Megh Duwadi '05 will be the new president of The Dartmouth beginning next term, the current executive board announced during the annual Changeover ceremony Friday night.
Duwadi, a government major and economics and French minor from Northern Virginia, began work as a reporter for the paper his freshman year. He will head an incoming team including executive editor Kaitlin Bell '05, managing editor Elise Dunphe '04 and features editor Katherine Carolan '05.
Duwadi is currently on an off term, working as an intern for The Houston Chronicle at its Washington Bureau.
"Megh has a tremendous passion for journalism. This group will do some great things," said Tara Kyle '04, the current president of The Dartmouth.
David Klein '04, the current managing editor, also spoke favorably of the new board, highlighting their dedication to The Dartmouth and their strong backgrounds in journalism.
Duwadi said he plans to focus the paper's resources on covering the New Hampshire primary next term. Duwadi also shared his hope for expanding news coverage beyond campus boundaries and including stories on events in the community in general.
In addition to content, the future president said he will also invest in a more innovative look for the paper.
"I would like to build on layout changes, which the current board already started," Duwadi said.
The members of the new executive board were selected in an application process that included a series of essays and questions regarding their involvement and dedication to The Dartmouth, Klein said.
Klein reflected upon his own experience: "You become very familiar with how the College runs. I will miss being part of The Dartmouth."
Some current members of the Dartmouth team such as arts editor Lindsay Barnes '06 and online/associate editor David Schnur '05 will retain their positions. Mark Sweeney '05 and Jon Hampton '05 will return next term as sport editors. Katie Van Syckle '05 will come back in the spring as the Dartmouth Mirror editor.
Paul Heintz '06 and Kevin Carmody '05 will split duties as the paper's op-ed editors. Heintz will hold the position during the Winter term, while Carmody will take over in the spring.
Chip Rountree '05 will replace Rob Strong '04 as the photography editor, with Julie Murray '05 taking on that role for the winter. Jessica Spradling '06 will head the features section in the spring.
Ryan McAnnally-Linz '06, who will continue as the business manager of The Dartmouth, said that he hopes to see the business sector of the paper expand. He noted that part of the challenge of advertising is to get people involved without having the immediate gratification of seeing their name under an article they have written.
In addition to announcing the new leadership team, the current executive board used the Changeover ceremony as an opportunity to recognize the contribution of reporters.
Zachary Goldstein '06 received the staff writer of the year award, while Chris Pitassy '06 was honored as an outstanding photographer. New writers Dax Tejera '07, Steven Orbuch '06, Matt Kelly '06, Vivian Chung '07 and Elizabeth Yepsen '07 also received awards during the ceremony.
