Three familiar faces have taken on new roles with the Aiken Standard.
The Aiken Standard has promoted three employees to new positions within the newsroom.
Former chief copy editor Holly Ellington was named news editor in June; former local government reporter Maayan Schechter was promoted to digital news editor in July; and former sports reporter Eric Russell was promoted to sports editor in July.
"Having the right people in the right positions is a critical part of our business," said Ellen Priest, president and publisher of Aiken Communications. "With Holly planning and assigning our news content, Maayan coordinating our digital content and social media presence, and Eric driving our sports coverage, we will continue to be at the forefront of local news in Aiken County, both in print and online. We are very excited about these changes and know that the community will enjoy working with these staffers in their new positions."
In her new role, Ellington manages the paper's team of local reporters covering news and events in Aiken County and beyond.
Ellington began her career with the Aiken Standard as a copy editor and page designer in 2008 and served as chief copy editor since 2012.
"I'm excited to continue meeting the high standard of our award-winning work at the Aiken Standard in my new role," Ellington said. "Ever since I moved to Aiken, I have loved being part of the community and enjoying everything Aiken has to offer."
Ellington earned an Associate of Arts from Young Harris College in 2005 and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Georgia in 2007.
In her new role, Schechter will manage the paper's online content and social media engagement with Aiken Standard readers. She started her career with the paper in 2013 as the city government reporter and expanded her coverage to county news in 2014.
"This is definitely a shift in what I've been doing at the Aiken Standard for two years, but I'm very excited to be in this new role," Schechter said. "Although I will miss attending City and County Council meetings, I'm very happy to continue to work with Aiken residents and officials in this new role."
Schechter earned her bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in journalism in 2013 from the University of North Carolina Asheville.
Russell's new position will involve him working closely with the newspaper's sports reporters and coordinating coverage of area sports at all levels.
"I look forward to continuing the tradition of excellent sports coverage that the Aiken Standard has become known for," Russell said.
Russell has been a resident of the Palmetto State for most of his life and grew up in Summerville. He graduated from USC Aiken in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in communications.