Vince Johnson, previously the chief multimedia officer at the Santa Clarita Valley Signal in California, has been named as the publisher of the Forsyth County News.

The announcement was made today by regional manager Charles Hill Morris Jr.

Johnson fills the position held for the past 10 years by publisher John Hall, who has found it necessary to take medical leave from employment with the company.

Johnson, 30, started in newspapers in 2007 and has six years of digital media experience. He has held digital media positions in Statesboro, Santa Clarita, Calif., and Birmingham, Ala. He joined Morris Multimedia in 2007 as director of audio/video operations for the Statesboro Herald.

“Vince’s proven experience in building new revenue streams, understanding the value of community content that engages readers both online and in print, problem solving, team building and providing community-minded leadership will serve our employees and the Forsyth County market well. I am pleased to have him leading our management team,” Morris said.

Johnson has held industry and community leadership positions throughout his career. He and his previous organizations have been recognized for innovation and leadership excellence in the Associated Press, Georgia Press, California Press, Inland Press and Southern News Publishers Association.

Johnson holds a bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., graduating cum laude. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Alabama.

The Forsyth County News is owned by Swartz-Morris Media Inc., headquartered in Cumming.

Dennis Stockton, one of the principles in Swartz-Morris, is group publisher for the Forsyth County News, Dawson Community News and Barrow County News.

“We look forward to having Vince join us in Forsyth County and expect him to bring new ideas to the Forsyth County News and forsythnews.com,” Stockton said.