Trisha Bearden started this week as The Oglethorpe Echo’s new business manager. She graduated with a degree in speech communications from UGA in 2006. (Dink NeSmith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
The Oglethorpe Echo has a new staff member.
Trisha Bearden joined the 150-year-old newspaper as its business manager this week, said Dink NeSmith, chairman of The Oglethorpe Echo Legacy, Inc., the nonprofit that owns and operates the newspaper.
“Trisha is new to the newspaper business, but she is community-minded and brings a wealth of energy and creativity to The Echo,” NeSmith said. “She’s eager to learn, and Trisha will have an abundance of support from everyone on Team Echo.”
Bearden, a 2006 UGA graduate, earned her degree in speech communications. Her husband, the Rev. Brody Bearden, served as the youth minister of Salem Baptist Church for 19 years.
The Beardens have four children: Nik (11), Leeland (11), Jude (8) and Ruth (2).
“I’m honored and excited to be here,” Trisha Bearden said. “This community’s newspaper has a longtime legacy, and I’m ready to help The Oglethorpe Echo to continue serving and thriving.”
Bearden will work with office manager Tanya Eidson, the student advertising representatives, the newspaper’s volunteer office staff and NeSmith, who is reducing his day-to-day role at The Echo.
“I’m not completely leaving,” he said. “I’m just making room for other responsibilities and commitments. The Echo’s success will always be a priority for me.”
A new era for the Oglethorpe Echo began in November 2021, when Ralph Maxwell and his family donated the newspaper to the nonprofit. NeSmith initiated a partnership with UGA’s Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication to create a real-life learning laboratory for the students. So far, more than 120 students have worked for the newspaper.
Editor Andy Johnston, also a professor at the Grady College, said, “I’ve known Trisha and her family for some time. I believe that she has the perfect personality and skills to help The Oglethorpe Echo continue its growth and improvement.”