Debra C. (Debbie) Meade
President and Publisher
With a career that spans more than two decades at The Roanoke Times, Debbie Meade has a broad functional background in the newspaper business, as well as leadership experience across departments. Before becoming publisher in February 2007, she served as the Times’ advertising director, circulation director, retail advertising manager, human resources director, circulation marketing manager, assistant to the president and publisher, and assistant bureau chief.
A Norfolk native, Meade also spent her childhood in Richmond and the small town of Lebanon, Virginia. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Virginia Tech.
[VA-E 0101] - Epiphany XXXVIII: Debbie Meade, president & publisher, The Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Va. (2:14)
Debbie Meade says the power and appeal of her newspaper was clarified for her on 9/11 when she was offering free Extra editions of The Times to a public hungry for knowledge.