WSJ names LaRoche editor of development

Wall Street Journal editor of talent Jim Pensiero sent out the following promotion on Wednesday:

I am pleased to announce that Michelle LaRoche will be the Journal’s editor, development, a new position in our organization, effective August 1.

Michelle will be responsible for a number of key tasks in our still evolving Talent group. Among them will be to serve as gatekeeper on external applicants for news jobs at the Journal, administering and improving our student-intern program, and reviving and managing our performance-review process. She will work closely with Christine Glancey, the editor of training, and will report to me.

Michelle is an 18-year veteran at Dow Jones whose current assignment is managing editor, Real-Time Desks, at Dow Jones Newswires in New York. In this post, she manages a team of about 65 editors in an array of tasks ranging from writing headlines on breaking news to editing features to curating websites.

She brings both experience and intelligence to her new job, having been DJN’s editor for training and recruiting from April 2008 to February 2012. Prior to that, Michelle managed the Americas Spot News Desk; she started her Dow Jones career as a member of the corporate information services group.

Please join me in wishing her the best in her new assignment.