An assistant photography editor was appointed the next editor in chief of the Daily Bruin, following confirmation by the UCLA Communications Board on Monday night.
Mackenzie Possee, a second-year communications studies student, received the staff endorsement at a hearing Friday night.
She will become the second consecutive third-year student to serve in the role, following current Editor-in-Chief Tanner Walters, who was the first to do so since 2001. Possee is the first editor in chief to come from The Bruin’s photography department in more than a decade.
“One of my major goals for next year is to create a more solid infrastructure for collaboration between multimedia and content sections so we can layer content in a way that engages readers and utilizes staff abilities,” Possee said.
Walters said Possee is a strong journalist who has the creativity necessary to approach long-term and financial planning aspects of The Bruin’s operations.
“She’s one of those people who comes into the office everyday and makes it clear that this is where she wants to be,” Walters said. “She makes an effort to connect with the newsroom as a whole.”
Trisha Possee, Mackenzie Possee’s mother, said her daughter has been interested in working for the paper since high school, when she was deciding between colleges.
“She wasn’t 100 percent certain about her major, but she was 100 percent certain she wanted to work for the Daily Bruin,” Trisha Possee said.
Craig Possee, Mackenzie Possee’s father, said she is a strong people person.
“I see a lot of qualities I consider in a good manager in her,” he said.
Miriam Bribiesca, the Daily Bruin photography editor, who worked closely with Possee this year, said Possee performs well as a team player. For example, she helped coordinate photographers during the night of the 2016 presidential election, when students rushed into Westwood Village in protest.
Roberto Luna Jr., a news senior staff writer, also applied for the editor in chief position. The Communications Board, which oversees UCLA Student Media and has the final say in the selection process, has historically followed the Daily Bruin’s staff endorsement.
“Mackenzie, we felt, had already started working on some of the plans that she wanted to implement and she is making bold choices already,” said Communications Board chair Malavika Raju.
CJ Jackson, a professional member of the board and a writer at POLITICO, said Possee stood out because she had a clear plan for where she wanted the Daily Bruin to go.
“I want to focus on pursuing more in depth and investigative pieces here on campus so we can ensure our readers are informed,” Possee said.