There is a new face in town, and it belongs to Americus Times-Recorder’s news and education editor, Rebecca L. (Becky) Holland. Holland, who brings over 13 years of journalism experience to the table, began work on July 10 for the newspaper.

The 38-year-old graduate of Bleckley County High School in Cochran received both her bachelor of science in English/journalism and master of science in continuing education in counseling from the University of West Alabama in Livingston, Ala. She began working with newspapers in the mid-1990s under two Tribble Publications newspapers, first The Twiggs County New Era in Jeffersonville and then, The Cochran Journal in Cochran.

At The Cochran Journal, she served as a staff writer before being promoted to news & features writer.

During her time at The Cochran Journal, Holland received two Trib Publications Best of Sports Photo awards. She also served as a copy editor for The Warner Robins Daily Sun for a short period, before coming back to The Cochran Journal to be the sports and features editor. She wrote a weekly column called, “Rambling Expressions,” as well as sports, school news and human interest stories.

While at The Cochran Journal, Holland also worked with The Middle Georgia College Warriors’ football team during the late 1990s assisting with fundraising, promotions and game day operations, before accepting a position as football recruiting assistant at The University of West Alabama in Livingston, Ala. In 2004, she became the features and technology coordinator for The Times Journal in Eastman, where she served until the newspaper was sold in 2006. Her columns and/or feature stories have been published in over 10 online and print publications in Georgia, Alabama and Canada, including The Dodge County News, The Bleckley County News, The Sumter County Record Journal (Livingston, Ala.), The UWA Life, The Sucarnochee Review and The Christian Index.

“My mom said when I was four years old, I would grab a pencil and beg her to spell words for me. I knew the first time I saw Walter Cronkite on the news, and heard him say, ‘That’s the way it is,’ that was what I wanted to do: tell people’s stories.”

“The Americus Times-Recorder has had numerous successes in the over 125 years that it has been in existence and under the leadership of our executive editor, Beth Alston, and publisher, Dan Sutton, I forsee many more triumphs to come,” Holland said, continuing, smiling, “and I feel blessed from above to be a part of this team!”

Holland is looking forward to becoming a part of the Sumter County community and exploring more of the area.

“In the short time that I have been here, I can tell there are going to be lots of good stories to tell, and I can’t wait to get started,” she said.

Of Holland, Alston said, “The Times-Recorder is fortunate to have someone of Becky Holland’s caliber working with us. She brings a high standard of professionalism to the news staff, and is a welcome addition to the editorial department. She enjoys meeting people, a trait that is essential to being informed about our communities and what is important to our readers.”