AAN President Clif Garboden announced today that he has appointed Santa Barbara Independent Classified Advertising Manager Penelope Huston to a vacant at-large seat on the Board of Directors.

“Penelope has long enjoyed a reputation among AAN regulars as hard-working and preternaturally organized,” says Garboden, executive editor of Phoenix Media Communications Group. “Her abilities to plan, execute, and tirelessly sweat the details make her an ideal candidate for the AAN Board, and we’re lucky to have her with us.”

Huston replaces Neil Skene, who resigned from the Board when he left his position as senior vice president of Creative Loafing, Inc. Skene announced his resignation following a Board meeting in September.

Huston has worked at the Independent since moving to Santa Barbara in 1999. In addition to heading up the paper’s classified department, Huston manages its Web site as well.

She joined the Independent after working at the Memphis Flyer, where she served as classified manager for the last seven years of her tenure.

“I started at the Flyer in ’90 as fill-in receptionist and bookkeeping assistant and basically did whatever I could,” says Huston. “I took the job because I just loved the paper and would have scrubbed floors or picked up trash to work with those guys (and I think I did a little of that at first).

“I really love this industry and the association and I’m darn thankful to get a chance to serve.”

Although there are two years remaining in Skene’s term, the association’s bylaws require all Board appointees to be confirmed by the AAN membership at the annual meeting following their appointment. The next annual meeting will be held June 27 in San Antonio.