SIDNEY — A Sidney High School graduate has been named the general manager/media director of the Sidney Daily News.
Natalie Buzzard, of Wapakoneta, assumed the leadership role at the SDN on Feb. 15. She has been in the newspaper business for 25 years.
“I’m excited, very excited about being back in Sidney,” said Buzzard. “I’m enjoying getting to know the community again. It’s been great getting out and meeting the community members.”
She is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Sidney Daily News.
“I want to work with the community to offer our readers the best hometown newspaper our staff can provide on a daily basis. We have a wonderful staff here who cares about Sidney and Shelby County. We want to build on the rich tradition of the newspaper which was started 125 years ago.”
Publisher Joshua Byers said Buzzard brings a wealth of experience to the SDN.
“I couldn’t have been more thrilled than to find out Natalie was a Sidney High School graduate,” Byers said excitedly, “combined with her extensive background in advertising sales, she’s the perfect person to lead the newspaper.
“Natalie really understands small businesses and how important they are to the inner-workings of a community,” Byers added.
Buzzard said she has an “open door policy” for both her staff and community members.
“Feel free to contact me with your concerns about the newspaper,” said Buzzard.
Buzzard was the advertising director for The Lima News, a sister paper of the SDN, since 2012. She was the local display advertising manager for The Lima News from 1998 to 2012.
She has also worked at The Gazette in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as the subscriber service manager and the retail sales manager. She was a regional account executive, classified account executive and classified inside sales account executive with the Times Advocate in Escondido, California.
“My husband, Chris, was from California,” Buzzard said. “We moved out there and started having children. I knew I wanted to raise them near family so when they were 1, 3 and 5 years old, we moved back to Ohio.”
The paper in Colorado Springs, she said, was owned by Freedom Communications, which at the time, also owned the Lima News. She transferred to the Lima News in 1998.
Buzzard is a graduate of The Ohio State University, Columbus, where she received a bachelor of science in international business and marketing degree.
She is the daughter of the late Carl and Virginia Seewer, of Sidney.
The Buzzards are the parents of three children. Daughter Rachel, a graduate of The Ohio State University, is employed by Cardinal Health and is currently living in Charlotte, North Carolina. She will be moving back to Dublin, Ohio, in June. She’s engaged to Alex Parker and the couple will wed in July.
Son Jake is a junior at the Ohio State University. He is enrolled in the Fisher College of Business and is in the operations management program. Daughter Carly is a freshman at Edison State Community College, where she is a member of the women’s basketball team. All three are graduates of Wapakoneta High School.
