Karen Chávez named Asheville Citizen Times executive editor; first Latina to head newsroom

ASHEVILLE - An award-winning local journalist, breast cancer survivor and former National Park Service ranger will take the mantle of Citizen Times executive editor, becoming the first Latina in the newspaper's more than 150-year history to lead the newsroom.

Karen Chávez was named to the position March 29. The announcement was made in Asheville by Mark Russell, executive editor of The Commercial Appeal in Memphis and South regional deputy editor for ACT parent company Gannett.

Chávez has served as interim executive editor since November. She is the only Latina currently heading a newsroom for Gannett, the nation's largest newspaper publisher by circulation with 218 newspapers, as well as weekly print and digital media brands. She takes the helm of the Citizen Times and the Hendersonville Times-News.

"Karen is an award-winning watchdog journalist who has a passion for storytelling and doing stories that offer solutions," said Russell. "Throughout her 23-year career in Asheville, Karen has made a difference in the community and been a fierce advocate for the newsroom. Now we'll get to see her leadership in action as executive editor."

Chávez started with the Citizen Times in 2000 as the outdoors reporter, after working at newspapers in Montana, Idaho and Arizona, and a brief career as a National Park Service ranger.

A native of New York City, Chávez holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from SUNY Binghamton and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Montana.

She has served in multiple positions at the Citizen Times, including assistant sports editor, specialties editor and investigations editor. In 2022 she won two first-place North Carolina Press Association awards for her work exposing a legacy of sexual abuse allegations at the prestigious Asheville School, resulting in multiple lawsuits against the school and an ongoing criminal investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation, and for exposing gross misconduct by powerful District Attorney Greg Newman, resulting in his historic removal from office in 2021.

She also won a Society of Professional Journalism award this summer for her Newman coverage.

"I think I was 7 when I published my first piece in my elementary school annual magazine. It was called 'My Little Pumpkin.' To see my name in print was a thrill and that excitement stayed with me as I wrote for various publications throughout my childhood in the Bronx," Chávez said. "What thrills me now as a daily newspaper journalist is to see the impact our work has in our communities."

She noted how her degree in environmental studies and experience as a park ranger drew her to the outdoor reporter position open in Asheville, where her work expanded and changed and where "I did just about every job," she said.

More: Police bodycams, walking kids to school: Citizen Times stories with impact in 2022

More: Editor: Open call for women to share their voices, during Women's History Month and always

Tapping into her love of the outdoors and for her dog Shelby, Chávez wrote "Best Hikes with Dogs North Carolina," which was published in 2007 and had three subsequent printings.

In 2013, Chávez was diagnosed with breast cancer. She wrote with striking openness about the disease that became a subject of her columns and articles, including about high rates of cancer among firefighters at a time when the condition was less recognized in the profession. Her coverage of the lack of 3D mammography in Asheville at the time ― a life-saving technology for women with dense breast tissue ― helped to bring the screening machines to Mission Hospital and other area medical centers.

"I am proud to serve this community for so many years at the helm of the largest daily newspaper in Western North Carolina. I am proud of the 153-year legacy of the Citizen Times, and its mission to inform, empower and make lives better for our communities. I am beyond proud of the staff – reporters, photographers, editors, news assistants and planners who make this small but mighty institution run 365 days a year," she said.

Chávez also said she is proud to be a Peruvian American, the daughter of a Peruvian immigrant father and a public school Spanish teacher mother who she said encouraged her and her siblings to work hard "at everything we do."

"I strive to be a role model for all Latinas from the Bronx and from everywhere to work hard and prove that we can do whatever we choose to do in the journalism world and beyond.

"I look forward to continuing to serve the Asheville and Western North Carolina communities, to hold those in power accountable in the overall mission to make our lives better and our community stronger."

Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Chávez named Asheville Citizen Times executive editor; 1st Latina