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Biography

Rob Holbert Managing Editor

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Rob grew up mostly in the tiny coastal Mississippi town of Gautier (population 7,001, counting the Bigfoot that allegedly lives near the washeteria) where he developed a love of fishing, beer drinking and satirical writing.

Rob earned his undergraduate degree at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala., where he honed his drinking skills and was steeped in the Jesuit tradition of questioning authority. While at Spring Hill, Rob was editor of The Springhillian, the college’s campus newspaper.

Following graduation, Rob enjoyed a short stint as a reporter and columnist in the Ocean Springs bureau of The Mississippi Press, a 24,000-circulation daily paper based out of Pascagoula, Miss. Rob wormed his way into a once-a-week opinion column, which he named "The Rostrum" after playing with the Thesaurus component of his word processing program for several hours.

After earning a Master’s Degree in Communications at Loyola University of New Orleans, Rob returned to The Mississippi Press as a lead reporter and columnist. Rob’s liver began to heal after leaving New Orleans, and he effectively covered city council, local politics, escaped chicken attacks, UFO sightings and angry fishermen for the next three-plus years. He also resumed his column – still named The Rostrum – which expanded to twice-a-week. The column was judged Best Commentary Column Division A in the 1993 Mississippi Press Association Awards, leading to public adulation not seen since Neil Armstrong returned from landing on the Moon.

In 1996, Rob moved to Washington, DC to become a deputy press secretary for then U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. Rob took the job primarily because he thought it would include getting up posses and shooting rustlers. Instead it consisted mainly of writing congratulatory letters to Boy Scouts and sending out publicity photos of the senator.

After that, Rob worked briefly for Berman and Co., a DC public affairs firm. There, Rob wrote articles that appeared on the opinion pages of the nation’s largest newspapers, including The Miami Herald, LA Times, NY Post and NY Observer, none of which he received any credit for.

Since 1999, Rob has served as manager of student media at the University of South Alabama, advising the school’s newspaper and television station. He also wrote a humor column, Flotsam, for Mobile Bay Monthly for four years.

Along with Ashley Toland, Rob founded Lagniappe in 2002 and hasn’t been able to sleep since.

Rob’s hobbies include fishing, drinking beer and playing in his three-man acoustic band, Glass Joe. He and his wife Gentry have a son, Ulysses, a daughter, Ursula and two rat terriers, Dixie Chicken and Beauweevil. They reside in Oakleigh and spy on their neighbors incessantly

Rob Holbert is Lagniappe managing editor. Contact him at rholbert@lagniappemobile.com.