The Media Planning Board named Savannah Bullard as The Crimson White editor-in-chief for the 2019-2020 academic year on Feb. 27.

“Getting this position means everything to me,” said Bullard, a junior majoring in journalism from Huntsville, Alabama. “I have been able to watch this paper grow and evolve and I’ve gotten to grow and evolve with it. And to be a part of the leadership of this paper this year, or this semester, has been amazing in and of itself.”

In her past at The Crimson White, Bullard began as a page designer her sophomore year and then became lead page designer the fall of her junior year. Now in the spring semester of her junior year, she currently serves as the production editor.

“And now to be the leader of the paper, and just to take everything I’ve learned and call the shots and continue to just pour my love into this paper, it’s genuinely just really awesome,” Bullard said.  

Mark Mayfield, associate director and editorial advisor of the Office of Student Media and advisor to The Crimson White, said he’s thrilled that Bullard is the new editor-in-chief and that she’s earned the position.

“I think she’s very well prepared to take the reigns of the CW over, I really do,” Mayfield said. “She’s been doing the work. She’s also a really good person and works well with people out there in the newsroom, and that’s important for the CW editor.”

Going forward, Bullard said she’s looking forward to kicking off a great reboot of the CW website, bolstering the social media to be a robust, interactive and informative means of communication for students and accomplishing a great re-design of the print edition. She also wants to focus on stories that affect students and “make a paper that’s worthy of its acclaim.”

Jake Stevens, a graduate student studying public relations and current editor-in-chief, said he’s excited for Bullard to step into the position.

“Having worked with Savannah for more than a year, I can attest to her abilities as a journalist and as a writer,” Stevens said. “I think she has strong leadership qualities and I can’t wait to see what she does with the newspaper.”

Stevens said he thinks Bullard will do well in the position and will propel the newspaper to a really good place.

As The Crimson White moves forward, Stevens said he wants to see a continuance of the great work the newspaper produces, and he looks forward to what Bullard can do. Specifically, he wants to see more hard news stories published, a continued growth on social media and more journalistic awards won.

“It’s a very big responsibility,” Mayfield said. “She’s been in that newsroom on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights for a long time. She’s a real leader and a wonderful person and a really good journalist. … It’s been great to see her here in the last couple years and how confident she’s really become in this work. I think she’s excellent, and it was a great choice.”