Senior
Leaders at the News & Record
Robin Saul, president and publisher
As president and publisher, Robin is chief executive officer of the News & Record, responsible for the company and its products and services. He works with the company's leadership team of department heads to develop strategy, manage daily operations and allocate resources to enable the company and its employees to grow, while providing excellent customer service for our readers and advertisers.
Robin became president and publisher in Greensboro in March 2004, after serving as publisher for the Carroll County Times in suburban Baltimore from 1993 to 2004. He and his wife, Connie, have one college-age son.
Born and raised in Roanoke, Va., Robin is a 1976 Phi Beta Kappa honors graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics and mathematics. While attending college, he played baseball and was captain of the team during his senior year. Robin received an M.B.A. degree from UNC Chapel Hill in 1978.
After graduating from UNC-CH, Robin joined The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., where he held a succession of managerial positions in newspaper circulation and production before moving to Westminster, Md., to be the publisher of the Carroll County Times.
Robin is a member of the board of directors of United Way of Greensboro and Partnership Greensboro. He is also on the advisory council for the Greensboro Mosaic Partnership and Elon University School of Communications and is a member of the executive board for Commitment to Excellence/Action Greensboro and UNCG's Corporate Relations Committee. In the Southern Newspaper Press Association, he is chairman of the Circulation Committee.
John
Robinson, editor
As editor, John is in charge of the news, features and sports content of the News & Record and www.News-Record.com. He has been at the News & Record since 1985, when he started as an assistant city editor. Since then, he's been city editor, assistant managing editor, editorial page editor and Team Management coach. He has been editor of the paper since 1999. One common misconception: He is not in charge of or involved with the newspaper's editorial pages. That is the purview of Editorial Page Editor Allen Johnson.
Born in Virginia and reared in Oklahoma, John graduated from high school in Raleigh and earned a B.A. at St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg. He has taught school in Salisbury, helped build a mental health hospital in Raleigh, edited a magazine in Norfolk, Va., and worked at newspapers in Monroe, Asheville, and Raleigh.
John is a member of the Rotary Club of Greensboro and attends Christ United Methodist Church in Greensboro. He and his wife, Susan, a Greensboro native, have two daughters. Most weekend days and many weekday nights, he can be found pacing the sidelines of a soccer field, cheering in the stands at a high school softball game or in the yard, trying to make the house presentable. He also reads, preferably Larry McMurtry, Elmore Leonard, or Barbara Kingsolver, jogs and watches his hairline recede.
Allen Johnson,editorial page editor
As editorial page editor of the News & Record, Allen leads editorial board meetings, edits most editorials and writes some of his own. He also screens letters to the editor and writes a weekly column. He relishes the chance to discuss issues that affect his hometown's future. Allen joined the News & Record in 1987 as features editor. In 1992 he became sports editor, and in 1999, editorial page editor.
A graduate of UNC Chapel Hill in English, Allen also received a master's degree in journalism from UNC-CH. From 1981 to 1987, he lived and worked in Winston-Salem as editor of the weekly Winston-Salem Chronicle.
Allen has taught part-time at a variety of area colleges, including UNC-CH, UNCG, Winston-Salem State, N.C. Central and currently, N.C. A&T. He is a member of the board of Youth Focus Inc. In 1996, he taught a short course in newspaper management for newsroom executives in Zambia.
Never having entirely grown up, he is a model train buff and a member of Carolina Model Railroaders. He also likes to read, especially biographies and science fiction, and is addicted to jogging, despite bad knees and rapidly advancing age.
Regina Howard-Glaspie, circulation director
Regina Howard-Glaspie grew up in North Carolina just outside of Conway. She graduated from Georgia State University with a B.A. in political science. Recently relocated from the Chicago area, Regina now resides in Climax with her husband and son. She was appointed circulation director in spring 2007.
Since 1999, Regina has worked at Northwestern University in the Media Management Center, where she was the director of marketing and sales for the Center. Her responsibilities included creating and implementing cross media marketing strategies and promotional campaigns across all media platforms for the Center, the Women in Newspapers initiative, and the McCormick Tribune Minority Fellowship initiative. In 2004, she also administered the cultural research for the New Readers Study for the Readership Institute. Prior to her affiliation with Northwestern, Regina worked for The New York Times and Dow Jones & Company.
Catherine Kernels, advertising director
Catherine Kernels became the News & Record's advertising director in spring 2007. She has been classified advertising manager since 2002. Prior to joining the News & Record, she worked at The Virginian-Pilot in various sales positions and as the retail sales manager and automotive advertising manager.
Catherine graduated from Radford University, Radford, Va., with a B.A. in marketing. She has completed coursework on an M.B.A. at William & Mary College, Williamsburg, Va., and is a February 2006 graduate of Landmark's Senior Leader Development Program. Catherine, husband Mike (assistant features editor at the News & Record) and their daughter live in Greensboro.
Chris Brewer, digital media director
Chris Brewer serves as the senior digital media leader responsible for news, advertising, production and development and leads a staff of 25.
He is responsible for the strategic direction for interactive initiatives. He joined the News & Record in January 2008 after a 14-year career with The News & Observer in Raleigh, where he was a strong sales leader consistently achieving double-digit sales growth.
Chris earned an M.B.A and B.A. in radio, television and motion pictures from UNC Chapel Hill.
Dawn Swanson, production director
As production director, Dawn is responsible for the departments that prepare, print, package and deliver the newspaper to Circulation Department carriers. Other areas of responsibility include commercial printing, safety, compliance, facilities and equipment maintenance.
Dawn was born in Michigan, grew up in Greensboro and graduated from N.C. State University with a B.S. in industrial engineering. She has been with the News & Record in various production and distribution management roles since 2002. She was appointed production director in 2008.
Before Dawn came to the News & Record, she worked for 14 years in the furniture industry as a manufacturing engineer, project manager and production manager in North Carolina, Michigan and Georgia.
Dawn volunteers in our community by organizing the Westerwood Neighborhood semi-annual stream clean, serving as secretary of the Greensboro Grimsley Senior High School Alumni & Friends Association and volunteering as a mentor with Communities in Schools. She and her husband, Scott, a graphic designer and production manager, make their home in Greensboro where they enjoy endlessly renovating their home and gardening. When they manage to get away from projects at home, they like traveling to places where they can soak up the natural world and where they can camp, hike, bike, kayak and snorkel.
Carol Lobisser, business manager
Carol joined the News & Record in June 2005 as the controller, and in 2006, she became business manager. She is also a certified public accountant (CPA).
She was raised in the New York City area and graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey with a degree in accounting. She moved to the Triad after accepting transfer within Volvo Heavy Trucks. Nine years prior to joining the News & Record, Carol worked with Cookie Jar Education, Inc. in Greensboro as vice president of finance. Cookie Jar Education is a holding company that publishes, manufactures, and distributes educational instructional materials.
Carol has a passion for all animals, especially horses, and lives on a small farm with her husband, Jim. They enjoy vacationing at the beach.
Debbie Gentry, human resources director
Debbie Gentry became the News & Record's Human Resources director in 2006. Since 1999, she has worked in Norfolk, Va., as Landmark Communications, Inc.'s corporate director of training and development. She has over 18 years of experience in training and development and has been instrumental in the design and delivery of numerous corporate leadership training programs, as well Landmark's Leveraging Difference training initiative.
A graduate of Old Dominion University in sociology, Debbie also holds a master's degree in education from George Washington University.
Debbie is married to a high school teacher and coach and resides in Greensboro.
