New York Times staff editor Jessica Lustig will be a deputy editor at The New York Times Magazine, according to a staff memo from Jake Silverstein, the magazine’s editor-in-chief.
Lustig, who currently works for The New York Times Op-Ed/Sunday Review, will be a “huge asset to the Magazine,” Silverstein writes:
She brings a keen nose for writers, a brilliant sense of the ideas that animate stories, and a steady hand with copy. She has an incredibly smart feel for where the conversation is, something that will be a driving force in the magazine’s relaunch, and her excellent taste and deep moral engagement will help guide our coverage.
Bill Wasik, deputy editor at the magazine, tweeted that he will work alongside Lustig:
Thrilled that @jessicalustig will be joining @NYTmag as my fellow deputy editor.
— Bill Wasik (@billwasik) December 4, 2014
Lustig’s is the final hire for the magazine’s leadership team in advance of its upcoming relaunch, Silverstein writes.
Lustig made headlines last year when she resigned from her position as deputy editor of The Village Voice rather than follow an edict from management to cut staff.
Here’s the full memo:
“I’m very happy to announce that Jessica Lustig will be joining the New York Times Magazine as a deputy editor. Jessica is a magazine veteran who’s worked in a number of different shops over the past 15 years. She was a senior editor at New York Magazine in the late 90s and early 00s, the articles editor at Details during a good run there, and the deputy editor of the Village Voice (she’s also done work for T, so she’s no stranger to the 6th Floor). Currently, Jessica is a beloved staff editor upstairs at Opinion (where she’s been responsible for many fine stories, including this piece making the case for profanity in print). Her own writing has appeared in New York, Fast Company, and the New York Times, among others.
Jessica will be a huge asset to the Magazine. She brings a keen nose for writers, a brilliant sense of the ideas that animate stories, and a steady hand with copy. She has an incredibly smart feel for where the conversation is, something that will be a driving force in the magazine’s relaunch, and her excellent taste and deep moral engagement will help guide our coverage. I also know that her optimism and toughness will be crucial to helping us achieve some pretty ambitious goals.
Jessica’s hiring, along with the arrival of Charlie Homans as our new digital deputy and the promotion of Ilena Silverman to features editor, completes our leadership team, which also includes deputy editor Bill Wasik, design director Gail Bichler, director of photography Kathy Ryan, and managing editor John Haskins.
Her first day will be December 22.”
