Jeremy Pittari, who came to the Picayune Item in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, has been named managing editor of the paper with the retirement of Will Sullivan.

Pittari left the paper in 2013, to serve a brief stint in the public relations field. He decided to return to the paper when the managing editor’s position came open and was chosen by Picayune Item publisher Linda Gilmore from among the applicants.

“Working with Jeremy in his role as a news reporter, I recognized that his commitment to quality journalism and love of Pearl River County and its people would be an unbeatable combination to fill the role of managing editor. His leadership will be an integral part of our future growth and success,” Gilmore said.

“During my years at the Picayune Item I have grown attached to the community in Pearl River County so it is an honor to return to the area I know best,” Pittari said.

Pittari is a dedicated news professional who held a full time job at a local restaurant while he worked his way through Pearl River Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi where he majored in print journalism. When former publisher Tom Andrews first hired Pittari, he was finishing his final semester at USM. He graduated from USM in December of 2005.

“At one point I just decided I wanted to better my education, so I enrolled at PRCC. After enrolling at PRCC , I decided to pursue a degree in journalism, which prompted me to continue on to USM,” Pittari said.

As managing editor, he will supervise a staff of three, including sports editor Curtis Rockwell, and staff writers Alexandra Hedrick and Jodi Marze.

On learning of Pittari’s selection, Sullivan said, “I’m very happy that someone I know and trust will replace me in this position. It carries a lot of responsibilities and I know Jeremy can handle them. Plus, having grown up and worked here, he really knows the town and county and that’s important.

“Fortunately for the newspaper, he is a young man who also really knows his way around computers and the Internet, something that is really needed by today’s newspaper people as the industry makes its transition into the digital world.”