Arizona Republic, azcentral name new publisher, Mi-Ai Parrish

• Mi-Ai Parrish named president and publisher of The Arizona Republic, azcentral.com after a successful career at the Kansas City Star
• She was an editor at The Republic from 1999-2001
• She also has worked at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, The Republic, Chicago Sun-Times and the Virginian-Pilot

Mi-Ai Parrish has been named president and publisher of The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com after serving as a publisher in Kansas City, Mo., and Boise, Idaho, where she gained a reputation for transforming and diversifying business operations and encouraging quality journalism.

Parrish will start her new job Oct. 12. She will succeed John Zidich, now Gannett Co., Inc., president of domestic publishing.

At the Kansas City Star, Parrish found success in growing the traditional media company’s connections with a changing community that wanted news on its smartphones, fresh experiences at festivals and events, and quality journalism in all its products.

Parrish served as a deputy managing editor and in other roles in The Republic newsroom from 1999 to 2001, and that time sparked her interest in returning to Arizona.

“It’s gratifying to me to come back to a place I loved so much and worked early in my career. I loved the community, loved Phoenix, loved The Republic,” she said. “There is such a tradition of investigative journalism. I’m really looking forward to building on that tradition.”

Zidich said Parrish’s track record as a publisher in Kansas City and Boise and her familiarity with the Phoenix market were a plus.

“In her industry and in her publisher roles, she has provided great leadership and also great results,” Zidich said.

“After working in Phoenix almost 15 years, it was important to me personally and certainly for the company to put the right person in this role. I know with Mi-Ai we got it right,” Zidich said.

In a meeting with Republic and azcentral.com reporters and editors on Friday, Parrish emphasized her ties to the newsroom, where she had spent many nights and weekends at work. She also highlighted her sales and financial acumen.

"I know how to drive a business," she said.

The Republic and azcentral.com's strengths include strong community connections, she said. Athleticism and nimbleness are essential in future success, she said.

"We have this tremendous breadth of abilities. We have to continue to transform and evolve, and we have to do it faster than we ever have," she said.

"I'm bullish on us. I'm bullish on what we do because it's so important. It's vital to the community. It's vital in a democracy."

Mi-Ai (pronounced “Mia”) Parrish has been the president and publisher of the Kansas City Star Media Co. since June 2011. She came to the Star from its sister newspaper, the Idaho Statesman, where she was president and publisher of Idaho's largest newspaper for five years. Both are owned by the McClatchy Co.

Before that, Parrish spent the majority of her career in newsroom roles, from reporting and copy editing, to travel editor and projects editor. Parrish, 44, worked at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, The Republic, Chicago Sun-Times and the Virginian-Pilot.

In Kansas City, Parrish led an organization that emphasized offering multiple ways to interact with an audience, whether at events and festivals or food trucks.

“I want to be where people are,” she said. “It’s important to offer a variety of ways to connect and business solutions to connect with an audience where they are.

“All put together, there’s tremendous amplification in that. The printed paper is very important, but it’s just a piece of what we do.”

As media habits continue to change, she said, The Republic and azcentral.com will continue to evolve. As she described how its employees should engage with the community, she used words such as creative, innovative, swift, humble, thoughtful and brave.

She said she is excited about the opportunities.

“Great people, great community, great tradition. We are going to do amazing things,” she said.

This will be the second time Parrish and Nicole Carroll, vice president/news and editor of The Republic and azcentral.com, have worked together in Phoenix.

"I'm so happy to get to work with Mi-Ai again. She is such a thoughtful, collaborative leader,” Carroll said. “She will be a champion for quality journalism, for holding our government accountable, for taking the lead on local issues, and for finding new ways to connect with our community."

Parrish said she plans to be involved in the community. In Kansas City, she focused on regional collaboration. In Boise, her volunteer time centered on postsecondary education attainment.

“I’m looking forward to learning more and finding good places for engagement,” she said.

The Star’s first female publisher, Parrish currently serves on the boards of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City Area Development Council and the Civic Council.

Bob Marcusse, president and CEO at the Kansas City Area Development Council, said Parrish has served on the council's board for almost as long as she has been publisher, and he appreciated her efforts in joining with other business leaders to move the region forward.

Her ability to serve simultaneously as an economic development-oriented community leader while running a major newspaper and leading a successful business operation was impressive, he said.

"She has done a good job of making the Star a very important part of Kansas City, even more so than it has been in the past," he said. "And when we have needed her, she has participated in talks with companies looking to expand and relocate here in a very honest and transparent way."

Parrish, a Korean-American, is a two-time Pulitzer Prize juror, a longtime member of the Asian American Journalists Association, and was named one of the 100 Most Important Minority Journalists of the Last Century. She was inducted into the University of Maryland Alumni Hall of Fame in 2013.

Her husband is Pulitzer-Prize winner Dave Parrish, a former reporter at The Republic.

She and her husband were married at the Grand Canyon – another Arizona connection.

“I do love the outdoors. We like to explore. We like to camp,” she said. “I personally love the arts. I like being in a big sports town.”

At Republic Media, she will serve as president and publisher of The Republic, azcentral.com and La Voz, the company’s Spanish-language weekly.

Parrish will report to Karen Ferguson Fuson, president of Gannett’s West and Interstate group, which includes 23 of the company’s major news operations, including metro newspapers in Phoenix, Indianapolis, Louisville and Cincinnati.

At Friday's newsroom gathering, Fuson said, "I was looking for somebody who could come here and to lead The Republic to continue to be the gem of the Gannett Company. Someone who could continue to innovate, continue to be a game-changer, who had great publishing experience. Although Mi-Ai's roots are in news ... she knows what to do for our customers on the ad side, and she understands what it will take to make the business work long term."

Gannett, the parent company of Republic Media, split into two companies at midyear. The new Gannett retains the print and digital publishing businesses, and a new corporation, Tegna, holds the broadcast and digital assets. Parrish said she is excited about the opportunity to work and grow with the new company.

Zidich said, “I’m thrilled to have Mi-Ai on board. The first time I met her, I knew she’d be a great fit.”