Kristen Andresen, Bangor Daily News feature writer, columnist and reporter, will leave the newspaper in early March to join the University Relations staff at the University of Maine in Orono, where she will edit and write for the university’s publications, including UMaine Today, the university’s bimonthly magazine.

During her 11 years at the BDN, Andresen first worked briefly as a copy editor, but is best known to newspaper readers as a Lifestyle section feature writer whose stories encompassed the fine and performing arts, reporting on Maine’s emerging creative economy and her popular and iconic ShopGirl feature, a weekly exploration of best buys, fashions and offbeat retail experiences in the BDN circulation area. ShopGirl also developed a following on WLBZ-TV2.

“Kristen’s contribution to the Bangor Daily News has been immense,” said Mark Woodward, executive editor. “She has all the right stuff as a journalist. She is a newsroom leader, a gifted writer and a collaborative, extremely popular member of our staff.”

Woodward said the “one solace in losing Kristen is that she has agreed to let ShopGirl continue to explore the universe of local retail in her column each weekend. We’ll miss Kristen’s presence in the newsroom every day, but our readers will enjoy her wit and sense of discovery as ShopGirl in the Saturday-Sunday edition of our paper.”

Although Andresen said she was ready for a change of pace, “this was the most difficult decision I have ever made.” She said she was “excited about the opportunity to write, longer, in-depth features” for UMaine, and anticipated it “would be a good fit for me both personally and professionally.”

That being said, Andresen concluded, “I consider everyone I have had the privilege to work with here [at the BDN] to be part of my family. I’ll miss everyone, but I won’t be far away.”