CNHI, parent company of The News Courier, has promoted Lisa Chappell, a veteran Texas publisher, to regional executive for the company’s newspapers in North Texas and five others in Oklahoma.

Chappell presently serves as publisher for the Greenville Herald Banner and its Texas sister papers in Gainesville, Royce City, Rockwall County, Weatherford and Cleburne.

Her new role will include working with these Oklahoma newspapers: The Ada News, The Duncan Banner, Pauls Valley Democrat, McAlester News-Capital and Woodward News.

Donna Barrett, CNHI’s president and CEO, said Chappell’s promotion is in line with the company’s assignment of senior publishers to wider management roles as regional executives.

“Lisa is an addition to a strong management team in place to respond to critical functions and initiatives,” said Barrett. “Her leadership skills and her knowledge of newspaper operations across all departments will help sustain our success.” 

Chappell said she is excited with the wider opportunity to assist CNHI newspapers serve their communities with relevant local print and online information. 

“Together,” she said, “we will pursue with vigor local news, advertising and subscriptions. They are the essence of a newspaper’s success in print and online.”

Chappell started her newspaper career 19 years ago as a sales representative for the Greenville Herald Banner. She was named publisher in 2007 and eventually took on that role at other CNHI north Texas papers.

A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Chappell studied at Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee, site of the famous Scopes Monkey Trial on Darwinism.