Former reporter Genesis Lara has returned to the Nogales International as the paper’s new managing editor.

Lara is a Nogales native who graduated from Nogales High School in 2014. She then attended the University of Arizona, completed a semester abroad in Guadalajara, Mexico, and earned her journalism degree from the UA in 2018.

Lara joined the NI as a reporting intern in May 2018, then transitioned to a permanent position as general assignment reporter later that summer.

As a reporter, she covered a range of topics, including county government, the local court system, schools, business, elections and border issues, while also writing feature stories that highlighted local traditions and standout community members. Her work with the NI earned her the 2019 Community Journalist of the Year award from the Arizona Press Club, as well as the 2020 Journalist of the Year prize for non-dailies from the Arizona Newspapers Association.

In September 2021, Lara joined the newsroom at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, where she covered K-12 education.

Now she returns to the NI to lead a two-person news department that also includes reporter Angela Gervasi. Lara replaces Jonathan Clark, who stepped down after serving as managing editor since 2010.