On November 14, Toronto Star Editor in Chief Irene Gentle announced a series of major staffing changes for the newsroom and management team.
Sports Editor Jennifer Quinn has been appointed senior editor, breaking news/enterprise. In her new role, Quinn will lead a team of journalists on breaking news coverage and local and national enterprise reporting across all platforms. Quinn worked at The Star from 1996 to 2005 and later returned in 2012 to join the international reporting team. She became sports editor in 2014.
Julie Carl and Doug Cudmore are taking over The Star’s Beats, Bureaus and Columns (BBC) initiative, each overseeing distinct portfolios. Carl has been named Senior Editor, National/Urban Affairs and Social Justice in the BBC area. She will lead a team that includes Ottawa, Queen’s Park and Toronto City Hall bureaus, and individual reporters covering education and transportation. Carl first joined The Star 18 months ago as deputy city editor. She has previously worked at the Winnipeg Free Press, Fredericton Daily Gleaner and the London Free Press. Meanwhile, Cudmore takes on the new role of BBC Senior Editor, Justice, Innovation and Business. He will be responsible for journalists and columnists covering immigration, police, courts, health, science and business. Cudmore came to The Star in 1997, and has served in a range of management roles, including news editor, entertainment editor, feature editor, deputy city editor and business editor.
Life Editor Mary Vallis is stepping into an expanded role as the new Senior Editor for Life, Entertainment and Special Sections. Vallis joined the Toronto Star in January 2015 and previously spent 10 years as a reporter and editor at the National Post.
Ariel Teplitsky has been promoted to a management role as Entertainment Editor. He will be responsible multiplatform arts, culture and entertainment coverage. Ariel has worked for the Entertainment section since 2000. He succeeds former Entertainment Editor Christine Loureiro who will be joining the digital team as Deputy Editor, Digital.
Fadi Yaacoub, who joined The Star in March 2015 to assist in the development of Star Touch, has been appointed Director of Tablet for the editorial department. In his new role, he will oversee Star Touch producers, editors and designers.
Senior Editor, Digital Projects J.P. Fonzo will take on an expanded role as Executive Producer, Projects. Fonzo joined The Star in August 2014 and previously worked at Rogers Publishing as the General Manager of digital for Maclean’s, Canadian Business and MoneySense.
Jason Paul has been appointed News Editor, Multimedia. Paul has worked in a number of different roles including page editor, production editor, and Digital News Editor. Prior to joining The Star in 2007, he spent eight years at the Toronto Sun.
Dianne de Fenoyl is now the Senior Editor, “A” Section and is responsible for the paper’s front section. She joined The Star two years ago and previously held leadership roles at Rogers Publishing, Saturday Night, The Globe and Mail and the National Post.
Amit Shilton has taken on the role of weekend planning editor, overseeing and coordinating weekend content for the Star Touch.
Finally, Paul Woods will be retiring from his post as Executive Editor at the end of 2016.
