Jen Colletta, longtime staff writer for PGN, will take the helm of the publication following the departure of the current editor.
Colletta, who started with PGN in 2007, will take over with the Sept. 28 issue.
Colletta, 26, earned her master’s in professional communication and her bachelor’s in communication and English from La Salle University.
During her tenure as staff writer, Colletta has covered a plethora of topics, ranging from murders to community grants and festivals.
The Northeast Philadelphia native recently won first place for Best Continuing Coverage from the Local Media Association for her coverage of the 2010 murder of Stacey Blahnik, and earned an Honorable Mention for Best In-Depth Reporting; this year, she also was a runner-up for the Sarah Pettit Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and took third place for Excellence in News Writing.
As staff writer, Colletta said her biggest challenges have been “trying to balance an awareness of all the different goings on in the community — politics, crime, community events. At times, it’s difficult to keep track of everything going on since it’s such an active community.”
Colletta said she’d like to expand the paper’s reach, particularly online.
“I’d like to bring the paper into its next phase of development: ramp up the online presence and continue the great work in community outreach, ensuring PGN is a trusted voice of the community,” she said.
Mark Segal, PGN publisher, was pleased to be able to promote a current staff member.
“It is rewarding in journalism when you have someone who has spent many years at a publication to bring that person to the editor’s chair — Jen’s award-winning journalism will now be helming PGN,” he said.
For her part, Colletta expects the transition to editor to be a large one.
“Personally, it will be a difficult transition,” she said. “It will be a new role with new responsibilities. With this job, I became very focused in my pattern of reporting and writing. Getting used to all the different responsibilities that go along with being editor will be a challenge. But it’s something I’m excited about.
As for the immediate challenges she faces, Colletta will focus on learning her new responsibilities — and completing the OutFest issue.
“There’s going to be a lot coming up in terms of the community, so I’ll be working on covering it all to the best of our ability,” she said.
