We are happy to announce that, starting with our next issue, there will be a new leadership team at Cleveland Magazine. Dillon Stewart will be the next editor, and Denise Polverine has been elevated to the role of publisher.
Dillon joined us as an intern in 2014 and most recently served as managing editor. He takes over for Colleen Smitek, who is stepping down due to changing family circumstances but will remain on the team as a contributor.
Dillon launched his career as an associate editor at Landscape Management before joining the Cleveland Magazine team in 2017. Since then, he has been a driving force behind the brand’s increased digital and social media presence. He has also served as the dining editor.
Denise, who becomes the first female publisher in Cleveland Magazine's history, has extensive journalism and digital experience, serving for 17 years as the editor-in-chief of cleveland.com and as director of digital strategy at WKYC for seven years. She has the perfect background to mentor Dillon and help him develop his editorial team.
This transition was planned to happen a few years from now, but somehow now seems long overdue. Steve Jobs was known for hiring smart people and getting out of their way. These promotions definitely fit into that category.
The growth of the magazine's digital media made it clear that it will take a fully dedicated publisher at the helm, and partnering Denise’s experience with Dillon’s knowledge of digital journalism was an obvious choice to continue that growth.
Also, I can’t thank Colleen enough for her leadership. She oversaw our printed publication’s redesign and our 50th anniversary issue. No small feats. Her professionalism has been transformational for our culture, and I am happy she will stay on as a writer.
While it is a little sad for me to step away from the publisher role, Cleveland Magazine means too much to our company, my family and — we hope — the community to give it anything less than 100% effort. I am confident that Denise and Dillon are the right ones for the challenge.
I know they will be amazing.
Cleveland Magazine is searching for a talented editor to step into the role of managing editor. If you're interested, please visit Great Lakes Publishing's career page.
