Kerensa Cadenas has joined Publishers Weekly as news director. She succeeds John Maher, who departed PW earlier this year for a job at the New York Times. Cadenas will oversee the news department, including editors and correspondents, and report to SVP and editorial director Jonathan Segura.

“I couldn’t be happier to welcome Kerensa to the team,” Segura said. “She brings with her a tremendous amount of experience and energy, and I’m really looking forward to working with her at this pivotal time for publishing. She will be instrumental in ensuring our coverage remains peerless while also evolving alongside the industry.”

Cadenas has previously held editorial roles at New York magazine and Entertainment Weekly, among other culture publications, and most recently served as Thrillist’s editorial director for entertainment. She has written for outlets such as GQ, IndieWire, Elle, and Vanity Fair. Cadenas said that she’s “excited to join the team at Publishers Weekly because the glory from winning ‘most books read’ in the eighth grade will finally come to good use.”