Holly Gaskill is the new editor of The News-Banner, succeeding Dave Schultz in the role as he eases into retirement.
Publisher Doug Brown announced Gaskill’s promotion over the weekend.
“When former editor Jessica Bricker and I first met Holly, we knew that she was meant for this role,” Brown said. “My faith and confidence in her has only grown since that day.”
“It’s a great honor and responsibility to take the lead at The News-Banner,” Gaskill said. “I’m excited to continue the long-standing work of the paper, sharing local stories that matter to the community.”
Gaskill joined The News-Banner in May 2022 and has been predominantly covering Wells County government and school boards.
Originally from Berne, Gaskill graduated from South Adams High School with academic honors and then attended Taylor University as the Eugene C. Pulliam Promising Journalist. She graduated magna cum laude with her bachelor of science in multimedia journalism and a concentration in news media.
At Taylor, Gaskill was involved in the campus student newspaper, The Echo, serving as the co-editor in chief as a junior and senior. During her leadership, The Echo placed second in the Indiana Collegiate Press Association as a Division III newspaper and was named Best Student Newspaper by the American Scholastic Press Association. She also received multiple individual and team awards from the ICPA, in addition to awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Broadcast Education Association and Indiana Association of School Broadcasters.
“We’ve had a long run of journalistic excellence led by Jim Barbieri, Joe Smekens, Mark Miller, Jessica Bricker and Dave Schultz,” Brown said. “Holly is the ideal person to carry on that tradition.”
Brown went on to thank Schultz for his service to the News-Banner.
“When I started (as publisher) in 2016. Dave told me that he wanted to work seven more years before retiring. He’s not quite out the door just yet.”
Schultz grew up in Joliet, Ill., and is a 1975 graduate of Lincoln Christian College in Lincoln, Ill., with a bachelor’s degree in ministries. He took additional college courses at Huntington College and began his first journalism job at the Huntington Herald-Press in January 1976 after being a part of a journalism practicum class during HC’s former “J-term” program.
His professional life has rotated between service in the ministry and journalism. He has served churches and worked at the newspapers in Indiana’s Boone County and Rush County.
In 1996, he moved back to Huntington and resumed working at the Herald-Press, where he remained for 12 years. During much of that time, he also was a part-time minister at a small church near Roanoke.
He came to Bluffton in 2008.
“I had figured I would work at the Herald-Press until I retired,” he said, “But, instead, I had the opportunity to come to Bluffton. It’s been a challenging, but still delightful, 15 years.”
Dave and his wife Susan, now just 13 1/2 months shy of their 50th wedding anniversary, have three children and three grandchildren. His post-retirement plans revolve around them. The couple plans to live with their youngest son, Bobby, and their grandson Liam on the west side of Fort Wayne. Their daughter, Linda Kay Impola, and her husband Dave live in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Their oldest son and daughter-in-law, Tim and Samantha Schultz, plus their two children live in Huntington.
He intends to pick up some hours at the News-Banner as needed from time to time.
“I’m grateful that he is helping us transition for a little while longer,” Brown said. “Dave is a true professional, and we’re going to miss him when he’s gone.”
