HAPPIER TIMES — Yahoo execs Elisa Steele, Carol Bartz and Hilary Schneider in Times Square. Credit: Flickr/Yahoo.

Hilary Schneider, a familiar name to former Knight Ridder employees, is leaving Yahoo after four years at that firm.

At Knight Ridder, she was senior vp and was seen as a possible successor to chairman Tony Ridder before the company’s demise.

Reuters said it had obtained an internal e-mail from Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz on Thursday said that Schneider was moving on “to the next phase in her career.” The e-mail did not say whether Schneider was joining another company. Schneider will stay on to help with the transition, the company said.