Maggie Balough, former editor of the Austin American-Statesman, has been named editor of Quill, the magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists.

"I'm excited about Maggie's vision for the future of Quill and SPJ," said Greg Christopher, executive director of the Society. "With her help, Quill will become the information source for the journalism community in regard to issues of the day, technological changes, the Society, and the future of journalism."

During Balough's time at the American-Statesman, circulation reached an all-time high. The newspaper was recognized for the diversity of its staff and content as well as for its innovative methods of interacting with readers. Balough also is a former president of the Society of Newspaper Design and a member of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

Before joining the American-Statesman, Balough worked as a copy editor and assistant copy chief for the Chicago Sun-Times and as a feature writer for the Bloomington, Ind., Herald-Telephone, now the Herald-Times. She was a reporter for the Indiana Daily Student, the student newspaper at Indiana University, where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and English.

"SPJ represents the highest standards of journalism," said Balough. "I am thrilled to be editor of Quill and part of the organization at a time when the future is filled with great change yet great opportunity for journalism and journalists."

Balough was selected after a three-month search and replaces Brian Steffens, who left the magazine after five years to take a position as vice president of Giles Communications.

"Maggie was selected from a pool of very qualified applicants, and that selection was a challenging process," said Kelly Hawes, president of the Society. "As she takes over as editor, we look forward to the continued excellence seen in Quill."