Gazette President retiring

Gazette president Kelly Homewood has announced her retirement from The Gazette, capping a 26-year career with the organization.

Homewood, a Cedar Rapids native who was named President in 2023, served in a variety of roles throughout her time with The Gazette, including as director of operations, retail sales manager, director of agency for FusionFarm before becoming the 143-year-old paper’s first female president.

“The media industry I entered more than two decades ago is very different from the one we know today. Over these years, we have experienced tremendous change — shifts in technology, the rise of digital platforms, evolving audience expectations, and new ways for businesses to reach their customers. We have adapted continuously, often reinventing how we do our work while staying true to our purpose,” Homewood said in a farewell note to staff last week.

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The creativity, persistence and professionalism of the team helped the company weather a variety of challenges in recent years -- including a pandemic and major natural disasters as well as changes within the business, Homewood said.

“I am proud of what we have accomplished together and grateful for the trust placed in me by colleagues, partners, advertisers, and readers. Serving The Gazette has been the honor of my professional life,” Homewood said. “As I step into retirement, I do so with complete confidence in the future of this organization. The Gazette’s strength has always been its people, and that strength remains firmly in place. I look forward to watching the next chapter unfold, knowing the organization is in capable and passionate hands.”

Homewood’s retirement comes as the company transitions to ownership as part of Adams MultiMedia, which acquired The Gazette and 11 community titles last month.

Adams Regional President Bill Albrecht, who serves as an Adams regional president for East Central Minnesota, is serving as interim president at The Gazette. Albrecht, an Iowa native who worked at The Gazette in the 1990s, is serving until a permanent president is named.