Sonoma County nonprofit leader named North Bay Business Journal publisher

Lorez Bailey, who for five years has overseen a Sonoma County nonprofit working with teens and whose career includes local media advertising and operations, has been named publisher of the North Bay Business Journal.

Bailey currently is executive director for Chop's Teen Club in Santa Rosa.

On Sept. 8, she will take over the publisher role of the Journal, which is owned by Sonoma Media Investments. The media company’s holdings also include The Press Democrat, Sonoma Magazine, Petaluma Argus-Courier and The Sonoma Index-Tribune.

Leadership of the Journal — which covers business news in Napa, Marin, Sonoma and Solano counties — has been open since the previous publisher, Norma Kostecka, who was appointed in October 2020, died in March.

“Lorez brings a wealth of talent and experience to the North Bay Business Journal,” said SMI CEO Steve Falk. “She has years of success in media and business along with a decade of distinguished leadership roles at several leading nonprofit organizations. She has a passion for helping others succeed and those skills will now help local businesses throughout the North Bay.”

Karleen Arnink-Pate, chief revenue officer for The Press Democrat, added, "We could not be more excited to have Lorez join the company. She understands the importance of the NBBJ to help businesses across our region, to stay connected, educated and informed. I’m confident Lorez will lead The North Bay Business Journal into a future with positive change and no limits."

Before taking over as executive director of Chop's in 2016, Bailey was college and career readiness director for another Santa Rosa-based nonprofit, Social Advocates for Youth (SAY).

On the administrative side, she works as a manager at West County Community Services district and as a manager at Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps in Santa Rosa.

On the media side, Bailey was on the editorial board, helping to establish the editorial voice of The Press Democrat.

Her other media background includes working as advertising and operations manager for Community Voice Newspaper, based in Rohnert Park, as well as advertising assistant manager for ANG Newspapers, advertising assistant for The Press Democrat then the Argus-Courier, as well as news department coordinator at Channel 50 in Santa Rosa.