LEWISTON — Jody Jalbert has been named vice president and general manager of Sun Media Group.

Jalbert had been serving as vice president for advertising since April 2018.

Jody Jalbert, vice president and general manager of Sun Media Group.

She started working at the Sun Journal as a part-time employee taking classified ads in 1988, and was promoted to classified sales assistant two years later. She also worked as the telephone room supervisor, executive sales assistant, administrative sales assistant, marketing assistant, account executive and advertising administrative manager.

In 2008, Jalbert was appointed advertising director.

In her announcement of Jalbert’s promotion on Friday, Sun Media Group Publisher Lisa DeSisto said Jalbert “has proven herself to be a strategic, energetic, and results-driven leader and is eager to take on these expanded responsibilities.”

In her new role, Jalbert, who lives in Lewiston, will oversee the daily operations of the Sun Media Group, which includes the Sun Journal, and the group’s weekly publications: The Franklin Journal, Advertiser-Democrat, Rumford Falls Times, The Bethel Citizen, Livermore Falls Advertiser, Rangeley Highlander and The Penobscot Times.

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“I’ve been very fortunate to work with the business community over the years and have formed great relationships,” Jalbert said, “and am looking forward to working with readers in our communities to build similar relationships.”

Daniel McManus, advertising sales and development manager for Sun Media Group.

Longtime account executive Dan McManus said Jalbert’s promotion is “great news for all of Sun Media. I have worked with Jody for over 23 years and have experienced firsthand her outstanding work ethic, dedication and knowledge of the newspaper industry.”

Account executive Kelly Wade said Jalbert “not only has immense knowledge of our organization, but she is always looking out for what is best for our advertisers, readers, co-workers and her employees, keeping the perfect balance.”

Wade said she was “excited to move forward and do what we all do best, doing it better, which is serving the communities of Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties.”

Also this week, McManus was promoted to advertising sales and development manager, and will be coaching sales team members, increasing communication and developing successful revenue-producing advertising initiatives for the company.

Wade, who has been with the company for eight years, has been promoted to advertising operations manager, managing the day-to-day operations of the advertising department.

Kelly Wade, advertising operations manager for Sun Media Group.

Western Maine Weeklies Sales Manager Mike Blanchet’s role with the company has been expanded to include the customer service and inside sales areas for the Sun Journal’s bureau offices in Norway, Rumford and Farmington, and also for the Western Maine weekly newspapers.

Sun Media Group has also hired three new sales executives, including Daniel Rand, who was recently hired as a sales assistant and has been promoted to account executive, serving customers in Oxford Hills, Auburn and surrounding areas.

New account executive Robert Pond, who has extensive experience from his years with Barclay Bank, will be dividing his time between the company’s Lewiston and Rumford offices.

And Larry Baril, who had been an account executive at the Sun Journal for 40 years before retiring last year, has returned in that position. He will focus on customers in Lewiston, Auburn, Sabattus and Lisbon.

Sun Media Group is part of a network of newspapers and magazines owned by Reade Brower, including the Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel, The Times Record and the Journal Tribune, which together form Masthead Maine, the state’s largest media network.

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