Sandy Seal Cunningham has been named publisher of L’Observateur, replacing John H. Walker, who recently left the company.

Cunningham previously was managing editor at L’Observateur from 1997-2000 and most recently served as general manager of St. Tammany News in Covington and The Daily News in Bogalusa.

“I have such good memories from my time in the River Parishes, and I’m excited to be back. I’m looking forward to renewing old friendships,” said Cunningham, who has a 9-year-old daughter, Cassidy.

Cunningham graduated from LSU in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism.

She began her newspaper career as a sports reporter at the Denham Springs-Livingston Parish News, then in 1988 she moved to the Daily Star in Hammond, where she worked first as a sports reporter, then as a copy editor and finally as a reporter covering the education and city beats.

She joined the Wick Communications team in 1995. She served as managing editor at The Daily News in Bogalusa until 1997, when she took the same position at L’Observateur. In 2000 Cunningham took over the editorial department at the News Banner in Covington, and in 2003 she became the newspaper’s general manager.

Following Hurricane Katrina, the News Banner and Slidell Sentry-News merged operations, and she served as managing editor and general manager of the renamed St. Tammany News.

Earlier this year, she was also named general manager of The Daily News.

Cunningham has served on Wick Communications’ Editorial Committee, which helped set standards for all of the company’s editorial staffs, and was a member of the company’s technology committee.

She is currently president-elect of the Louisiana Press Association, a statewide organization of newspapers.