NATCHEZ — Cassandra Mickens has joined the staff of The Natchez Democrat as news editor.

Mickens comes to Natchez from the Shelby County Reporter in Columbia, Ala., where she was a reporter.

She has also worked as news editor at the Selma Times-Journal in Selma, Ala., and completed internships at The Democrat in May 2008 and with Essence Magazine in New York.

Mickens earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in Spanish from the University of Alabama in 2005. In 2008, she earned her master’s degree in community journalism from Alabama.

A native of Hoover, Ala., Mickens is a graduate of Hoover High School.

She will be covering the City of Natchez, among other duties at The Democrat.