Senior Management

James W. Hopson (President and CEO)

Joined Westward in April 2010 after serving the previous two years as the acting CEO of News-Journal Corporation in Daytona Beach, Fla. Prior to that, Hopson was chairman of Capital Newspapers in Madison, Wis., and publisher of Wisconsin State Journal owned by Lee Enterprises of Davenport, Iowa. He was also with Thomson Newspapers in Stamford, Conn., for five years. Hopson served as president of Community Newspaper Company in Boston, Mass., as the publisher of the Press of Atlantic City, N.J., and held several positions with Harte-Hanks Communications in San Antonio, Texas. He began his career in publishing with the Des Moines Register and Tribune in Des Moines, Iowa. Along with serving eight years as a director for Audit Bureau of Circulations, Hopson has been published numerous times in American Editor, the magazine of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. He earned a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Missouri and an MBA from Harvard University Graduate School of Business.

Glenda Hicks (Corporate Controller)

Joined ASP Westward in July 1999 after working with Media News Group in Las Cruces N.M., Enid, Ok., and Marshall, Texas as Controller. Prior to her work with Westward, she also worked for Thomson Newspaper Group and Harte Hanks Newspapers. She has expertise in accounting, auditing, payroll, human resources and assisting with system upgrades.  She attended Kilgore College and Oklahoma State University.

Tom Stamper (President of East Texas, Publisher of Longview News-Journal,
Vice President of Operations)

Joined Westward in 2005 as vice president of operations after working for 27 years with the Dallas Morning News. In 2009, Stamper served as interim CEO of Westward before being named President of the East Texas Division and Publisher of the Longview News-Journal. Stamper oversees daily operations of all Westward publications in East Texas, along with his role of publisher of the company’s largest daily newspaper. Stamper earned a bachelor’s of science from East Texas State University and an MBA from Texas A&M-Commerce.

Monica Liban (Vice President, Sales and Marketing)

Joined Westward in March 2010 after holding numerous executive sales management positions in the newspaper industry. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President of Advertising for Media News Group/MediaOne in Salt Lake City, Utah. Prior to her work at the Salt Lake Tribune and Desert News, Monica was Niche Publications Manager for Stephens Media/Las Vegas Review Journal in Las Vegas.

Jonathan McElvy (Vice President, News and Development)

Joined Westward in August 2006 after spending most of his career working at newspapers in Alabama. McElvy began his management career with Boone Newspapers, serving as a sports editor, editor, general manager and publisher for the Selma Times-Journal and Demopolis Times. McElvy served as metro editor for the Montgomery Advertiser. Before his work with Westward, McElvy worked as a consultant and taught journalism at the University of Alabama while pursuing a master’s degree. At Westward, McElvy works with the editors of the Houston, East Texas and Denver newspapers. He is also responsible for the development of the company’s online initiatives. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in journalism.

Billy Holder (Vice President, East Texas)

Joined Westward in 1980. He became Team Leader for East Texas in 1996 and was promoted to Vice President in charge of ETCN in 1998.