Member Updates
Each month, the Association of University Presses (AUPresses) recognizes the achievements, promotions, career moves, and retirements of members of the community through the Member UPdates section of the bulletin.
Retiring Press Directors
Laurie Matheson retired in May 2025 after serving the University of Illinois Press for 29 years.
IMF Publications Publisher Linda Kean retired in June 2025 after 18 years at the IMF.
Douglas Armato, Director of the University of Minnesota Press, retired in January 2026 after serving almost twenty-eight years in the role. Susan Doerr and Emily Hamilton stepped into the role of Interim Co-Directors of the Press.
Oregon State University Press Director Tom Booth retired in February 2026 after more than three decades at the Press. Booth joined the Press as its first Marketing Manager, was named Associate Director in 2007, and appointed as Director in 2019.
After 12 years as Director, Jennifer Crewe retired from Columbia University Press in March 2026. Brad Hebel is serving as the Interim Director until a new Director is appointed.
New Press Directors
In 2025-2026, AUPresses saw the appointment of several new Press Directors:
Darcy Cullen was appointed the Director and Publisher University of Alberta Press effective June 2025. Cullen most recently served as Assistant Director, Acquisitions at University of British Columbia Press. Cullen also founded and spearheaded RavenSpace Publishing, an inclusive model of publishing with a platform for multimedia publications in Indigenous studies.
Harriet Tolputt stepped into the role of Publisher at IMF Publications in June 2025. Tolputt was previously the Communications Advisor at IMF Publications.
Michelle Sybert was appointed as the next Director of the University of Illinois Press effective July 2025. Sybert had previously served as Assistant Director of University of Notre Dame Press since 2021, after joining the Press in 2019 as the Sales and Development Director.
Aimee Hess became the Director of Publishing at Library of Congress in September 2025. Hess had served as Managing Editor at the Library of Congress since 2003.
Marty Brown joined the Oregon State University Press as Director in May 2026. Brown most recently served as Director of Finance and Operations at University of Washington Press, and previously spent almost a decade as Marketing Manager at Ohio State University Press.
In Memoriam
The AUPresses community has lost a number of valued members this year.
The Association mourned the loss of Elizabeth (Liz) Brown, who passed away in May 2025. Brown worked at Project MUSE since 2001, and, as Publisher Relations Manager, Brown made a truly lasting impact within Hopkins Press and across the broader scholarly publishing community. Brown’s deep knowledge, generosity, and passion was shared with the Association through her committee service on two Annual Meeting Program Committees, the UP Week Task Force, and the Scholarly Journals Committee, which she chaired in 2011-2012. Read her obituary.
The AUPresses community was saddened by the loss of Ann Louise Twombly in May 2025. Twombly served as the Production Director of Northeastern University Press for 22 years, and worked as a free-lance editor and proofreader, shepherding scores of diverse, scholarly manuscripts to their completion, many for Yale University Press. Read her obituary.
The AUPresses community sadly learned of the passing of Richard Wentworth, former Director of University of Illinois Press, in November 2025. Wentworth joined the Press in 1970 as Associate Director and Editor, and served as Director from 1978 until his retirement in 2000. He had also previously worked at University of Oklahoma Press, University of Wisconsin Press, and Louisiana State University Press. Read his obituary.
The scholarly publishing community was saddened to learn of the passing of Paul Ayris, UCL’s Pro-Vice-Provost (LCCOS: Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science), in December 2025. Ayris was the instigator of UCL Press and remained involved in the work of the Press. Read about his life, work, and legacy.
