The head of The Baltimore Sun's digital media division has been appointed to the newspaper's top editing job.

Baltimore Sun Media Group publisher Timothy E. Ryan announced the promotion of 46-year-old Trif Alatzas on Wednesday. As executive editor, he leads The Sun's newsroom as well as newsgathering operations at community newspapers and magazines.

He succeeds Mary J. Corey, who died last month of breast cancer at 49.

Alatzas, a Baltimore native, began his journalism career in 1987 as a reporting intern at the Evening Sun. A graduate of Loyola University Maryland, he worked at the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y. and The News Journal in Wilmington, Del.

Alatzas joined The Sun as an assistant business editor in 2002. He later led the business and sports departments.

In 2010, he was named head of digital media, overseeing web and mobile operations.