<b>By MIKE McCOMBS</b>

Liz Farrell, columnist and senior editor at The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette, has been named Public Information Officer for Beaufort County, County Administrator Ashley Jacobs confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.

Farrell has been instrumental in The Island Packet’s coverage of the controversy surrounding recently resigned Beaufort County Council chairman Stu Rodman.

A 1997 graduate of Gettysburg (Pa.) College, Farrell has been at The Island Packet for more than 16 years, starting as a copy desk chief in 2003. She also served as Entertainment Editor and Features Editor before moving into her current position in February of 2015.

Previously, she worked at the Frederick (Md.) News-Post and the Gettysburg (Pa.) Times.