Tri County's female trio not new to news

Jessica Matlock, Suzanne Loudamy and Charlotte Smith

You may have noticed some changes in the look of the Tri County Leader. You think the paper looks different; you should stop by the office. The faces behind the desks may be new, but they are not new to the news business.

The most recent addition to the female trio at the paper is Jessica Matlock. Jessica comes from the Kilgore News Herald where she began her career as receptionist. "I worked my way up to the classified position, outside retail sales and then assistant to the publisher," said Jessica.

Also while on staff in Kilgore, she served as secretary of the Kiwanis Kilgore Oil Patch Breakfast Club and as an ambassador for the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce.

Jessica is continuing her education while working. After graduating from Sabine High School in 1999, she studied business management at Kilgore College and plans to attend the University of Texas at Tyler in the fall to complete her degree in finance.

Jessica took over the ad manager position after the retirement of longtime Leader employee Mary Anne Coney.

"I plan to bring customers to all of the business owners located in the East Texas area," said Jessica. "I hope that I can follow Mary Anne's lead for years to come, but I know I will never be as good as she was."

Taking on the task of reporting and writing is Suzanne Loudamy. If you've been in Whitehouse long, you already know that name. Suzanne and her family have lived in Whitehouse for 22 years. She has served on the city council and as mayor of Whitehouse, leads the bi-annual Shattered Dreams program at Whitehouse High School and scores of other volunteer positions. She was also a substitute teacher for WISD for more than 10 years. It is that teaching certification that brought Suzanne to journalism.

"When I went back to college after my girls were in school, I thought I wanted to teach, but I didn't know what subject," Suzanne said. "I always enjoyed writing and I always knew everything that was going on in town. That's perfect for someone writing the news."

While at Tyler Junior College and UT Tyler, Suzanne served as editor, did layout and design and advertising. She graduated magna cum laude from UT Tyler with a Bachelor of Science in journalism and education.

Leading the team of ladies is the editor, Charlotte Smith. Charlotte comes to the Tri County Leader via the Kilgore News Herald. She began work in Kilgore in 1992.

Charlotte's journalistic aptitude grew from her years in White Oak schools including the time served as editor of their high school paper. She went on to graduate from Kilgore College where she served as editor of The Flare and then attended UT Tyler. Her talent as editor brought The Flare its first Sweepstakes in Texas Intercollegiate Press Association competition

Charlotte was a TIPA winner for feature, column, editorial and news writing.

She worked at Longview News Journal for two years (part time) as a special sections editor before going to Kilgore. Charlotte gained more experience as she worked in the production department at Kilgore News Herald.

"I worked with previous (Tri County Leader) editor Roger McKenzie for one week before taking over, so it's been a fast learning process," said Charlotte. "I have enjoyed meeting many people in both Whitehouse and Troup and hope to get more familiar and involved with both communities."

"During the time that Suzanne and I have been here, we have tried to cut down on typographical errors and give the paper more visual appeal. We also hope to increase and improve our coverage of local school and community news," Charlotte said.

With a small staff and covering two communities and two school districts, they rely on submissions and help getting information. The goal is to continue to cover and print as much local news as possible. The staff welcomes input from parents, schools and the community at large.