Tom Berman

Tom Berman, a 17-year veteran of The Associated Press, has been named Chicago-based editor of the 14-state central region for the worldwide news agency.

His appointment fills the vacancy created last April when David Scott was promoted to national political editor in Washington, D.C. Berman most recently has been deputy editor for the central region.

"Tom is the ideal person to build on the great foundation that we've built in the region," Brian Carovillano, managing editor for U.S. news, said in a statement. "He's an exceptionally smart and ambitious journalist. He is an excellent talent scout and mentor to all kinds of journalists. And he has a brilliant mind for looking at how we do what we do and thinking of ways to do it better. I'm really pleased to be adding him to an already great leadership team for U.S. news."

A New York native and graduate of New York University, Berman, 48, joined the AP at its Boston bureau in 1997. He later served as director of state news for the eastern U.S. and as deputy Europe editor, based in London.

As central regional editor, Berman will direct day-to-day and enterprise news coverage for a region encompassing 14 states from North Dakota to Michigan and south to Texas. Chicago offices are at 440 South LaSalle Street.