Mitch Pugh Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Oversee all news operations for the Chicago Tribune, one of the 10 largest daily newspapers in the U.S. and third largest Sunday paper, as well as the Aurora Beacon-News, Lake County News Sun, Elgin Courier-News, Naperville Sun, Daily Southtown, Post-Tribune and dozens of weeklies. In 2023, the Tribune and partner ProPublica won the 2022 Worth Bingham.

Charleston, S.C.

• Managed 95-person news and digital subscription marketing team for the largest and most decorated news organization in South Carolina
• Led team responsible for growing digital subs by 62%, 40.4% and 72.6% in the last three fiscal years; activated 76 percent of all print readers on one of our digital products during span
• Launched three tax-deductible funds in 2021 to support journalism; investigative reporting fund campaign launched Feb. 14 raised more than $500,000; raised $678,000 for Education Lab in 2021
• Launched four start-up newsrooms with combined 13 new FTEs in 2020-21 in Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach and Spartanburg, S.C.
• Led team to 2015 Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Public Service; finalist for four other Pulitzer Prizes since 2013 (breaking news, local reporting, feature photography, feature writing); James Beard Award-winning food.
• Led cross-departmental teams selected to participate in first Poynter Local News Innovation Project/Table Stakes, Google News Initiative Digital Subscriptions Lab and the Facebook Local News Subscriptions Accelerator

Sioux City, Iowa Area

Oversaw daily news operations for 34,000-circulation Sioux City Journal and digital products. Twice named one of Editor & Publisher's "10 That Do It Right." Served on various corporate advisory groups responsible for shaping future of company, including co-chair of Social Media Council and member of Online News Advisory Group.

St. Peters, Missouri

As Managing Editor of the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, oversaw news operations for five weekly and thrice-weekly newspapers, their respective websites and niche products (combined weekly circulation of roughly 150,000). Co-champion of team responsible for redesign/reinvention of the Suburban Journals' online presence.

Golden, Colorado

Oversaw transition from a group of four paid suburban Denver weeklies with a total circulation of roughly 18,000 to a group of three paid weeklies and one free weekly with 40,000 circulation in Arvada alone. Helped create one of the state's first user-submitted news Web sites at mymilehighnews.com.

Broomfield, Colorado

Edited copy for the twice-a-week Broomfield Enterprise and bureau copy for the daily Boulder Daily Camera. Led redesign/content focus shift of the Enterprise based on Readership Institute findings.

Crystal Lake, Illinois

Worked in now defunct Crystal Lake, Ill., office of Sun Publications, covering community of Woodstock, Illinois.

Springfield, Illinois Area

Part-time sportswriter for State Journal Register in Springfield, Ill., covering girls prep basketball, women's college basketball and soccer.

Bachelor'S Degree, English

Transferred Before Completing Degree, Political Science, Communications

Activities and Societies: Worked for student newspaper The Daily Vidette. Transferred to University of Illinois-Springfield to finish.