Sandy Cunningham, publisher of L’Observateur, was elected president of the Louisiana Press Association at its 130th annual convention in Lafayette Saturday.

The press association’s membership numbers 127, including 25 dailies, two thriceweeklies, five semiweeklies, 66 weeklies, and 29 other publications.

Cunningham began her Louisiana newspaper career in 1985 as a sports reporter at the Denham Springs-Livingston Parish News and was a sports and news reporter at the Daily Star in Hammond from 1988-1995. 

She joined the Wick Communications team in 1995.  She served as managing editor at The Daily News (Bogalusa) until 1997, when she took the same position at L’Observateur.  In 2000 Cunningham took over the editorial department at the News Banner (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.  Last year she was also named general manager of The Daily News, and she was named publisher of L’Observateur last September.

Cunningham is a 1985 graduate of Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism.

She is a member of the Rotary Club of LaPlace and mother to a 10-year-old daughter, Cassidy.