Butler Eagle publisher honored by PA NewsMedia Association
Tammy Schuey, publisher and general manager of the Butler Eagle, is one of five news industry professionals who were recently honored by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.
Schuey was awarded the News Media Industry Emerging Leader of the Year Award for the impact she has made in Pennsylvania’s news media industry. She was officially honored with the award Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association’s 100th Anniversary Gala at the Hershey Country Club in Hershey.
“Even though it's an award it comes with responsibilities,” Schuey said. “I am not done here. There is a lot of work to be done in our industry in many aspects of what we do. As the industry is changing in many ways, all of us are navigating the evolving news landscape.”
Jamie Wise Lanier, an owner of the Butler Eagle, said she is proud of Schuey for all she has accomplished for the organization and explained it is all because of her work ethic.
“Tammy is diligent and a problem solver,” Lanier said. “She really investigates until she gets the answer. She just digs in and does a great job.”
It was 34 years ago when Schuey started her career at the Butler Eagle when she was hired to train the company’s composition room on the then new Macintosh computer technology.
She officially took over as publisher in September 2024 from Ron Vodenichar who nominated her for the award and worked with Schuey for over 30 years.
“Tammy picked up a lot of my good habits and very few of my bad ones,” Vodenichar said with a laugh. “I think it made her a very strong leader. She was able to hold onto the compassion that is good for a leader that I was not particularly good at. I came from a different generation and we were a little more hardcore about stuff and I think she found the perfect blend in order to manage that operation.
“I couldn't be more pleased for her and the Butler Eagle that it has worked out so well.”
The East Brady native graduated from Lenape Technical School and resides in the Chicora area.
Schuey is proud of the team she has around her, who she said stepped up to the plate in a big way with its coverage of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump during his July 2024 rally in Connoquenessing Township.
Managing editor Donna Sybert said Schuey was a force that held the Eagle organization on course in the aftermath of the assassination attempt, supported the staff and forged relationships with news organizations in the region that changed how the news industry works together.
“Tammy is an innovative publisher with a passion for local news and a dedication to our community,” Sybert said. “The future of Butler County journalism is in good hands.”
“It’s not just me, but the organization,” Schuey said. “I am honored that somebody would consider nominating me, and I’m thankful for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association for awarding me with this great honor.”
Award winners were selected by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association board of directors executive committee.
“I was very honored to be introduced by Jamie Wise Lanier and appreciate her and her husband, Addison, as well as my family with their support, and especially the people I get to work with everyday,” Schuey said. “I truly appreciate the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association for this incredible honor.”
The four other awards are the Lifetime Achievement Award, Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence, News Media Industry Executive of the Year and News Media Industry Innovator of the Year Awards.
G. Ogden Nutting, president and publisher of The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register in West Virginia was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nutting, who died in 2023, served nearly three decades as president and publisher of The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register in West Virginia and was a business and community leader in Wheeling, receiving numerous awards for his service.
Sharon Sorg, executive vice president/newspaper operations for CNHI and publisher for The Herald and New Castle News, was the winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence for her service that has reflected positively on the Pennsylvania news industry.
Christopher Baxter, president and CEO of Spotlight PA, was the winner of the News Media Industry Executive of the Year Award for his leadership in his executive role.
Brendan Ricciardi, president of Delco Baseball Now in Delaware County, won the News Media Industry Innovator of the Year Award for producing new industry ideas and helping make strides in the future of journalism in Pennsylvania.
