Sue Clark-Johnson (1948–2015) was an American professional journalist and newspaper publisher. She is notable for being the first female president of the Gannett Co. Newspaper Division, the largest newspaper publisher in the United States. She held that position from 2005–2008.

Early life and education

Clark-Johnson was born in 1948 in

Mount Kisco, New York Mount Kisco is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village and Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The town of Mount Kisco is coterminous municipality, coterminous with the ...

. She received her Bachelor's degree from

Binghamton University The State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University or SUNY Binghamton) is a public university, public research university in Binghamton metropolitan area, Greater Binghamton, New York, United States. It is one of the four uni ...

Career

Clark-Johnson started her journalism career in 1967 as a reporter and later an editor at the

Niagara Gazette The ''Niagara Gazette'', also referred to as ''The Gazette'', is a morning daily newspaper published in Niagara Falls, New York, United States, which covers several parts of Niagara County, including the Town of Niagara, and the City of Niagara ...

, a local daily newspaper published by Gannett and based in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...

. By 1977, she had become the paper's publisher. after being promoted by

Al Neuharth Allen Harold "Al" Neuharth (March 22, 1924 – April 19, 2013) was an American businessman, author, and columnist born in Eureka, South Dakota. He was the founder of ''USA Today'', The Freedom Forum, and its Newseum. Early life Al Neuharth was ...

. In 1983, she was promoted to publisher of the

Press & Sun-Bulletin The ''Press & Sun-Bulletin'' is a daily newspaper serving the area around Binghamton, New York. History The newspaper was formed by the 1985 merger of ''The Evening Press'' (which was known as ''The Binghamton Press'' prior to 1960) and ''Th ...

and in 1984 became the regional vice president for Gannett's East publication division. In 1985, she became the senior group president of Gannett's West region. During that time, she also served as publisher of the

Reno Gazette-Journal The ''Reno Gazette Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Reno, Nevada. It is owned and operated by the Gannett Company. History The newspaper came into being when the ''Nevada State Journal'' (founded on November 23, 1870) and the ''Reno Evening ...

, a daily newspaper based in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

. In 2005, Clark-Johnson was named president of Gannett's Newspaper Division, succeeding Gary Watson. This made her the first woman to hold the top position since Gannett's founding in 1906. In this role she was in favor of promoting classified ads in newspapers relative to other, on-line, venues, she worked to transition the Gannett newspapers to an online presence, and generally helped move the Gannett newspapers as the industry changed over time. Clark-Johnson held the position of president of the newspaper division until she retired from Gannett in 2008. From 2009–2013, she served as the executive director of the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. In 2010, she additionally began serving as a professor of practice at ASU's

Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (often abbreviated to The Cronkite School by its students and faculty), is one of the 24 independent schools at Arizona State University and is named in honor of veteran broadcast jo ...

, a position she held until her death in 2015.

Death and legacy

Clark-Johnson died on January 28, 2015, at a hospital in

Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...

after a short illness. In 2017, Arizona State University, supported by an endowment from Clark-Johnson's husband, Brooks Johnson, created the Sue Clark-Johnson Professorship in Media Innovation and Leadership in her name and awarded the inaugural professorship to former

Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspap ...

publisher and president Mi-Ai Parrish. Arizone State University's president, Michael M. Crow, stated that the professorship was designed to "carry on Sue's values and vision and preserve her extraordinary legacy". In a statement announcing the professorship, the Cronkite school said that as a Sue Clark-Johnson Professor, Parrish will "teach, write, speak and collaborate on how to preserve and grow a robust free press in the digital age".

References

External links

Horizonte, PBS show remembering Sue Clark-Johnson {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark-Johnson, Sue 1948 births 2015 deaths American newspaper people American newspaper journalists Binghamton University alumni American newspaper publishers (people) Gannett people