McClatchy names former Wichitan Roy Heatherly as new Eagle publisher

It took Roy Heatherly 37 years, but he finally made it back to Wichita.

Heatherly, 59, was introduced Wednesday to employees as the new president and publisher of The Wichita Eagle.

Heatherly, who has ties to Wichita and is a 1978 graduate of the University of Kansas, comes to The Eagle from the Jackson Sun, where he was president, publisher and advertising director for the Gannett-owned newspaper in Tennessee.

At The Eagle, he replaces Kim Nussbaum, who was promoted to vice president for advertising of McClatchy Co., based in Sacramento, Calif.

Heatherly was born in St. Louis and moved to Wichita in fifth grade. He graduated from Wichita West High School in 1974.

“I thought when this moment came I would be speechless,” he said in his first meeting Wednesday with Eagle employees. “I am so excited. I’m thrilled. I’m honored. This is such a privilege.”

After graduating from KU with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, Heatherly went to work in radio sales in Chanute. In 1980, he joined the Sun as a retail sales representative, working his way up to director of advertising.

Ten years later, he joined the News Star in Monroe, La., as director of advertising, and in 2008, he returned to the Sun as publisher.

Heatherly and his wife, Beth, have three adult children and a 10-month-old granddaughter who live in Louisiana.

Mark Zieman, McClatchy’s vice president of operations who introduced Heatherly on Wednesday, said the company was looking for “a proven leader who could hit the ground running” and “somebody who could partner with the community but also was grounded in our journalism mission.”

“I think Roy is the right leader for The Eagle and the right partner for Wichita,” Zieman said.

Heatherly described himself to employees as a “servant leader.”

“I want to make you successful,” Heatherly said. “If you’re successful, we’ll be successful.”

He also said his long-term goal was not only to be publisher of the Jackson Sun, but eventually The Eagle, too.

“That was my dream job, and I was blessed,” Heatherly said of his position in Jackson. “And I got that job for 71/2 years.

“My other dream job was working here. I always wanted to work here. So I’m going from my first dream job into my second dream job.”

Heatherly will start July 13.

This story was originally published June 24, 2015 at 9:30 AM with the headline "McClatchy names former Wichitan Roy Heatherly as new Eagle publisher."