The Eagle’s advisory board has selected Nina Heller, The Eagle’s current news managing editor, as its editor-in-chief for the 2022-2023 school year.
Heller leads the news section, which encompasses the administration and local news section, features, campus life, community engagement and investigative team. She leads a staff of 25 who have covered events, on-campus protests and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Most recently she covered tuition and salary increases and, as an editor, was instrumental in the investigation that found American University unknowingly distributed counterfeit masks. After the investigation, she was featured in Washingtonian alongside other Eagle staff members.
Heller has been a member of The Eagle since her freshman year. Previously, Heller served as the news section’s administration and local news editor after roles as a staff reporter and student government beat reporter. She also served as online managing editor.
According to Eliza Schloss, The Eagle’s current online managing editor, Heller’s drive is what The Eagle and the University “need in a time when authority needs questioning and voices to be heard.”
“Formal titles at The Eagle can’t define Nina’s accomplishments; she’s a breaking news virtuoso, a role model to staffers and editors alike and a journalist who leads with empathy and respect,” Schloss said. “Nina possesses a passion that stretches beyond our publication.”
Heller is an active member of The Eagle’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion group, where she recently pioneered a roundtable discussion with organizations who have been previously underrepresented in The Eagle’s coverage.
Heller, who hails from San Carlos, California, is a junior majoring in journalism and minoring in political science. She is also an intern at Current, a nonprofit news organization, this semester. She will take over as editor-in-chief in April 2022.
