News

News, information manager begins

	Sam Lucero

Sam Lucero this week became the news and information manager for the Green Bay Diocese. His duties include editing The Compass, following the retirement of Tony Staley, who has been the editor since Aug. 17, 1989 (see related story).

Lucero comes to the diocese after five years as associate managing editor of the Catholic Herald in Milwaukee. For 15 years before that, he was editor of the Catholic Herald in Superior, which won numerous awards for excellence from the Catholic Press Association.

As the news and information manager, Lucero will be responsible for generating ideas; determining how to best deliver information; leading a staff of writers in publishing stories and overseeing production of The Compass, the Web, e-newsletters and other formats; and working with other departments in managing content for the Website.

	Related articles: from August 31, 2007 issue: • Staley retires from Compass to travel, write • Editorial -- Saying goodbye from Jan. 26, 2007 issue: • Editorial -- Clarifying what's going on

Lucero, a native of Utah, has spent his entire career at Catholic newspapers, starting with the Intermountain Catholic in Salt Lake City, then the Southern Cross in San Diego. He and his wife, Laurie, moved to Superior so they could be closer to her family in Sheboygan, where she was raised.

"I've found working in the Catholic press enables a person to practice not only a profession, but to turn it into a vocation, and I think it's something we're privileged to experience," Lucero told Cheri Perkins Mantz of the Catholic Herald as he prepared to leave there. "I've learned a lot about the church in the Catholic press; my life has been influenced in many ways through my work. I thank God for the opportunity to do the work I do."

In addition to writing and editing, Lucero is a highly skilled, award-winning photographer.

His duties at the Catholic Herald included updating its Website, where he posted weekly audio news slide shows using photographs he had taken.

The Luceros have been married 25 years and have three children: Joe, 23, who recently received a master's degree in education from the University of Notre Dame; Dominic, 16, who attends St. Lawrence Seminary High School; and Samantha, 8.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge of managing a newspaper; of taking it in a new direction," he said. "The diocese decided to put an emphasis on the paper's Web site and other electronic means, so I will help guide The Compass in moving in that direction."

As for working with The Compass staff, Lucero said, "I'm excited about working with a different staff of editors. I've known Pat Kasten and Jeff Kurowski for many years and I'm confident that our skills will complement each others.

"I also want to thank Bp. Zubik for this opportunity and hope to serve the diocese well in years to come."

Samples of Lucero's audio slideshows can be viewed at www.chnonline.org by clicking on "Online Slideshows."

(Pat Kasten contributed to this story.)