Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., The Meridian Star’s parent company, on Wednesday named Crystal Dupré the newspaper’s publisher.

Dupré was The Star’s advertising director from June 1999 to April 2002, before being named publisher of The Laurel Leader-Call, another CNHI newspaper. She returns now to Meridian to become publisher of The Star, succeeding Paul Barrett, who resigned Monday.

“The Meridian Star has done great things in the years I have been associated with it, and I’m excited to be back,” Dupré said.

“It’s about the people, and The Meridian Star has some really great people. I’m excited to be back and to be a part of that team — and it is a team.”

Dupré brings a commitment to community involvement that she says is fundamental to running a successful newspaper.

During her time in Laurel, Dupré served on the boards of the American Red Cross and the Association for Excellence in Education, and was a member of the advisory board for the Jones County Economic Development Authority. She was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the steering committee for Alive Jones County.

She walked in Relay for Life and even coached her daughter Haley’s soccer team until this year, when she began traveling a lot on CNHI business.

“I will get very involved in the community here, too, because I think it’s important,” Dupré said. “I think it’s important for a publisher, and for the newspaper, to be plugged into the community.”

Dupré, 35, and her husband, Ken, have three children: 10-year-old Reagan, 8-year-old Haley and 3-year-old Christopher. Ken is director of adult education at Jones County Junior College.

Both girls play all-star soccer, so Dupré said she will probably commute from Laurel for a time — but plans to relocate her family to Meridian by the beginning of the school year.

A rising presence in CNHI’s corporate structure, Dupré has also been a group publisher since January 2005, overseeing operations at two other CNHI newspapers — The Newton Record and The Star Herald in Kosciusko.

“Crystal has done an outstanding job as publisher of The Laurel Leader-Call, and I’m confident she will do an exceptional job leading The Star,” Keith Ponder said on Wednesday.

Ponder is a CNHI vice president and division manager.

“Crystal has experience in Meridian, as well as a deep appreciation for this community and a clear understanding of the role of The Star in this community,” Ponder said. “Her background and her experience in Meridian make her an ideal choice to be publisher of The Star.”

Dupré holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Mississippi State University, and is working on a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Like Dupré, Barrett came to The Meridian Star as the former publisher of The Laurel Leader-Call, and guided The Star as its publisher beginning in July 1997. Wade Jones, president of the East Mississippi Business Development Corp., said Barrett will complete his yearlong term as chairman of the EMBDC’s board of directors.