Hope Comer has been named publisher of the Portsmouth (Ohio) Daily Times and Community Common, effective immediately.

The announcement was made Friday, April. 17, 2015, by Bud Hunt, regional director for Civitas Media, the newspapers’ parent company.

Comer has been serving as business development manager at the newspapers since 2012, after joining the Portsmouth staff as an account executive in 2008.

Comer has deep ties to the region. She is active with community organizations including the Portsmouth Area Chamber of Commerce, the Pike County Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Portsmouth.

Prior to joining the Daily Times and Community Common, Comer had many years of experience in sales, management and customer service.

“Hope has exhibited excellent leadership and management skills while leading growth and revenue enhancement,” Hunt said. “We are excited that she will now lead all departments at the Daily Times and Community Common.”

Civitas Media, headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, is a dynamic, multi-channel, local information company with strong roots in traditional community newspaper publishing. Civitas Media employs more than 1,200 dedicated, creative and innovative associates across 12 states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Civitas publishes more than 100 publications for a combined weekly distribution of more than 1.6 million copies.