New Publisher Hired for Vermont
Life Magazine
MONTPELIER, Vt. – A publishing
industry veteran has been selected as the new publisher of Vermont Life Magazine.
Tom Kelly became the publisher and
chief executive for the award-winning publication effective June 26, according
to Kevin Dorn, Secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development,
which oversees Vermont Life’s operations.
“We couldn’t be more
pleased to have attracted someone of Tom Kelly’s caliber for this new
position,” Dorn said. “Over the last 20 years Tom Slayton as editor
has done an incredible job in making Vermont
Life one of the most respected state publications in the country,
and he has been doing yeoman work in serving as both editor and publisher.”
“With Tom retiring in 2007, we
are very fortunate to have the opportunity for he and Tom Kelly to work
together for a long period of time, so that Tom can share some of his two
decades of accumulated wisdom and experience in running Vermont Life,” Dorn said.
Slayton – longtime Editor in
Chief of the state magazine that celebrates Vermont’s people, places, and heritage
– welcomed Kelly’s arrival.
“It’s great to have an
experienced professional publisher on board. Now my focus can be exclusively on
the editorial mission and maintaining our standard of excellence,”
Slayton said. “I look forward to working closely with Tom Kelly in the
months ahead."
Vermont Life is celebrating
its 60th year in print in 2006 and has won an impressive 95 national awards for
excellence in the past two decades alone.
Kelly’s goals include
broadening the Vermont Life’s reader base as well as
fostering growth in advertising, new media, product development and marketing.
“Vermont Life has a fine reputation and a
long tradition of high-quality editorial content,” Kelly said. “I
am honored to be appointed publisher. I am also looking forward to living in Vermont and enjoying its
outstanding quality of life and great natural beauty firsthand.”
Kelly, who
was selected following a national search, has a Bachelor’s degree in
Management Science and a MBA in Finance and Economics from the University of Rochester
in Rochester, New York.
Following
stints at the New York Times Company and Newsweek, Inc., Kelly was Assistant
Director of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City from 1982 until 1994.
As part of
his duties at the world’s largest natural history museum, Kelly was publisher
of Natural History, a monthly
national magazine with a circulation of 500,000.
He was also publisher
of Catholic Digest at the University of St. Thomas
in St. Paul, Minnesota,
and most recently was Vice President of Finance for Goodwill/Easter Seals in St. Paul.
Kelly and his wife Kathy are
currently looking for a house in Vermont.
They have two grown children.
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