- Theresa Coty O’Neil joins Bridge Michigan as its west Michigan deputy editor
- Coty O’Neil will oversee west Michigan coverage and help manage the West Michigan Journalism Collaborative
- Her hiring reflects the continued growth of the nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom
Bridge Michigan grew again this week when it hired Theresa Coty O’Neil as its deputy editor for west Michigan.
In the newly created position, Coty O’Neil will oversee the nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom’s coverage of the region and help manage the new West Michigan Journalism Collaborative, which will bring together news outlets to produce more and better reporting on behalf of west Michigan readers.
Coty O’Neil also will take over authorship of the Bridge Michigan: Western Edition newsletter and represent Bridge in the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative.
“I’m excited to join Bridge and be a part of a newsroom that values thoughtful, in-depth reporting on issues that matter to people across Michigan,” Coty O’Neil said. “I’m especially looking forward to working alongside such a talented group of reporters and editors and to telling the stories of west Michigan, the place I call home.”
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The hiring continues an expansion of the newsroom that has more than tripled in size in 10 years and now employs 22 journalists.
“We are delighted to welcome Theresa aboard to deepen our commitment to a region as diverse and important as west Michigan,” said Katy Locker, CEO of The Center for Michigan, the nonprofit publisher of Bridge Michigan and BridgeDetroit. “She has deep roots, understanding and connections in this dynamic area that will benefit Bridge and its readers. We’re grateful to our readers, partners and donors for their generosity and helping make this happen.”
Coty O’Neil will work closely with Regional Editor Justin Hinkley, who filled a newly created position in February 2025 to oversee Bridge’s coverage of north and west Michigan. He followed the addition of Laura Herberg as Bridge’s Outdoors Life reporter. Since then, Bridge has added Kim Kozlowski as senior education reporter and Eli Newman as a second health reporter.
Coty O’Neil, of Kalamazoo, joins Bridge from Second Wave Media, a news magazine covering Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and the surrounding area, where she was managing editor. Her decades-long career spans journalism, teaching and newsroom leadership.
Born in Grand Rapids and raised in Flint, Coty O’Neil lives with her husband, dog, pond goldfish and fruit trees. She’s the mother of three grown children.
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