Amy Gill has been hired by the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies as assistant editor. She will replace Shala Carlson, who worked at AAN for two days before deciding to return to her native state of Louisiana .

Like Carlson, Gill was a resident of New Orleans who was displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Since 2002, she had been the director of operations at the Gulf Restoration Network, an environmental advocacy nonprofit. Prior to her experience at the GRN, Gill was a staff writer at Impact News/Southern Voice, a New Orleans-based GLBT weekly. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995 with a B.A. in English and Psychology.

“Amy is very smart and productive,” says AAN Executive Director Richard Karpel. “We think she’ll be a perfect fit for us.”

Gill will have full responsibility for the association’s aan.org Web site, which entails monitoring and reporting on news developments about AAN members and the alternative-newspaper industry; developing and editing freelance assignments; securing photos and graphics; and working with AAN’s Web development firm to enhance Web site functionality.