Sharyn Flanagan had a more than three-decades-long career in journalism before coming to SELF Inc. in June 2023.

Most recently she was City Editor of The Philadelphia Tribune, where she led its print and digital news coverage. She oversaw reporters, photographers and page designers for the nation’s oldest, continuously published Black newspaper. She helped lead regular editorial board meetings with movers and shakers from the city and across the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. Before that she was The Tribune’s Magazine Editor heading up the features department where she produced the arts/entertainment/lifestyles sections, weekly Learning Key supplement for the School District of Philadelphia, “Philadelphia’s Most Influential African Americans” magazine and the “Women of Achievement” magazine. She also produced coverage of the major events attached to those magazines.

Before that she was an Associated Press regional editor in Philadelphia, where she edited stories from the 10-state Mid-Atlantic region. She served as an editor at USA TODAY at its Northern Virginia headquarters and later in its New York City bureau. She was Personal Finance Editor and an award- winning front-page editor during her 15-year career there. She edited breaking news in every department at USA TODAY and was also an online producer and social media editor.

She has also been an award-winning multimedia and content editor at Associated Press, the Bucks County (Pa.) Courier Times, the Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat and the Lansdale (Pa.) Reporter.

The native Philadelphian served eight years in the U.S. Marines on bases in South Carolina, North Carolina, California and Pennsylvania. She’s a rifle sharpshooter who was twice awarded Marine of the Quarter and received a National Defense Service Medal for her service during the Gulf War (1990-91).

She serves on the boards of the Society of Professional Journalists-Keystone Pro Chapter and ACES: The Society for Editing. Flanagan is also an active member of the Journalism and Women’s Symposium, National Association of Black Journalists, Online News Association and Philadelphia Public Relations Association.