Glen Nardi Tapped to Head Biloxi 'Sun Herald'

By: E&P Staff Glen Nardi has been appointed as president and publisher of the Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss., the McClatchy Company announced today. He succeeds Ricky Matthews, who is leaving the paper.

Nardi is currently the publisher of The Bellingham (Wash.) Herald. He also served as senior vice president of operations at the San Jose Mercury News.

Gary Pruitt, McClatchy Chairman and CEO, said in a statement: "I want to thank Ricky for his extraordinary leadership of the Sun Herald and his service to the community, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. We admire him greatly and wish him all the best.

"At the same time, we are delighted to see Glen return to the South, where he has spent much of his distinguished newspaper career. Glen is an unflappable executive who will help continue the Sun Herald legacy of public service journalism and exemplary community service."

While at the Bellingham Herald, Nardi oversaw the sale-leaseback of the newspaper's building and the outsourcing of printing to Skagit Publishing.

Nardi is a former U.S. Navy officer and began his career in newspapers in 1980 at The Miami Herald as a production manager. He also held production positions at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

In 1988, the moved to Columbia, S.C., to work at The State in several production, IT, circulation and marketing positions eventually serving as the paper's vice president of operations.

"The one thing that immediately stands out about the Sun Herald is the special relationship it has with the community," Nardi said in a statement. "I think South Mississippi really saw how the newspaper supported it since Hurricane Katrina. The Sun Herald staff has a lot of character, and I look forward to joining them."

Matthews started as an intern at the Sun Herald in 1982 eventually becoming publisher in 2001. Under his leadership the Sun Herald won a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for its coverage of Hurricane Katrina. In the days and weeks following the Hurricane, the Sun Herald never missed a day of publication.

"There is no greater honor than serving as publisher of my hometown newspaper, which I've done for the past eight years," Matthews said in a statement.

Matthews is leaving the paper for an unannounced job outside the McClatchy Co.

The company is looking for a new publisher in Bellingham.