Maryland Media Inc. names Danielle Ohl as The Diamondback’s next editor in chief

The Diamondback’s parent company, Maryland Media Inc., named current diversions co-editor Danielle Ohl as the newspaper’s editor in chief for the 2016-17 academic year on Thursday.

“I’m very excited,” Ohl said. “It’s kind of something that you think about when you’re a freshman, but it’s not something you ever think is really going to happen.”

MMI President Steve Lamphier said the decision to hire a diversions editor to the position is far from traditional and nothing he has seen in more than 30 years working with the board.

Ohl, a junior journalism major, got involved with the newspaper her first semester at the University of Maryland, organizing the calendar and eventually writing for the diversions section, she said. She became a staff writer the spring of her freshman year, was promoted to senior staff writer the fall of her sophomore year and has served as a diversions co-editor since the spring of her sophomore year.

Ohl said she sees her background as an advantage.

“I think it kind of gives me a unique perspective,” Ohl said. “It enables me to think a little differently about the content we cover.”

Being a diversions co-editor also gave her the opportunity to collaborate with the entire staff, Ohl said.

As editor in chief, Ohl said, she plans to build upon the newspaper’s improvements in its online presence as well as “expanding our horizons as far as multimedia content goes,” which was a focus of current editor in chief Matt Schnabel’s this year.

“I know that she’s been excited with what we’ve been able to accomplish so far and she’s definitely going to leave The Diamondback better than she found it,” Schnabel said.

Schnabel, who attended high school with Ohl, noted, “It was very coincidental that we both ended up in Maryland, and definitely that we both ended up at The Diamondback, but it’s been great to see her grow as an editor and as a writer.”

MMI also appointed Jacqueline Hyman, a sophomore English and journalism major, as The Mitzpeh‘s editor in chief for the upcoming academic year.

Hyman was “a pretty easy choice,” Lamphier said, citing her experience as opinion editor with the publication since August 2014 and her ideas for recruitment moving forward.

“I’m excited to work with the MMI board and see what the future of The Mitzpeh will be,” Hyman said.

The board also appointed Nicolas Gomez Bustillo, Rachel Isaksen and Makela S. Jackson to serve as student board members and Corey Dade and Joe Teipe to serve as at-large board members.