DAVIDSON, N.C. (AP) — Civitas Media President and CEO Michael Bush has resigned from the company.

Bush said Thursday he plans to pursue other opportunities.

The company’s board of directors appointed one of its members, Kamal Advani of Versa Capital Management LLC, to serve as interim CEO during the search for a replacement, expected to be completed early next year.

Civitas Media employs more than 1,400 people at 35 daily newspapers and 63 weekly publications in 12 states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

Chairman Gregory Segall praised Bush for helping achieve “significant cost synergies by successfully streamlining operations.” The company also started new online and mobile platforms and introduced a number of new revenue initiatives under Bush’s direction, he said.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.