Veteran newspaper executive Charlotte Atkins has been named publisher of The Times.

Charles Hill Morris Jr., North Georgia group publisher for Morris Multimedia, made the announcement. Atkins will start with The Times on Oct. 6.

As publisher, Atkins will have ultimate oversight over all of the content, operational and business functions of The Times, its various print publications and gainesvilletimes.com website.

“We are excited about Charlotte Atkins joining our team,” Morris said. “I have personally known Charlotte for a number of years and had a lot of respect for the job that she did while editor in Rome. Charlotte brings a renewed focus to excellence in storytelling and delivering content to our readers in multiple formats across all of our media platforms.”

Atkins has spent more than 35 years in the newspaper industry, most recently as executive editor of the Rome News-Tribune. Since 2011, she has served as executive director of the nonprofit Cancer Navigators.

She started in newspapers as a sports correspondent as a teenager in Eufaula, Ala., where she grew up.

“I have worked in newspapers since I was 13, and I still believe we play an invaluable role as watchdog, cheerleader, moderator and partner in our communities,” Atkins said. “Whether delivered on paper, online or through mobile technology, thoughtful well-produced content and advertising are prized by consumers. The Times is positioned to be the No. 1 source of credible news, engaging storytelling and impactful advertising for North Georgia. So I am delighted to be joining The Times and Morris Multimedia.”

“The Times has the largest audience in its history, and we have a leader with a deep understanding of the strengths of each of our delivery channels,” Morris said.

A graduate of Auburn University, where she lettered in varsity softball, Atkins has worked at newspapers in Eufaula and Auburn, Ala., Vero Beach, Fla., Monterey, Calif., and at Georgia papers in Cuthbert, Columbus and Rome. She also worked as an intern with a television station in Tampa and directed a live televised talk show in Vero Beach.

Over the years, she has filled almost every job in a newsroom, including reporter, photographer, copy editor, page designer, lifestyle editor, news editor, metro editor, web editor and associate editor. She served as editor in chief of the News-Tribune for nearly eight years.

Atkins left the newspaper in 2011 for Cancer Navigators, which helps cancer patients on their journey, a choice that gave her time to help care for two parents battling Alzheimer’s disease.

She has continued to serve as editor of Magnolia magazine, a popular Northwest Georgia publication in its seventh year.

Her community involvement in Rome and Georgia has included being a founding member of the One Book Many Voices community reading initiative, Magnolia Foundation and Cancer Navigators board member, Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce committees, Leadership Rome, president of the Georgia Associated Press News Council and the Georgia First Amendment Foundation board of directors.

She attends St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Rome.

“I am excited to be relocating to Gainesville,” Atkins said. “I have enjoyed a lovely quality of life in Northwest Georgia and I know this corner of the state boasts an enviable quality of life, too, with the lake and the mountains and a culture that supports health and wellness, education and the arts. I can’t wait to move here and start enjoying North Georgia’s natural beauty and start meeting the folks who live, work and play here.

“We have a talented and committed team of people at The Times. We plan to make it the best place to work in the region and the go-to place for news and information as well as for marketing and promotional opportunities for area businesses. As publisher, I am committed to excellence and to engagement in our community.”