A former Chattanooga reporter on Thursday fulfilled a promise he made to himself 21 years ago by becoming the next executive editor of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
J. Todd Foster now serves as editor of the Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier, which recently won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. He succeeds former executive editor and publisher Tom Griscom, who resigned June 30.
Mr. Foster covered health care and the Tennessee Valley Authority for the Chattanooga Free Press from 1985 to 1989.
“In September of 1989 when I left this newsroom for the last time, I literally made a secret vow to myself that I’ve never told anybody about, and that was to return one day and lead the newsroom,” he said Thursday. “This is the dream job I’ve been destined for for 21 years.”
After leaving Chattanooga, Mr. Foster continued his career as an investigative reporter for publications such as the Portland Oregonian, the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal and People magazine.