The Hatchet’s staff elected Zach Blackburn to lead the paper as its next editor in chief Saturday afternoon.

Blackburn, a political communication major and a rising senior from West Columbia, South Carolina, will helm the paper during its 120th volume. Blackburn began the volume serving as interim editor in chief, and The Hatchet’s staff elected him to serve in the role permanently.

During his tenure, Blackburn will focus on bolstering relationships with GW community members, improving diversity within the newspaper and overhauling the newspaper’s design.

He previously served as the senior news editor, directing news coverage of the decision to arm GW Police Department officers, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ withdrawal from teaching a GW Law seminar and the selection process for GW’s new moniker. Blackburn was also The Hatchet’s metro editor in Volume 118, covering the University’s dining transformation, the implementation of U-Pass and a mold outbreak that temporarily shut down Townhouse Row.

Blackburn has familiarized himself with sections across The Hatchet during his time on the newspaper, covering women’s basketball’s playoff run in Wilmington, Delaware and racking up numerous culture bylines that span movie reviews, Dish of the Week articles and more.

Outside of The Hatchet, Blackburn is an editorial intern at National Journal’s Hotline and will begin work as a copy editor at National Journal this week.

When taking a break from editing, you can find him eating a cheeseburger, watching a movie or enjoying Formula 1 racing.

Nick Pasion, who served alongside Blackburn as interim editor in chief, will be The Hatchet’s managing editor for Volume 120.

The Hatchet’s Board of Directors elected Blackburn to serve as the president of Hatchet Publications, Inc. in April after he took the role as interim editor.

The Hatchet is an editorially and financially independent student newspaper serving the GW and Foggy Bottom communities. It is the second oldest D.C. newspaper after the Washington Post.