples (Fla.) Daily News since January 1992, has been named vice president and executive editor of the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colo.

Her appointment will become effective when Knight-Ridder and The E.W. Scripps Company complete the trade of two of Scripps newspapers in California for Knight-Ridder's Daily Camera. The transaction is expected to be completed soon.

"Colleen is a strong believer in community journalism. She is committed to understanding the needs of readers in our community and making sure the Camera and our weekly newspapers meet those needs on a consistent basis," said Harold Higgins, president and publisher of the Daily Camera. "Our readers in the Boulder Valley will find Colleen to be a very professional and very caring individual.

"Colleen has strong newspaper experience in competitive markets. Every newspaper where she has worked has improved because of her leadership. I think our newsroom staff and colleagues throughout our organization are going to find her a joy to work with," Higgins said.

"I've known Colleen for 20-plus years, since she became a city editor," said Alan M. Horton, Scripps' senior vice president for newspapers. "She is, bar none, the best person to be editor in Boulder right now. She already has fallen in love with the community, respects the newspaper staff and knows how to work as part of a team to make sure the Daily Camera serves its community well. She is a skilled editor, with the highest journalistic standards and consummate personal integrity."

Conant joined Scripps in 1970 upon graduation from Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, Okla. From 1970 to 1985 she was with The Stuart News in Stuart, Fla., first as a reporter, then from 1973 to 1978 as city editor and finally as managing editor. During her tenure, the newspaper grew from weekly to daily publication.

For six years prior to Naples, Conant was managing editor of one of the largest Scripps newspapers, The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn. In that position she managed a diverse staff during a period of significant improvements in the editorial product.

While in Naples, Conant has presided over technological advancements in the newsroom, including the launch of Naples Daily News Online, and the redesign of the paper to six sections daily. Under her leadership the newspaper has won state and national recognition for reporting, photography and graphic design.