Gauger, Henderson to lead The News-Star

Jeff Gauger, editor of The Times in Shreveport, will also serve as executive editor of The News-Star. He succeeds Kathy Spurlock, The News-Star’s executive editor and general manager, who retired Monday, said USA Today Network Gulf Region executive editor James Flachsenhaar.

Flachsenhaar also named Mark Henderson, The News-Star’s content coach, as the organization’s news director.

“It’s exciting to have editors of Jeff’s and Mark’s caliber assume leadership roles at The News-Star,” Flachsenhaar said.

Gauger is former editor and publisher of the Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record. He has spent 18 years as a senior editor at various publications and has been the top editor of award-winning dailies in two markets. He has driven enterprising First Amendment projects on coal ash cleanup in North Carolina and race relations in Ohio, among other topics.

Gauger graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, and holds a master of science in journalism from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He held several editor positions for the Gatehouse Ohio Newspapers from 2007-12, was managing editor of the Rockford (Illinois) Register from 2005-07, and was an assistant managing editor at the Omaha World-Herald from 1998-2005.

“As an editor and a publisher, Jeff has led digital growth, driven watchdog projects and created specialty content to reach new audiences,” said Flachsenhaar.

Gauger and his wife, Liz, have two teenage daughters.

Henderson has worked at The News-Star since 1978. A University of Missouri journalism graduate, Henderson has served The News-Star as a copy editor, news editor, business editor, features editor, assistant city editor, city editor and watchdog and storytelling coach.

The St. Louis native has been active in the community. He is host of two weekly radio programs on KEDM-FM public radio, has served on the board of the Louisiana Purchase Zoological Society and is a member of St. Paschal Catholic Church. He has represented The News-Star as a judge of the All Parish Spelling Bee and as a member of organizing committee for the Scholars Banquet.

As a journalist he has won first place awards for editorial writing and headline writing at the Louisiana-Mississippi Associated Press Managing Editors and for feature writing at the Louisiana Press Association. He was the editor of a project that won the Best of Gannett for Public Service Award in 2013, a six-part series on the inauguration of the Affordable Care Act.

Henderson is married to his wife, Elaine, and has a daughter, Melissa Crowe of Ruston.