After a year at the helm of the Ceres Courier, Hank Vander Veen was named group publisher of Morris Newspapers of Northern California. The MNC group includes the Courier, Turlock Journal, Oakdale Leader, Escalon Times, Riverbank News, Manteca Bulletin and Ripon Bulletin.

"We are very excited for Hank in his new position as group publisher," said Charles Hill Morris, Jr. of Morris Multimedia. "He has exhibited leadership and vision as publisher of Ceres, and we look forward to great things to come from the group."

Since coming to the Courier, and MNC group, Vander Veen has made community partnerships a priority. He has sought to further engage readers in their hometown newspapers, while promoting local business and industry.

"I am excited to have the opportunity to lead the efforts of our Morris Multimedia print publications and web products in Central California," said Vander Veen. "We will continue to focus on local news in each of our distinct publications while offering a joint regional approach for extended market presence for our advertising partners."

Vander Veen will continue to work out of the joint Ceres Courier and Turlock Journal office, located at 138 S. Center St., in Turlock. He can be reached at hvanderveen@turlockjournal.com or by calling 634-9141.

Also in the MNC group, Jennifer Marek will be leaving as publisher of the weekly Oakdale Leader to become publisher of the daily Manteca Bulletin. A search is currently underway to find a new publisher for Oakdale.