JOHN DEARRINGTON
President

John Dearrington, a graduate of Western Michigan University, began his newspaper career in 1990 with The Boulder Daily Camera, a Knight-Ridder paper (at that time) in Boulder, Colorado. He worked initially as a layout assistant, working his way first to coordinator, then Composing Manager.

From Boulder he moved to Chattanooga Tennessee, where from 1995 to 1999 he worked as the Prepress Director for Chattanooga Publishing, a joint operation of The Chattanooga Free Press and The Chattanooga Times.

In 1999 he moved back to Michigan, where he works today as the Production Director for The Bay City Times, and Vice President of Valley Publishing, a combined production and distribution facility for The Bay City Times and The Saginaw News.

GENE CLINE
Vice-President

Gene has been with the Peoria Journal Star for 24 years. He began as a custodian in the press room and after a couple of years, began an apprentice program in Composing. He soon became a Journeyman and Assistant Foreman. In 1996, Gene was promoted to Night Foreman.

Gene held that position until 1999 when his current position, Production Systems Manager, was created due to the need for more technology in the Production Departments. His responsibilities include running the page layout and platemaking departments as well as all of the computer systems in the Production Departments. Gene has attended numerous training sessions including the MAN Roland Pecom training. He was involved in nearly every aspect of the Journal Star’s press project from planning and training to final execution.

Gene was elected as MANRUG Vice-president in 2007.

KRISTY GERRY
Executive Secretary / Treasurer

Director of Production

Omaha World-Herald

1978 -- Graduated South Dakota State University with a Political Science degree.

Worked in Advertising Sales at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and spent the next four years on the sales side at the Holland Sentinel, Holland, Michigan and The Sun Newspapers, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Moved to the production side Nebraska Printing Center (formerly Sun Newspapers) working with Compugraphic typesetting equipment, stripping negs and platemaking. Became Advertising Creative Services Manger at the Lincoln Journal Star in 1992. In 1997 began at the Omaha World-Herald as Advertising Operations Manager.

With a state of the art production facility in the near future, Kristy assumed the responsibilities of systems integration at the World-Herald in October, 1999. The Freedom Center, a fully integrated, highly automated production facility went live September 1, 2001. Kristy was appointed Director of Production November 1, 2001.

MEL BALCH
Board Member

• Production Director for The Mobile Register, Mobile Alabama, since 1991.
• Began working in newspaper production in 1973, as a fly-boy.
• Participant in formation of MANRUG in 2002.
• MANRUG President 2004-2006
  

JIM FOLEY
Board Member

Production Director

The Republican, Springfield, Massachusetts

Jim began his newspaper career in 1967 at the Valley News, in Lebanon, NH. He held a variety of positions including Composing Room Foreman, Production Manager and Operations Manager while at the Valley News. In 1986 Jim moved to Holyoke to assume the position of President of Valley Graphics, Inc., which was a commercial operation previously owned by Newspapers of New England, Inc. He has been Production Director for The Republican, in Springfield, Massachusetts, since June 1991. Recently, Jim has been the project manager overseeing a building expansion project and the installation of a MAN Roland Regioman press, three GMA SLS 3000’s and two BasysPrint CTcP plate setters.

Jim has served on the NENA production committee and has been a director and past President of the Newspaper Operations Association of New England.

Jim served as MANRUG President from 2006-2007.