Community Impact Newspaper is pleased to announce we’re growing our leadership team with the goal to further innovate our digital products, serving as a complement to our more than 2.4 million newspapers delivered to mailboxes monthly.

Our digital investment starts with the promotion of Marie Leonard into a new position at our organization: Digital Managing Editor. Her commitment to our mission will remain in place—helping build informed communities and thriving businesses—and her new focus will be on editorial innovation and journalistic quality within our digital footprint, including the CI website at www.communityimpact.com, the CI daily newsletter and all CI social media.

Marie joined Community Impact Newspaper in 2011 as a Reporter in the Cy-Fair market. She subsequently grew in responsibility and leadership serving as an Editor for Cy-Fair and later The Woodlands. Most recently, she has overseen our South Houston editorial department as the metro’s Managing Editor while also unofficially partnering on several digital and marketing projects.

Per CI’s Founder and CEO John Garrett: “Over the past year, our newspapers have remained a steady and reliable source for our readers at their homes, opening up each page to key information and trustworthy explanations of complex topics each month. Last year we also recognized the opportunity—and importance—to deliver news daily to that same audience in newer and better ways. Marie is a proven journalist and Impacter here at CI who desires to guide our local reporters and editors to shine an even brighter light on news in our 33 markets.”

Overall, Marie brings 13 years of industry experience and a passion for helping community members connect to hyperlocal news across various platforms:

"Since I’ve been with CI, I've seen our digital news already begin to reach a wider audience due to the hard work our journalists put in during the pandemic and other major news events like Hurricane Harvey," Marie said. "With this new commitment to building stronger digital products, I know CI will be able to make waves in the digital landscape, offering readers innovative ways to digest the hyperlocal news they can't get elsewhere."

Community Impact Newspaper was founded in 2005 and remains locally owned out of Pflugerville, Texas with award-winning market teams collaborating in Texas, Arizona and Tennessee.

For more information about our company and products, visit our website at www.communityimpact.com. To support our journalistic mission, become a CI Patron today by contributing any dollar amount through our website.