Bob Heisse has been named executive editor of The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill. As editor, Heisse will also oversee the news operation at the Lincoln Courier.  He will start in his new position the first week of March.

Heisse has been editor of the Centre Daily Times for 10 years in State College, Penn. During his time there, the newspaper won a number of awards, including continuing a run of Keystone Sweepstakes awards as best in class in Pennsylvania for 14 consecutive years. As recently as 2011, the Centre Daily Times received recognition for investigative reporting, business coverage, sports coverage and front-page design. Recently Heisse and his staff in State College were honored with McClatchy’s President’s Award for their coverage of the Penn State scandal involving accusations of child sex abuse by a former assistant football coach.

Heisse, who has been active in a number of news organizations throughout his career, currently is president of the Associated Press Media Editors. He is also past president of the Pennsylvania Society of Editors.

Heisse is an advocate of online and digital content, having led a Knight-Ridder Editors online task force when Knight-Ridder still owned the Centre Daily Times. For his work on the web for the paper, he earned the 2007 John Fisher Internet Vision award, presented by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

Prior to his position in State College, Heisse was the city editor of the Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Penn. He spent nearly 18 years at the state capital newspaper. He started his career at the Bucks County Courier Times, in the suburbs of Philadelphia, as a reporter, copy editor and night editor.