Longtime Beachcomber reporter Elizabeth Shepherd has been named editor of The Beachcomber. The news was announced by Sound Publishing, The Beachcomber’s parent company, on Friday, Oct. 15.

Shepherd, a resident of Vashon for 24 years, has worked as a reporter for the paper under several of its previous editors, including Leslie Brown and Susan Riemer, whose work she counts as inspiration as she steps into her new role.

“Through their examples and mentorship, these two remarkable people taught me how to be a journalist,” she said. “I will forever try to match the devotion they showed to this community through their rigorous work at The Beachcomber.”

Shepherd initially came to The Beachcomber in 2008, when she was hired as the newspaper’s arts editor. During this time, Shepherd produced arts and features stories for the paper, winning numerous Washington Newspaper Publisher Association (WNPA) Awards during her tenure. Shepherd remained as The Beachcomber’s arts editor until 2013 and then resumed the job from 2018 to March of 2020.

She would later be brought back as a reporter in May 2020, after COVID-19 furloughs across Sound Publishing titles resulted in temporary staffing cuts, including the elimination of the editor role at some of the companies’ newspapers, including The Beachcomber.

With her current promotion, Shepherd is now one of three editors in the King County newsgroup of Sound Publishing.

Shepherd’s reporting since her return has garnered her several additional WNPA Awards. Last week, she was awarded five awards for her work in 2020 and 2021, including first-place prizes in the breaking news and editorial writing categories.

“As publisher of The Beachcomber, I am delighted to promote Liz to the role of editor,” said Daralyn Anderson. “She has been a part of The Beachcomber family for many years, allowing me to observe her undeniable gifts, consistent hard work and dedication. I’m both proud and pleased she has accepted this challenge.”