The Progress welcomes new leadership team

ANAHUAC — You may have noticed some changes to The Progress, and with those changes come a new leadership team at the helm of Chambers County's oldest news source. 

Recently, Granite Media Partners, the parent company of The Progress, named Jennifer Gray-Richardson and Russell Payne as the new area publisher and area editor. Adding to their duties that already includes oversight at The Vindicator in Liberty County. 

Gray-Richardson is no stranger to Chambers County. She grew up on County Line Road, walking the fine line between Liberty and Chambers counties. 

"I had the opportunity to experience plenty of things on both sides of the line and spend a great deal of time doing the same in my adult life. Let's just say I cross that county line a lot," she said. 

Gray-Richardson has been with Granite for about 15 years and has been the publisher in Liberty for seven, formerly serving for a brief time in that same role in Anahuac. 

"I have been with Granite for over a decade and worked in several roles, and I am looking forward to working with the community," she said. 

Payne has worked at The Vindicator on several occasions and is in his fifth year this go round.  

The 2023 GMP Reporter of the Year, he will helm the news coverage for the paper and keep his finger on the pulse of what is happening throughout the area. 

"This is an exciting opportunity for all of us, and I think, a real opportunity to roll up our sleeves and get to work providing the best local news coverage Chambers County has ever seen," he said. 

Payne is also familiar with the area; growing up in Dayton, he has spent plenty of time around this neck of the woods. In fact, his first two jobs in the newspaper business were in Anahuac. 

"Many years ago, I delivered the Houston Chronicle to Anahuac when I was in college, and then I worked as a sales rep for both The Vindicator and The Progress about 25 years ago," he said. 

Payne is excited to bring new and improved content, keep the community informed about things that matter, and tell the stories of the people. 

"Our emphasis will be on news reporting that matters to everyone in Chambers County and getting to the heart of the folks who call it home," he said. 

Those efforts will be spearheaded by reporting from right here at home, as the paper is fortunate to have some very dedicated contributors who will continue to bring news coverage. 

The Progress will continue to count on a motivated and dedicated group of contributors, with Sue Hawthorne, Darlene Pagels, Kalari Clark and Chris Cody making the rounds. 

"We are so fortunate to have these fine people on board, and they are very committed to delivering a true quality product," Gray-Richardson said. 

Work is underway to update and improve content via social media and through a revamped website that is already in the works, but in the meantime, readers can visit The Vindicator and click on Chambers County on the menu to find news updates at thevindicator.com 

"We are working hard, and we have a dedicated crew that will continue to give it their all, and we are looking forward to meeting folks," Payne said. 

Next week, we will introduce our sales and marketing consultant Calynn McDonnel. 

To subscribe to The Progress, call 409-267-6131 or visit theanahuacprogress.com.