The Mercury News has promoted Rachel Wilner, a 10-year veteran of that newspaper, to sports editor. She will become the Merc’s first female sports editor, and one of just a handful of female sports editors nationwide. She is married to Jon Wilner, who also works in sports. “To prevent a conflict, Jon will report to one of the deputies, who, in matters involving Jon, will report to Rachel’s boss,” said a memo from Merc EE Susan Goldberg posted online by Poynteronline. “And who is Rachel’s boss? For now, the proverbial player-to-be-named later. Actually, not much later – we will figure that out within the next week.”

Rachel Wilner has held a number of positions in the sports department, most recently as deputy sports editor and as on-site editor at three Olympic Games. She’s also familiar with other parts of the newsroom. For two years she was assistant business editor in charge of real estate coverage. Wilner has also worked as an editor for the Los Angeles Daily News and for the Davis Enterprise. She was editor-in-chief of the California Aggie, the college newspaper for the University of California, Davis.