Andria Yu, former front page editor of USA Today, has joined the Motorcycle Industry Council as director of communications. She is a longtime journalist who has been riding motorcycles more than 15 years.
Yu worked with McLean, Va.-based USA Today for 10 years, starting as deputy night editor and rising to page one editor, managing the content and design of the front page as well as the entire print news section of one of the nation’s largest print circulation newspapers. Prior to her time at USA Today, Yu was a copy editor then night/production editor at The Baltimore Sun.
“With her strong knowledge of major mainstream media, her connections to various writers and editors, and with her genuine passion for motorcycling, we expect Andria to be a tremendous asset to our communications program and our ongoing outreach efforts, among an even wider array of traditional and social media outlets,” said Ty van Hooydonk, MIC vice president of communications. “She’s a hard-core motorcyclist, too. We once invited her to the Indy MotoGP and she declined a flight there, opting to ride her own bike from Maryland to Indiana.”
A graduate of New York University, Yu will remain on the East Coast for the time being, giving MIC Communications and Motorcycles.org quicker and easier access to New York City media and other East Coast outlets.
“I’m thrilled to have the chance to work with the MIC and the motorcycle industry at such an exciting time – especially as a woman rider,” Yu said. “Manufacturers have been doing a tremendous job developing bikes and gear for every type of rider, and I am eager to help with outreach. Through digital and social media, as well as traditional media, I see new opportunities to inspire more people to ride, and to ride safe.”
As soon as she got her first real job and could afford a motorcycle, Yu signed up for an MSF Basic RiderCourse. She currently owns four bikes and an ATV. She mixed her love of journalism and motorcycles at USA Today by writing motorcycle reviews and covering MotoGP races. She also documented a few of her motorcycle adventures in USA Today’s GoEscape travel magazine. She has continued her riding education with an MSF Advanced RiderCourse, the Kevin Schwantz School, off-road training and a few track days.
For more information: mic.org.
