Updated at 6:09 p.m.

Less than a year after taking the helm as editor-in-chief of online statewide news site VTDigger, Geeta Anand is stepping down.

Anand’s last day will be June 30, according to an announcement published by Digger on Friday. She joined the online news outlet last July.

She plans to return to teaching journalism at the University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, which is where she worked prior to her role at Digger.

“I’ve truly enjoyed working with VTDigger’s ambitious, enterprising and deeply committed reporters and editors,” Anand said in a Digger story with a “VTD Editor” byline announcing her departure. “The newsroom’s dedication to public service and editorial independence is inspiring, and I’m proud of what we’ve built together.”

The Digger article said Anand “strengthened VTDigger’s commitment to rigorous, independent reporting” and “helped elevate the ambition and reach of its journalism.”

Sue Allen, a veteran Vermont journalist who has worked as editor of the Bennington Banner and the Manchester Journal, will serve as interim editor-in-chief. Allen also has worked in politics as a press secretary for former governor Howard Dean and a deputy chief of staff for former governor Peter Shumlin. She retired in May 2024.

Anand’s announced departure comes just weeks after the nonprofit’s CEO, Sky Barsch, announced she plans to step down on June 1 after about three years on the job. Barsch said Anand decided to leave Digger in part because she is “dealing with some health issues” and the teaching opportunity is “a better fit for what’s going on with her.”

Anand did not immediately return a request for comment.

“To lose somebody of Geeta’s caliber is not only a blow for Digger, it’s a blow for Vermont,” said Kevin Ellis, a former member of the news organization’s board, the Vermont Journalism Trust. “Vermont needs to wake up to its propensity to attract and then lose really talented people. It’s a red flag.”

Anand came to Digger with an impressive background and ambitious plans for the organization. She is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who worked as a foreign correspondent for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal and covered Boston City Hall for the Boston Globe.

When she was hired, Anand said she planned to “together find a way to enable our newsroom to take on the biggest, boldest investigative projects while also continuing to cover the most important news in our state.”

She helped establish a partnership with “Frontline” to launch a yearlong investigation into the impact of flooding on Vermont communities.

Still, tension between VTDigger’s management and editorial staffers’ union have been evident in recent months. As Seven Days reported last week, the union has been pushing for job protections against layoffs due to artificial intelligence.

As part of a public pressure campaign by union members, a Reddit post urged viewers to, “Tell VTDigger management: Journalists over AI.” Lower down it read: “Target: VTDigger CEO Sky Barsch, Editor in Chief Geeta Anand, and the Board members of the Vermont Journalism Trust.”

The post was later amended to change the word “target” to “recipients.” But thousands of people have contacted Digger’s management to voice their concerns.

In an interview, Barsch acknowledged that the negotiations have been “challenging.”

“It’s been a hard year,” she said.

A deal with the union is reportedly close.