1982 Graduate Directs Winning Efforts at New Mexico Newspaper
Wanda Moeller Reflects on Positive Experiences in the Wake of Downsizing
Congratulations are in order for Wanda Moeller, a 1982 Buena Vista University graduate who led a team from the Albuquerque (N. Mex.) Journal that won 11 awards in 15 categories in the New Mexico Press Association contest for 2022.
For Moeller, who serves as Vice President of Advertising at the Albuquerque Journal, the strong showing came as a sort of vindication for a professional who fell victim to a corporate downsizing in the fall of 2018.
“I was downsized out of a job in an Iowa newspaper, where I had gone from Editor to serving as Publisher/Editor,” she says. “I had friends telling me that I had too much good journalism in me to leave the profession.”
Six months later, Moeller found a position in community journalism in New Mexico, and sent her resume. She received a call, earned a position helping direct two community newspapers, and soon left for a state she’d never even visited. Within 18 months, she had both enterprises showing a profit, prompting the company’s owner to ask if she’d consider a promotion to Albuquerque.
“I was 58 and unemployed in the field of journalism in 2018. But thanks to encouraging friends and my willingness to give this a try in another part of the country, I’m able to look back and remain thankful for everything I’ve done in this industry."
Wanda Moeller, 1982 BVU graduate
Her arrival in New Mexico’s largest city coincided with an executive order to shut the state down during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moeller and her staff countered losses in national advertising revenue by focusing on small businesses in the region.
“We went out exploring and focused on the mom-and-pops as the big box stores measured their responses in the pandemic,” she says. “We did more special sections and developed service publications like the ‘Big Book of Jobs.’”
The team emerged from the pandemic better equipped to serve its markets. Beyond winning 11 awards in the 2022 state contest, Moeller conducted presentations for other publishers and advertising directors.
“My background on the editorial side, in which I always leaned on my inquisitive nature, paid dividends,” she says.
Moeller, a native of Miles in eastern Iowa, played volleyball and participated in track and field when she came to BV in the late 1970s. A knee injury halted her collegiate athletic career and, ultimately, led her to The Tack, where she fed her passion for athletics from a different angle.
“I also tried out for the speech and debate team and came to enjoy getting up and stating my opinion,” she says.
Drs. John and Sandra Madsen served as mentors. LaVonda Herron, who directed the Service Department, became a lifelong friend. LaVonda’s husband, Steve Herron, would be Moeller’s first boss as he served as Editor at the old Storm Lake Pilot-Tribune.
“Steve was a demanding editor, but I enjoyed working for him and being in community journalism,” she says.
Career stops would follow at communities in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and back in Iowa before a pink slip led her west five years ago.
“I was 58 and unemployed in the field of journalism in 2018,” she says. “But thanks to encouraging friends and my willingness to give this a try in another part of the country, I’m able to look back and remain thankful for everything I’ve done in this industry.
“I’m also grateful because I still find my work rewarding and lots of fun!”