Donna B. Hall will retire as publisher of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the end of April, capping a 35-year career at Cox Enterprises.
Hall announced her retirement on Tuesday during a virtual staff meeting in which she said the paper was well positioned for the future.
“As a person who cares deeply about the essential role journalism plays in our communities, this was a hard decision for me in many ways,” Hall said in a statement. “I want to thank everyone I’ve worked with for all they’ve done to help make us successful. You’ve helped make the past three years some of the most rewarding of my career and I can’t thank you enough.”
Hall has led the AJC since June 2019, overseeing the company’s growth in digital subscriptions while guiding the newsroom through the coronavirus pandemic.
Cox Enterprises will announce leadership plans for the organization in the weeks ahead, according to a news release.
“We are all very appreciative of the work Donna has done for the Cox newspapers over the past three years,” Sandy Schwartz, the chief executive officer of the Cox Family Office, said in a statement.
“Donna came in and did an excellent job moving the AJC from Cox Media Group and setting it up as an independent operation,” added Schwartz, who also oversees the company’s newspapers in Atlanta and Ohio. “Most important, though, we are grateful for her many contributions during her 35 years with Cox. We celebrate her wonderful career and wish her the very best in the future.”
Before becoming publisher, Hall served as vice president of marketing, audience and newspaper operations for Cox Media Group, and was the vice president and market manager for Cox’s Atlanta radio stations. She also has been vice president of sales for Cox Media and senior vice president of marketing and audience development for CMG. Hall has a master’s in business administration from the University of Georgia.
“This is easily the most high functioning and elite leadership team I have ever worked with in my 35 years with Cox, and my 37 years in media,” Hall told AJC employees. “They are ready to lead without me. I’m wildly proud of them and I’m wildly proud of you.
“I’m blown away with what we’ve done together.”
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