Four new employees have joined the staff at The Vicksburg Post.

Brandon O’Connor has joined the newsroom as a staff writer management development employee.

O’Connor came to Vicksburg from The Post-Searchlight in Bainbridge, Ga., where he covered news and sports and wrote feature stories. The Post-Searchlight is a member of the Boone Newspapers family, as is The Vicksburg Post.

A 2013 graduate of Florida State University, O’Connor earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media/Communication Studies.

He moved to Vicksburg about two weeks ago.

“Brandon is going to be an excellent addition to our newsroom and to the Vicksburg community,” Post publisher Tim Reeves said. “He did a great job for our sister newspaper in Georgia and came highly recommended. I’m looking forward to seeing him get involved in Vicksburg.”

Also new to The Vicksburg Post staff is Samantha Blount who is at work as a classified advertising salesperson.

Blount, the mother of two, is a fitness enthusiast and owner of Crossfit Bayou Bluffs at 900 Clay St.

In her spare time, Blount, who has a level 1 crossfit trainer certification, teacher crossfit classes.

Blount is a native of the Monroe, La., area, but came to Vicksburg while in college. She is a 2006 graduate of Mississippi College, where she earned a degree in English with a minor in Spanish.

Deborah Presley-Brown has joined the staff of The Vicksburg Post as a retail advertising salesperson.

Presley-Brown moved to Vicksburg in 1973 and worked for The Vicksburg Post for about 10 years in its bookkeeping department.

She left and began a career in retail sales and management. Most recently, she was manager of the Perfumania store in The Outlets of Vicksburg.

She and her husband, Philip Brown, are the parents of five children and four grandchildren. In her spare time, Presley-Brown enjoys playing with her grandchildren, gardening, cooking and making homemade soap.

Kiera Owens has joined the staff of The Vicksburg Post as receptionist and news clerk.

A native of Vicksburg, she is a 2010 graduate of Vicksburg High School. She is a student at Hinds Community College in Vicksburg where she is studying dental hygiene.

Owens is the mother of four children and enjoys playing and watching baseball and softball with her children.