In a memo from WaPo executive editor Marcus Brauchli and Raju Narisetti and Liz Spayd, Lynn Medford and Ned Martel were named senior editors of the Style section. Former Style editor Deb Heard had taken a buyout last year.

Medford previously worked on the Metro section for three and a half years and Martel was most recently at Men's Vogue.

Also announced- Style's interim edtior, Steve Reiss, will move to the newly formed Universal newsdesk.

Their memo to staff after the jump...

To the Staff:

As we move ahead with changes to our newsroom structure, we're pleased to announce the appointment of two new senior editors in Style.

Lynn Medford, Metro editor for enterprise, and Ned Martel, a Baltimore native who most recently has been a magazine writer and editor in New York, will jointly take over from Steve Reiss, the deputy Style editor who has led the section in an interim capacity since late last year.

Lynn and Ned bring complementary skills and backgrounds to a section that has long been a showcase for reporting, storytelling and verve.
Their mandate is simple: to ensure that Style remains the must-read, must-see section for anyone who cares about the political zeitgeistor the kaleidoscope of arts, personalities and events that define our region and this epoch. With great change afoot in Washington, there’s never been a better time for The Post’s distinctive approach to pop anthropology.

They'll divide duties, both of them editing and working closely with reporters. Lynn also will oversee personnel, budget matters and scheduling, while Ned will work closely on developing new approaches that will reinforce our "for and about Washington" focus. They will start their new roles on June 8 and report to Raju Narisetti.

As part of the restructuring of the newsroom, we expect that journalists from across the newsroom will write for Style and that Style writers will write for other sections. In addition, Lynn and Ned will work to forge a much closer relationship between journalists working for Style and The Washington Post Magazine, which is a natural home to the narrative and feature writing that is central to Style. In addition, with the ongoing integration of our print and online newsrooms, the new Style leadership team will work closely with the features editing team at washingtonpost.com to reimagine and reinvigorate Style online.

Steve Reiss, who with Leslie Yazel and Ann Gerhart has led Style since November, will take on a significant new role in the newsroom at the Universal News Desk. Steve is the consummate editor, meticulous and wise, and he, Leslie and Ann have done heroic work these last six months. Leslie, as many of you know, is moving soon to New York, and Ann will be taking on a new role in Kevin Merida's National coverage team in July.

Lynn rejoins Style after a three and a half year stint in Metro, first as deputy Metro editor, then as Metro editor specializing in enterprise and features. She played a key role in directing the Obama inauguration coverage and the "Young Lives at Risk" obesity project.
Prior to joining Metro, Lynn was an editor in Style for six years.
Before joining The Post in 1999, Lynn was the Baltimore Sun’s features editor. She spent 15 years at the Miami Herald.

Ned is new to The Post, but not to Washington. He's been a regular contributor to The New York Times- on travel, entertainment and television- and to O, The Oprah Magazine on politics and the environment. Until last October, he was deputy editor of Men's Vogue.
He's worked as television critic and writer, and began his journalism career as a researcher for The Washington Monthly. He also worked as a reporter for States News Service here. Ned will join the Post on June 8. Until then, he can be reached at [redacted].

A final note: we anticipate several openings in Style and the Magazine for editors, including an opening for an Arts Editor who supervises the editors, critics and reporters who cover movies, television, dance, theater, visual arts, architecture, music and the local museum scene; as well as a Style editor to work with television and media writers. Those interested should talk to Lynn and Raju in the next couple of weeks.

Marcus Raju Liz