The Ark is an independent, locally owned subscription newspaper that covers the people and activities of the Tiburon Peninsula, which includes Tiburon, Belvedere and Strawberry.

The paper is published once a week, arriving in our subscribers’ mailboxes on Wednesdays. With newsstand sales and a pass-on factor of 2.36 (to account for more than one person reading the paper per home), The Ark reaches a paid readership of more than 6,000 people. From our subscribers to the residents who pick up the paper at The Ark’s office on Tuesdays so they can get the news early, our readers are devoted to the paper, reading it cover to cover, including the advertisements.

Kevin Hessel serves as The Ark's executive editor. He joined The Ark in June 2011. Hessel came from the Marin Independent Journal, where he had been since 1999, most recently as assistant news editor, design chief and online editor. He trained in newsroom leadership at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., was a Knight Digital Media Center fellow at the University of California at Berkeley, and he still guest lectures in newspaper design each semester at his alma mater, San Francisco State University.

Hessel heads a dedicated team. On the editorial side, Emily Lavin serves as assistant editor and reports on the community of Strawberry, while Jeff Dempsey is the assistant editor of production — laying out the paper and designing advertisements —and covers education and youth issues, including youth sports. Our other beat reporters include Deirdre McCrohan, who covers Tiburon, and Matthew Hose, who covers Belvedere and peninsulawide crime and public safety — as well a long list of talented writers who contribute on topics from the enviroment to art appraising, finance to features. Copy editor Diana Goodman helps ensure our editorial perfection while also acting as calendar editor.

On the business side, Director of Business & Advertising Henriette Corn joined The Ark in January 2006, managing all operations, revenue and marketing strategies. Accounts Manager Leigh Pagan takes care of subscribers along with classified and service guide advertisers — and the office. Co-owners Alison T. Gray and Arthur H. Kern also serve as co-publishers.