Company's North America president to takeover Richard Barton, the founder, president and chief executive officer of Expedia, will resign from his post on March 31, the company said in a statement Wednesday.He will be leaving to spend time with his family and to pursue his dream of living in Europe for one year, the company said.Barton will be succeeded by Erik Blachford, who currently serves as president of Expedia North America, the company said. Blachford joined Expedia in 1995. Expedia, an online travel booking service based in Bellevue, Washington , was founded by Barton in 1994. The company was acquired by USA Interactive last year. Barton will remain on USA Interactive’s board.In separate news, Expedia Wednesday announced net income of $21 million and earnings of $0.33 per share for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, compared to net income of $5 million and earnings of $0.08 per share for the fourth quarter of 2001. Net revenue in the quarter totaled $164 million, compared to net revenue of $81.8 million for the year-earlier period, the company said in a statement.For the full year 2002, Expedia reported net revenue of $591 million, up from $297 million for 2001. Expedia’s net income for 2002 was $66 million, with earnings of $1.04 per share, compared with a loss of $21 million, or $0.43 per share, for 2001, the company said. Software DevelopmentTechnology Industry