CHARLIE SMITH, editor/publisher
csmith@columbianprogress.com
As the editor and publisher, Charlie oversees the operation of the newspaper. The Tennessee native moved to Columbia in July 2017 with his family: wife, Ashley, and daughters, Maggie and Laurie. A 2007 journalism graduate of the University of Tennessee, he began his newspaper career at The Greenwood Commonwealth as a reporter and then news editor before moving to The Enterprise-Tocsin in Indianola as editor and publisher in 2012. He is a member of the Columbia church of Christ.
JOSHUA CAMPBELL, sports editor
joshuacampbell@columbianprogress.com
Joshua Campbell joined The Columbian-Progress editorial staff in August 2015 as the sports editor. Campbell is a 2015 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. For three years, he worked as sports editor for The Student Printz, USM’s student-run newspaper. Campbell is an avid sports fan with his fandom spreading from the Chicago Cubs to the Dallas Cowboys. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games, watching television and playing sports. He is the son of Michael and Hiedi Campbell of Slidell, La., and is the youngest of six children.
ASHLEY CLARK, advertising consultant
aclark@columbianprogress.com
Ashley Clark joined the C-P's advertising staff in April 2018. She is a Columbia native and lives here with her two sons.
ANDREA PORTER, advertising consultant
aporter@columbianprogress.com
Andrea Porter rejoined the C-P's advertising staff in January 2019 after a previous stint at the paper during the 2000s. She is a Marion County native and lives here with her husband and two children.
TRACEY McNEESE, Classifieds/Circulation/Production Assistant
art@columbianprogress.com
A resident of Marion County, Tracey has lived in Columbia for more than 20 years. She works as the production assistant and circulation clerk. She is a 1996 graduate of Purvis High School. She attended Pearl River Community College and Jones County Junior College while majoring in accounting.
She is the daughter of James Earl and Charlotte Smith. She has four sisters and one brother. She has been married to Chris McNeese for more than 20 years and they have one son, Trace.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, watching movies, reading, fishing, camping and taking care of her animals
BONNIE HUDSON, bookkeeper/office manager
bonniehudson@columbianprogress.com
Bonnie is the most veteran of The Columbian-Progress staff, having been employed with the company since 1984. She began work at the newspaper as an ad rep and was later promoted to ad director, where she continued in that role for 16 years before moving into the role of business manager. She and her husband, Jimmy, have been married more than 30 years and have three children, Phillip (April) Grayson, Tiffany (Matthew) Campbell and Jamie Hudson and six grandchildren, Alex, Samuel and Chase Grayson and Hagen, Hudson and Holden Campbell. She is a member of North Columbia Baptist Church and enjoys spending time with her “grands” and traveling with friends in her free time.
