Key Pen News Welcomes New Editor Lisa Bryan

Staff Report

Lisa Bryan, who has reported for the Key Peninsula News for the last year and a half, will officially take over the role of executive editor on Jan. 1.

Bryan stepped into the editor’s role in November and December on an interim basis. She found she enjoyed the challenges of the position, the writing staff has appreciated her enthusiasm and feedback, and production has run smoothly.

“Lisa’s deep ties and commitment to the Key Peninsula community made her a perfect choice for this job. She has been a valuable reporter, and she has proven she can work with the staff to publish a newspaper that is of the quality we have come to expect,” said Bruce Macdonald, member of the publishing board and former president and current treasurer of the Key Peninsula Civic Center Association (KPCCA).

Bryan was raised in Lakewood and had an early career in finance. She and her husband, George, moved to Longbranch 15 years ago.

“There’s something special about the Key Peninsula. Any number of things attracted us to it: an affordable place to retire; remarkably fresh air; access to beaches, water and mountain views; an abundance of meandering country roads through forests and fields teeming with wildlife. But perhaps the biggest attraction was the people who live here and make this place special.” Lisa added, “It didn’t take long to get involved with the community and many of its organizations.”

Bryan began by joining the nearby Longbranch Improvement Club, where she used her financial background to serve as treasurer. From that board position, she was introduced to the Key Peninsula Community Fair, Two Waters Arts Alliance, The Mustard Seed, Fresh Food Revolution and, eventually, the Key Peninsula News. Either as a board member, team player or volunteer running the coffee urns, Bryan made more friends and connections with a broad collection of locals.

When Ted Olinger approached her to write for the KP News, she saw an opportunity to fulfill her life-long ambition to write. It was not a dream to write fantastical stories from her imagination; it was, and is, her desire to fairly, accurately report the news and tell the stories that knit the community together. Her proven writing abilities, coupled with her love of and engagement with the community, led her to apply for the position of editor.

The Key Peninsula News Publishing Board, which operates the paper independently under the umbrella of the KPCCA, recommended that Bryan be hired as editor and that recommendation was approved by the KPCCA in December.