Greg Shrader to retire as The Lufkin News publisher

It has been my privilege to work for Southern Newspapers, a company founded and built on the idea that if a newspaper serves the needs of the readers, advertisers and employees everything else will fall into place.”

Greg Shrader

Greg Shrader has announced he will retire as publisher of The Lufkin (Texas) News at the end of July. The company has not yet named his successor.

After retirement, Shrader will continue to be associated with the parent company, Southern Newspapers, Inc., of Houston. He will play a role in personnel development and sales training on a consulting basis.

Southern's CEO Lissa Walls Vahldiek said Shrader exemplifies what a newspaper publisher should be.

"His stewardship not only of The Lufkin News but also of the community it serves sets the standard for all fortunate to work with him," Vahldiek said. "Greg's leadership capabilities have benefited numerous civic and media industry organizations. I will remain deeply grateful for all of his many contributions to our company."

"It has been my privilege to work for Southern Newspapers, a company founded and built on the idea that if a newspaper serves the needs of the readers, advertisers and employees everything else will fall into place. I'll be forever grateful for the opportunity I was given to serve the Angelina County community," Shrader said.

SNI president Dolph Tillotson said he plans to interview candidates to replace Shrader over the next several months.

"Greg and I have worked together for close to 25 years in Galveston, in Kerrville and in Lufkin," Tillotson said. "He'll be a very hard man for our company to replace."

The Shraders have lived in Lufkin since Southern bought The Lufkin News and the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel in 2009. Before that, Shrader served as publisher of The Kerrville Times for 14 years.

Shrader and his wife, Laura, plan after retirement to move back to Kerrville, where they own a home. 

Shrader began his Texas newspaper career in 1974 with the Houston Chronicle after graduating from the University of Texas. He held advertising management positions with the Bryan-College Station Eagle, The Abilene Reporter-News and The Galveston County Daily News before becoming publisher of the Kerrville Daily Times. 

Shrader is one of only three Texas newspaper publishers to serve as president of both the Texas Daily Newspaper Association and the Texas Press Association.