Judith Davidoff will succeed Dean Robbins as the editor of Isthmus. Davidoff has served as the alternative publication’s news editor for the last three years.

Robbins will take a position with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Continuing Studies after the Oct. 9 issue.

“After six years in a demanding job, and almost 30 with Isthmus, I felt it was time for a new challenge,” Robbins says. “But it’s been a thrill to collaborate with our talented staffers and freelancers, and I’ll miss the esprit de corps in our newsroom. Under Judy, I know Isthmus will persevere as a valuable resource for the community.”

Robbins previously served as Isthmus’ arts and entertainment editor. His television column has been syndicated in 15 newspapers and magazines around the country, and he has won state and national awards for arts, news and headline writing.

Davidoff previously served as Isthmus’ features editor. She also worked at The Capital Times as a reporter and news editor. She has won many awards, including Milwaukee Press Club awards for best beat reporting, headlines and news writing. She was named a woman of achievement in journalism and mass communications by Wisconsin Women in Government in 2012.

Davidoff came to Madison in 1988 for graduate school in the UW’s La Follette School of Public Affairs.

“Isthmus was one of my first loves,” she says. “It’s where I learned how to report and write from skilled editors and where I have always felt a kinship with others who are committed to editorial integrity, quality control and creative expression. I am sorry to be losing a very special editor and friend in Dean Robbins, but I am excited and honored to be part of the future of Isthmus. Jeff Haupt and his partners, who bought Isthmus in July, have a bold vision for our print, mobile and web platforms, and I look forward to putting my own stamp on our editorial content as well.”