In award for Ellwood, a sign of more to come

As a card-carrying member of the Little Rock Mafia, I've watched with great interest as Susie Ellwood (left) climbed the Corporate ladder, winning posts of increasing importance -- and accolades along the way. In Arkansas, she was head of marketing and P.R. at The Arkansas Gazette, before Gannett shut down that paper in 1991. In her new post, she continues to show the value of staying on message.

Ellwood is now CEO of the Detroit Media Partnership, which publishes Gannett's Detroit Free Press and MediaNews Group's Detroit News. The DMP joint operating agency underwent a dramatic reorganization last year under then-CEO Dave Hunke, eliminating home delivery on all but three advertising-rich days. As Hunke's protege, she succeeded him not long after his April 2009 promotion to USA Today publisher.

Yesterday, Ellwood was honored as Gannett's top manager, and in an awards ceremony at headquarters in Virginia's McLean, she spoke about "creative thinking," according to the Detroit Free Press. "That is what's going to allow us to continue a legacy of great journalism and providing great media solutions to our business customers."

I was immediately reminded of Gannett's newly fashioned raison d'être, as presented in the annual 10-K report in February: "Gannett is an international media and marketing solutions company."

On her current trajectory, I can well imagine Ellwood replacing Hunke some day as USAT's top executive.