20 Under 40 - 2005 Profile: Ann R. Poe

PRESSTIME

By Presstime Magazine

First Published: December 2005

Austin American-Statesman | Retention Services Manager

When Ann R. Poe began high school, she didn't play a single sport. But her older brother told her she needed to become involved with some kind of extracurricular activity to get into a good college. Poe chose the student newspaper.

She went to the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with a bachelor's degree in history. Four years later, Poe returned to the newspaper industry.

She joined The Dallas Morning News as a co-op specialist in 2002, earning "Rookie of the Year" honors from management for generating more than $1 million in incremental revenue through co-op advertising.

One year later, Poe, 29, fell in love and into a new job at the same time. She moved to Austin in mid-2003 to be closer to her future husband, Jeffrey, and took a job as special projects coordinator in retention services at the Austin American-Statesman. She was soon promoted to retention services manager, overseeing a team of 11 people in outbound dialing and input systems, among other areas.

Poe says she feels honored to have been given the opportunity to shine at the American-Statesman. "I am fortunate to have a team of leaders that recognizes young talent and rising stars that they want to keep around, because they realize that's where the future of the industry lies," she says.

Poe's team addresses subscriber concerns, collects payments, creates target dialing and direct mail campaigns, and actively promotes EZ Pay conversions. In just two years, beginning in June 2003, Poe's department increased the number of EZ Pay subscribers by 200 percent, to 15,000. That number represents 14 percent of the paper's home-delivery subscriber base, she says.

"I like being a part of an industry that creates a product that's a vital part of America's ritual, part of producing something people love to read," Poe says.