Parade CEO Walter Anderson Retires

Walter Anderson, Chairman & CEO of Parade Publications, is retiring after 31 years at the company, it was announced today by S.I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman of Condé Nast. He will stay with the company until his replacement is named."One of Walter’s greatest achievements was his creation of the ‘modern’ Parade” Newhouse said in a statement. “He transformed the Sunday magazine with new columns, ideas, and a higher level of reporting and writing....Walter has played a major role in Parade being one of the most successful publications in the company while publishing books, writing plays, and being an active public servant. We will miss him tremendously but wish him all the best in what I’m sure will be a very fulfilling retirement.”An excerpt from the press release issued late today follows.During his 31-year tenure at PARADE, Anderson, 64, increased the magazine’s circulation from 21.6 million in 129 Sunday newspapers to 33 million in 470 papers. As editor, he brought in acclaimed writers including David Halberstam, Norman Mailer, Dick Schaap, Gail Sheehy, and Herman Wouk. Anderson introduced regular columns by Isadore Rosenfeld on health, Sheila Lukins on food, Dr. Carl Sagan on science, the “Ask Marilyn” column by Marilyn vos Savant, and “In Step With,” by James Brady.Mr. Anderson has been Chairman & CEO of PARADE since 2000. Prior to that, since 1979, he was Editor-in-Chief. Anderson joined PARADE as a senior editor in June 1977. Prior to joining PARADE, Anderson held several management positions with Gannett Newspapers in Westchester County. Previously he was an investigative reporter whose articles appeared in publications such as New York and Ring, as well as a writer for the Associated Press.A champion of literacy, Anderson made his theatrical debut on October 19, 1992, at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C., with an original program of storytelling to benefit the Literacy Volunteers of America and the National Center for Family Literacy. Anderson received the Literacy Volunteers of America’s Stars in Literacy Award with Mrs. Barbara Bush in 1990. He is a member of the board of advisors of the National Center for Family Literacy and serves on the board of Very Special Arts. In 1995, Anderson was nominated by President Clinton to serve as a member of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. Anderson’s latest play, “Johnny’s War,” is being produced by Julian Schlossberg.Mr. Anderson is a prolific author and has published five books including, “Courage Is A Three-Letter Word,” (1986, Random House), “The Greatest Risk of All,” (1988 Houghton Mifflin), “Read With Me,” (1990 Houghton Mifflin), “The Confidence Course,” (1997 HarperCollins), and “Meant To Be: The True Story of a Son Who Discovers He Is His Mother’s Deepest Secret,” (2003 HarperCollins).A Vietnam veteran, Anderson served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1961 to 1966, rising to the rank of sergeant. Today, he is a member of the board of advisors of the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.In May 1999, Anderson launched “It’s About Time,” a series of filmed discussions with prominent Americans. The project is permanently available at the Library of Congress. His guests have included Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, Marian Wright-Edelman, president of the Children’s Defense Fund, former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, the actor Christopher Reeve, and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner.Anderson has received many honors throughout his career, including the 1994 Horatio Alger Award for which he was nominated by the late Norman Vincent Peale. In 1988, Anderson was honored for his professional leadership and humanitarian service with the Tree of Life Award from the Jewish National Fund and in 1989, Anderson received the Napoleon Hill Foundation Gold Medal for literacy achievement.Anderson was valedictorian of his class at Mercy College in Westchester, where he majored in psychology. He served as chairman of the board of trustees of Mercy for eight years and is now trustee emeritus. He is married to the former Loretta Gritz. They have two children, one grandchild and live in White Plains.Condé Nast, a unit of Advance Publications, includes twenty-three consumer magazines, Condé Nast Digital, the Fairchild Fashion Group, PARADE, the Condé Nast Media Group, and the Shared Services Centers.

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Parade CEO Walter Anderson Retires

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