Effective August 31st, Gary Band became the new editor of the Vermont Standard. He succeeds Kevin Forrest who has led the 156-year-old weekly newspapers editorial department for 30 years.
Band, 39, will be living in Hartland. A Navy veteran and 1998 honors graduate of Northeastern University, Band worked as a reporter and editor at three Massachusetts weekly newspapers. While at each of them he won recognition for his news and feature stories, columns and editorials on important issues, plus was lauded for his constant presence in the local communities he covered.
He also met and reported on state and national leaders including President Bill Clinton and then-Senator Barack Obama. Additionally, he was a community organizer in the Boston public schools and was active in local religious and civic organizations.