Mississippi Today is pleased to announce Kayleigh Skinner as deputy managing editor.

Skinner joined the Mississippi Today staff in January 2017 as an education reporter and has advanced to a senior staff member in her three years with the company. Skinner will serve as the organization’s first female editor.

“Kayleigh has been vital to the growth of Mississippi Today over the years,” said Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today’s interim editor-in-chief. “A natural leader who has earned the respect of her colleagues and readers alike, Kayleigh’s voice and perspective are essential for our newsroom and for our state. I couldn’t be prouder to serve alongside her as we continue working to inform and engage Mississippians.”

Skinner, a native of Canada, earned her bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Mississippi and has covered education in the South for six years. At Mississippi Today, she has focused on education, government, politics and how they intersect and impact the lives of people in Mississippi.

Before joining Mississippi Today, she worked as a staff reporter at The Commercial Appeal and Chalkbeat, both in Memphis, and The Hechinger Report in Jackson. She has been recognized as a member of the 2018 class of the ProPublica and Ida B. Wells Society Data Institute and was a member of the 2016 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award-winning team.

“It’s an honor to step into this role. Now more than ever, it’s crucial for Mississippians to have access to news that both informs them and holds state leadership accountable, and I’m proud to work in a newsroom that does just that,” Skinner said. “It’s so important to have a variety of voices at the table to help shape our coverage, and I look forward to working with Adam and Harvey as our newsroom’s first female editor.”

Skinner will manage Mississippi Today’s Delta Bureau and lead the site’s education coverage while working with Ganucheau and Managing Editor Harvey Parson to craft broader editorial strategy.

“Kayleigh’s strong news judgement helped her become one of the top reporters in the state,” said Parson. “Since I joined the newsroom, I’ve enjoyed witnessing firsthand her dedication to accuracy and balance in the work she produces and I’m excited to work with Kayleigh as she steps into this key leadership role.”