New deputy editor at Portfolio

Michael Calderone of The New York Observer reports Thursday that Blaise Zerega, managing editor of Conde Nast Portfolio will be taking over the job of deputy editor–a position left vacant since the high-profile firing of Jim Impoco last month.

Also, New Yorker managing editor Jacob Lewis will be joining Portfolio to take Zerega’s role.

The memo from editor Joanne Lipman posted by Calderone stated, “The move allows Blaise to focus fully on editorial and web site matters. In his new post, Blaise will oversee our technology coverage and special issues, work closely with Chris Jones as we build portfolio.com, and help coordinate conferences and events. Blaise in 2008 will move his base of operations to San Francisco, where he will help us establish a strong West Coast presence for the magazine. New Yorkers not to worry, he will be back in NYC frequently.

“Before joining Portfolio in 2005, Blaise was Managing Editor of Wired magazine. Prior to that, he was the Editor of Red Herring magazine. In addition, he was the news editor at ASAP, the technology supplement of Forbes. He graduated from New York University and received his graduate degree in English from University of Texas, Austin.”

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