A West Virginia journalist with more than 20 years experience has joined the staff of The Dispatch.
Nerissa Young assumed the role of news editor Monday, replacing former news editor Garthia Elena Halbert-Burnett, who was promoted to managing editor earlier this month.
Young, a native of Bluefield, W. Va., got her start during college as an on-air personality for WMTD AM-FM, a “mom and pop” radio station.
Her newsroom experience includes working for The Register-Herald in Beckley, W. Va., where she served as a general assignment reporter, special projects director, columnist and member of the editorial board.
She has also served as a journalism instructor, holding positions as an assistant professor of print journalism and campus newspaper advisor for Marshall University in Huntington, W. Va., visiting assistant professor of mass communication for Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W. Va., and visiting assistant professor of journalism and broadcasting for Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla.
“Between the newsroom and the classroom, Nerissa brings a great combination of experience,” Dispatch Operations Manager Peter Imes said Friday. “We are delighted to have her at The Dispatch.”
Young said she decided to leave higher education and return to community journalism as “sort of a lark.”
“I’d never been to Mississippi before, and I thought, ‘Why not apply and see what happens?'” Young said Friday.
She said being from a rural area makes Columbus a “good cultural fit,” and her Appalachian upbringing instilled a passion for storytelling.
“I’ve spent my life in community journalism,” she said. “I think I have a good understanding of how all the agencies in a community are integrated and how what one does affects the others.”
As a two-decade member of the Society of Professional Journalists, she has served in a myriad of roles, including president of the West Virginia Pro chapter, Marshall University and Shepherd University campus advisor, national Project Watchdog committee chair and a member of the national ethics committee and national journalism education committee.
She received her master’s degree in journalism from Marshall University and her bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Concord College.
In her spare time, she enjoys walking, biking, music and reading.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
