Kerry Whipple Bean has been named president of Atmore Newspapers Inc. and publisher of The Atmore Advance, atmoreadvance.com, Water and Woods and The Escambia Advertiser.

Bean succeeds Adam Prestridge, who has been named publisher of “The Columbian-Progress,” its related web site, and the Marion County Advertiser in Columbia, Miss. The newspapers are owned by the Jackson, Miss., based Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.

For the past five years, Bean has worked as publisher of The Brewton Standard and Well magazine, roles that she will continue as she assumes leadership of the The Advance, its customer and community relations. She expects to name an Atmore-based editor in the near future, she said.

“I am excited about the opportunities in Atmore,” Bean said. “I look forward to meeting and getting to know local residents and working with the talented staff at The Atmore Advance,” Bean said.

Prestridge said, “The transition for my family is bittersweet. We are excited about the opportunity Columbia presents, however, we have grown to love Atmore as our home and have made many friends that we will miss deeply. We have so many fond memories of Atmore and will forever keep those in our hearts. Even though it will be hard for us to say ‘goodbye’ to the Atmore community, my family is looking forward to building new professional relationships and friendships in Columbia.”

A native of Memphis, Tenn., Bean is a graduate of the University of Alabama, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and minored in journalism. Prior to taking the helm of “The Brewton Standard,” she was editor of “The Natchez (Miss.) Democrat,” and previously served as managing editor of The “Alexander City Outlook.”

In Brewton, Bean serves on the board of the Brewton Area Chamber of Commerce, is a member of Rotary, and attends St. Maurice Catholic Church.

She and her husband, Josh, who is a sportswriter at the “Mobile Press-Register,” have one son, Christopher, 3.