Sun Journal Publisher Jody Jalbert Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — Jody Jalbert, publisher of the Sun Journal and the Maine Trust for Local News Community News Division, is stepping down.

A 36-year-veteran of the newspaper, including the last three years as publisher, Jalbert announced the news to her colleagues on Tuesday. 

It was not an easy decision. 

“My whole life has been working here at the Sun Journal,” Jalbert said. “I kind of grew up at the paper, so everybody here feels like family.” 

The  announcement was tough news for her colleagues, as well.  

“Jody is the very model of professional excellence and personal determination, rising from an advertising clerk taking legal ads to earning a place as our publisher and serving our readers with her endless energy, insight and caring,” Sun Journal Executive Editor Judith Meyer said. “She makes our community a better place to live and work, and I am immensely proud to have worked with her all these years.” 

When Jalbert punches out for the last time Feb. 21, she’ll be taking with her the vast, institutional knowledge of the news business accumulated during her long career.  

“She gets it — not only every department, but also how every department intertwines with each other and sees the cause and effect,” said Sun Journal Advertising Director Kelly Wade, who was hired by Jalbert 14 years ago. “I am not sure if there is another employee in Maine Trust for Local News that has that comprehension. That in itself will leave a large hole in our organization.” 

In all of her roles through the years, Jalbert has been well liked — adored, really — by her colleagues. 

“Along with her knowledge are her people and communication skills,” Wade said. “Jody can make anyone feel heard, she makes people feel worthy. And this is not a special skill but who she is. 

Now 56, Jalbert started working at the Sun Journal in 1988 when she was 19 years old. That was around the same time she graduated, got married and started a family; the job at the newspaper was supposed to be just temporary.  

Instead, when a full-time job opened up at the end of that summer, Jalbert was quickly hired. That was the beginning of a long and fruitful career during which Jalbert steadily earned her way to the highest rung on the company ladder. 

Two years after she was hired, Jalbert was promoted to classified sales assistant. Over the years, she worked as the telephone room supervisor, executive sales assistant, administrative sales assistant, marketing assistant, account executive and advertising administrative manager. She ultimately took over as director of advertising.

Steve Costello, one of the Sun Journal’s owners at the time and head of the newspaper’s Advertising Department, said there are many reasons for Jalbert’s rise through the ranks.

“I had the great pleasure to work with Jody during most of my newspaper career and hers. She came to the Sun Journal as a young classified telephone sales representative and worked her way up through various sales and management positions to her current role of publisher. Jody has always shown her willingness to work hard and make good decisions with great determination and fairness,” Costello said. “Her commitment to community journalism and her dedication to local issues have played a significant role in shaping the Sun Journal and its sister weekly papers’ continued coverage of local news. Her legacy will continue to inspire others in generations to come.”

There were other stops along the way before Jalbert was named publisher of the newspaper in 2022. 

“All of the employees here have been just so easy to work with,” Jalbert said. “I’m not really big on hierarchy, so I never really felt like the publisher. Everybody just pitches in and does what they need to do to get the paper out. That’s what’s important.”  

Over the past decade alone, Jalbert has seen a dizzying amount of changes at the paper. 

In 2017, the Costello family sold the newspaper after more than a century of ownership. A short time later, the newspaper presses were moved out of Lewiston and printing of the paper was no longer done at the 104 Park St. location. 

In 2022, the newspaper was sold again, this time to the National Trust for Local News and more changes followed.

“The past 10 years, it’s been a lot,” Jalbert said. “I’ve loved every minute of it, but it’s been taxing on my family. So, I’d just like to take some time to step back and kind of slow down.” 

During her nearly three years as publisher of the Sun Journal, Jalbert made an impact on her new colleagues as well, as the Maine Trust for Local News community news teams came aboard. 

“In our time working together, Jody has been a steady and thoughtful force, known not just for her deep operational expertise but for her genuine care for her colleagues,” Stefanie Manning, managing director for METLN, said. “Her commitment to our mission has ensured that readers and advertisers receive the very best from us, strengthening the vital connection between our newsrooms and the communities we serve.” 

That connection between the newsroom and community was something that was important to Jalbert, according to Shanna Cox, CEO of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. 

Jalbert understood that to properly serve its readers, it was vital that the newspaper be engaged with the community in which those readers live and do business. 

“Jody is a consummate professional, and one I respect deeply,” Cox said. “Her commitment to the paper, communities it serves and the people who persist with good storytelling and accurate reporting will be her legacy. She will be missed.” 

The impact of Jalbert’s departure, according to those who work with her, will be felt immediately. But some took solace in that fact that the newspaper runs as smoothly as it does in large part because of Jalbert’s guidance. 

“The Maine Trust for Local News and the Sun Journal will not be the same,” Wade said, “but she has left a beautiful legacy.”