Madison native Katie Dean, former executive editor for The Capital Times in Madison, has been named editor-in-chief of In Business (IB). Her appointment was announced Monday by IB Publisher Dave Neill. She will begin on Nov. 4.
Dean, a 1993 graduate of Madison West High School and a 1997 graduate of Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, brings 25 years of reporting, writing, and editing experience to In Business, the last 17 years in various positions at The Capital Times.
“With oversight and responsibility for all editorial and creative functions, Katie joins our organization during an exciting and pivotal time as we’re in the process of finalizing significant strategic and directional goals,” Neill states.
Strategic focus
Among the strategic objectives Dean and the IB staff will work to achieve are:
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Upgrading the IB Madison brand, print, and digital products, industry-focused events, community engagement, and promotional efforts;
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Rebranding and redefining the IB Madison portfolio as serving “Wisconsin’s Capital Region”;
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Executing strategies to reach an expanded and diverse “business leadership” audience, in addition to the publication’s original C-Suite focus;
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Expanding industry coverage to include local technology, health care, hospitality, higher education, state government, and national brands situated in the local market;
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Shifting from a structured, subject-themed issue calendar to a dynamic content strategy that prioritizes timely, relevant, creative, and compelling business stories; and
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Casting a larger spotlight on influential personalities in the local business community, fostering connections and reader engagement.
“I’m really excited to join the team, and I think the direction that Dave [Neill] has outlined is a really strong, thoughtful next step for the [publication],” Dean states. “I’m excited to help execute the strategy, in particular broadening the coverage of In Business in terms of diversifying a bit more and adding more of a focus on local technology, health care, and entrepreneurs.
“It’s going to be a great challenge and a natural next step in my career.”
In addition to serving as executive editor for The Capital Times from 2019–23, Dean was the publication’s news and investigations editor from July–November 2023, its city editor from 2013–19, and its Madison life editor and co-editor of 77 Square, providing arts, entertainment, and cultural coverage.
Prior to joining The Capital Times, her career stops included stints as a staff reporter for TheStreet.com in San Francisco, California, where she covered Apple computers, security software, digital media, and other aspects of the technology sector in 2006–07.
Before that, Dean worked for six years as a staff reporter for Wired News (wired.com), also in San Francisco, where she covered the technology and digital media at the height of the dotcom boom — including MGM Studios v. Grokster, a landmark copyright infringement case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I’ve worked with business reporters before and worked with reporters from all different sorts of beats,” Dean notes. “Business really offers a lot of diversity in terms of the kinds of stories that you can pursue, and so that to me is exciting — just the overall topic area. You can go in a lot of directions … It allows for a lot of creativity and thoughtful coverage.”
During Dean’s time in San Francisco, she interviewed the likes of Fred Rogers (when Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood went online) and business maverick Mark Cuban. She covered events such as Steve Jobs introducing the iPhone and sensed she was part of business history in the making.
“It was very cool and it was kind of wild,” she recalls. “It just felt like every week there would be a different startup company that would be opening just next door. The neighborhood where I was working was referred to as ‘Multimedia Gulch,’ and there were just so many young people and entrepreneurs who were eager to innovate, do creative and interesting things, and create new businesses.
“It felt like an exciting, historical moment in the whole development of the digital age and the internet age,” she adds. “So, it was pretty cool to be a part of it.”
Before venturing west, Dean earned a B.A. in history and French at Grinnell College. She also studied abroad at the Institute for American Studies in Avignon, France.
Dean and her husband, Chad Retelle, reside in Madison with sons Sawyer (15) and Quincy (12).
