Ed Darling, editor and publisher of The Cullman Times since June 1997, has been named president of Greenville Newspapers LLC, publisher of The Greenville Advocate and senior vice president of Boone Newspapers Inc.

He assumes his new role March 1.

“There will never be a harder decision for a family to make,” Darling said of the change. “While it is an opportunity to return to my professional home, to embark on a new adventure and to gain financial security for our family, Cullman and its people have been good to us. We’ve been allowed to take part in the community professionally and personally and it is a wonderful place to raise a family.

“Our hope is The Times is a better newspaper than it was before we arrived. Our folks have worked hard to make it interesting, informative and relative to our readers’ interests. Much happens in, through and because of Cullman County. It has a statewide presence. Being a mirror that reflects those activities has been both a challenge and a pleasure.

“It is a community on the threshold of greatness with a future of unlimited potential. We will miss it dearly.”

He previously held management positions with the Boone group at Natchez and Picayune, Miss.

A new publisher of The Times will be named soon.

Darling and his wife Julie, formerly director of sales and marketing for The Times, came to Cullman in June 1997 when American Publishing Co. purchased newspapers in Cullman, Athens, Gardendale, Leeds and Pell City from the Bryan family. Darling moved his regional management office here from Meridian, Miss.

The five papers were sold again in February 1999 when current owner Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. (CNHI) of Birmingham acquired them.

CNHI, a privately-owned company, was founded in 1997 and is one of the fastest growing news and information organizations in the country. It owns 94 daily newspapers, each with an internet web site, 49 non-daily papers, numerous specialty publications, three television stations and a news service.

The Times has twice earned general excellence honors from the Alabama Press Association during that time and for the past six years has been named winner of the state’s advertising sweepstakes award. It was also recognized last year as one of CNHI’s Top 12 papers nationwide.

Key milestones over the past nine years include addition of a Saturday morning paper, redesign of the paper and its affiliated products, remodeling the Times’ building, expansion of the annual Profile edition, creation of the magazine Classic Cullman, annual recognition of a Distinguished Citizen and Unsung Heroes, selection of Readers Choice awards, development of area senior resource guides, sponsorship of the city’s Concerts in the Park series and events like the U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus and Homemakers Cooking School.

The Darlings have been active in civic activities, too.

He is completing a year as chairman of the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce and served on its board eight years. He also served on the boards of the United Way and Rotary and has held leadership positions in a variety of other local and state groups.

He is currently president of the Alabama Associated Press Managing Editors, is a member of the Alabama Press Association board, served the APA as both chairman and president of its journalism foundation and was a member of the board of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association (SNPA). His weekly columns have been recognized for excellence in three states. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama where he earned two letters as manager of the basketball team. He was named Outstanding Journalism Alumnus by the university of Alabama in 2000, is a member of the Board of Visitors for the University of Alabama’s College and is a graduate of Leadership Alabama.

A publisher for 31 years, he guided newspapers in Meridian, Natchez, Miss., Duncan, Okla. and Picayune, Miss. before coming to Cullman, earning 12 other general excellence awards. He started his career as a 12-year-old sports correspondent at The Tuscaloosa News and later served that paper as sports editor, assistant managing editor, city editor and advertising sales representative.

His career group management work has linked him directly to 23 newspapers in four states.

He served as president of two chambers of commerce, an economic development agency, two United Way organizations and two Main Street programs before moving to Cullman. His role in building an $11 million multi-purpose activities center and theater earned him both Distinguished Citizen and Outstanding Citizen honors while in Duncan and he was a member of the charter Leadership Oklahoma class.

She is on the board of directors at Sonshine Preschool and has been active in leadership roles for the Cullman Women’s League, Cullman City Schools Foundation and especially at First United Methodist Church where with, four-year-old Grant, they have been active members.

A graduate of the University of Mississippi, she was an award-winning advertising director at The Natchez Democrat before moving to Cullman. She also worked for the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss.

They have two older sons, Scott, a Washington, D.C.-based finance manager and former fund raiser in presidential and gubernatorial campaigns; and Chris, a Cullman High graduate who is director of special projects at Georgetown University and a doctoral student at George Washington University, also in Washington, D.C. Both boys, and Chris’ wife Shelly, are graduates of the University of Alabama.

Boone Newspapers Inc. is a Tuscaloosa-based company that owns and manages newspapers in 29 communities in Alabama, Mississippi, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Minnesota and Michigan.