• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, March 10, 2026

Jamie Stockwell, late of The Washington Post, has been named as the top editor at USA Today, the third person to assume that role in three years. 

She will hold the title of vice president of news instead of the more traditional one of editor in chief. She starts on March 30.

Stockwell follows Caren Bohan who abruptly left in December 2025 after little more than a year in the job, and Terence Samuel whose sudden departure occurred in July 2024.

That history might give any new editor pause. But Stockwell sees an opportunity. USA Today has “extraordinary reach,” and is positioned at the intersection of national and local journalism, she says. 

“It just feels so uniquely positioned to take the pulse of America and bring those insights into the national conversation,” she adds.

Her plans? 

“A year from now, not only do I want readers to feel more connected to us and to feel USA Today is an essential part of how they understand what’s happening in the country, but I also want the newsroom to be leading the industry in how we innovate and experiment in service of readers,” Stockwell says.

That entails engaging the readers wherever they are in a time when technology and the media are evolving.

She certainly is qualified. Stockwell was the deputy managing editor of news at The Washington Post before being laid off during the recent cuts that reduced the Post’s staff by a third. She also has served as the Post’s executive local editor, and has worked at The New York Times.

“Her experience building high-performing teams at a local and national level, driving transformation and producing high-impact storytelling with her candid leadership style will be instrumental as we accelerate USA Today’s evolution and solidify our role as America’s essential, facts-forward news source,” says Monica Richardson, senior vice president of USA Today, to whom Stockwell will report, in a statement.

To recount the history: USA Today is the flagship publication of USA Today Company, the former Gannett. It has more than 200 local newspapers, including The Arizona Republic, Detroit Free Press and The Indianapolis Star.