WATERTOWN — A former Massena reporter will take over as managing editor of the Watertown Times in one of two key leadership changes at the newspaper.

Brian J. Kelly, a veteran reporter and editor for the Watertown Daily Times, has been promoted from city editor to managing editor. Kelly will oversee the reporting staff with beats spanning from Oswego to Massena.

Kelly, 54, who will celebrate his 23rd year at the Times on Aug. 18, has worked in various capacities at the Times over the course of his career. He joined the Times in 1997 as a reporter in the Massena bureau before moving to the Watertown office in 1999. He’s covered business, the river communities and the court system, and has served as assistant city editor, assistant managing editor and city editor.

He also led Johnson Newspaper Corporation’s magazine division for two years.

Mr. Kelly, a Watertown native, has an institutional knowledge of the paper, the north country and the court system, said a press release from the Times.

The Times also promoted Sydney D. Schaefer from multimedia manager of Northern New York Newspapers to assistant managing editor.

Schaefer joined the Times staff as a staff photographer in July 2018. She came to the paper straight out of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa. and was promoted to multimedia manager in July 2019.

Schaefer helped with the design and launch of NNY360.com, and she has shepherded it from infancy, the press release from the Times said.

She will remain responsible for overseeing NNY360.com and the multimedia department.

Schaefer, 24, is the first woman, and youngest person ever, to hold the title of assistant managing editor in the Times’ history.

Kelly and Ms. Schaefer have been helping lead the newsroom since Alec E. Johnson took on the role of editor and publisher in January. Johnson was named managing editor in August 2018.