John Carr, associate publisher of the Suffolk News-Herald since January, has been promoted to publisher and president of Suffolk Publications LLC.

Carr, a veteran publisher with 25 years of media experience, succeeds Steve Stewart, who will devote more time to his duties as vice president of Boone Newspapers Inc., including a pending acquisition that will bring to six the number of BNI-affiliated media companies in Virginia and North Carolina.

“I am pleased to put day-to-day leadership of the News-Herald in very capable hands with John Carr,” Stewart said. “Together with Res Spears, who will continue to provide excellent editorial leadership, John and staff will strengthen our company’s position as the go-to source of news, advertising and other information for the people of Suffolk.”

Suffolk Publications, an affiliate of BNI, publishes the News-Herald, Suffolk Living magazine and related digital products.

Carr started his career with the Press Journal in Vero Beach, Fla., as a marketing executive. While in Florida, he served in a variety of capacities, including regional marketing executive working with national accounts, advertising manager and regional advertising manager for the Press Journal and its sister papers.

In 2001, he took a position as advertising director for the Kitsap Sun in Washington. A few years later, still with Scripps, Carr joined the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colo., as advertising director.

Carr comes to the News-Herald from coastal South Carolina, where he was publisher of the state’s 215-year-old Georgetown Times. While there, he led in the launching of two new community newspapers, the Waccamaw Times in 2008 and Inlet Outlook in 2012.

“My wife and I greatly appreciate the hospitality shown by the staff and residents of Suffolk, as well as the mentoring provided by Steve Stewart over the past few months,” Carr said.

“We feel very lucky to be making Suffolk our home. We look forward to continuing to meet members of our community and serving everyone as well as possible with the Suffolk News-Herald.”

Stewart had served as the News-Herald’s publisher since 2009. He leads BNI’s East Coast Group, which includes affiliates in Suffolk, Franklin, Salisbury, N.C., Ahoskie, N.C., and Washington, N.C.