Erin Orr is a veteran newsroom editor of 30-plus years with deep experience in development and management.

She previously was the editor and senior personnel administrator for Lee Enterprises Design Center, managing editor for The Times of Northwest Indiana and The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Illinois, and has held many leadership roles in newsrooms throughout her career.

Orr has led and edited a number of award-winning news series including an investigation into the decades-long lead contamination in the soil and water of subsidized housing in East Chicago, Indiana, and the causes behind the Hoosier state’s high infant-mortality rates. She has also specialized in developing and overseeing training programs and processes that benefit reporters, organizations, and production of high-quality, trusted content.

Honors: Graduate of FBI Citizens Academy/Springfield (IL) Chapter/2013; Editor of the Year/2014, The State Journal-Register (Springfield); Athena Awards (finalist)/2014

Professional memberships: Advisory Board for the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk; Institute for Nonprofit News; Society of Professional Journalists; North American Agricultural Journalists; Investigative Reporters & Editors; (former) Mid-America Press Institute (MPI) board president