Per E&P:

The surprise announcement today on the departure of Ann Marie Lipinski as executive editor of the Chicago Tribune was followed quickly by news that Gerould Kern, vice president of editorial, would take over.

As editorial director, Kern established a network linking the newsrooms of Tribune Publishing's 13 daily newspapers, increasing cooperation and the flow of content between them. As a result, the volume of content sharing more than tripled. Shared Tribune newspaper content is now the second-leading supplemental source of news across the group and the fastest growing. Kern also developed an entirely new system of editorial metrics that for the first time permits editors to understand publishing patterns in a scientific way, making possible more creative and efficient use of resources.

(snip)

Kern joined the Chicago Tribune in 1991 after serving as managing editor and then executive editor of The Daily Herald, Chicago's top suburban newspaper, during a time when it was one of the fastest growing dailies in the United States. He directed the Tribune's suburban coverage as part of a major regionalization program and was named associate managing editor for metropolitan news in 1993.

Kern was appointed deputy managing editor/features in 1995 and directed the development of new sections and several major reporting projects. During his tenure, the Tribune's features staff won many national journalism awards including the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1999. He became the Tribune's associate editor in 2001 before assuming the corporate role of editorial director.