The New York Times’ DC bureau chief Carolyn Ryan will step down, the Times announced Tuesday.
Washington editor Elisabeth Bumiller will assume the role of bureau chief, while Ryan, who also serves as political editor, will now focus exclusively on the Times’ coverage of the 2016 Presidential election, according to Politico.
Ryan has held the bureau chief position for less than two years. Before her, Pulitzer-Prize winner David Leonhardt held the title before moving on to head up the Times’ “Upshot” column.
“[Ryan’s] appointment as a senior editor for politics is a testament to the remarkable job she has done running coverage as the campaign evolved into the story of more than 20 candidates, and billions of dollars,” New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet wrote in a memo.
Bumiller, a former White House and Pentagon reporter, will take over for Ryan as soon as possible. “With [Bumiller’s] commanding knowledge and spirit, I am confident she will guide our stellar Washington bureau as it covers all aspects of this defining chapter,” Baquet wrote in his memo.
Baquet concluded by saying that both Bumiller and Ryan will announce their own reporting and editorial staffing changes in the coming weeks.