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| Ashley Runyon | |
Ashley Runyon has been named director of the University Press of Kentucky. Most recently, she directed the trade list for Indiana University Press and Red Lightning Books. Before that she worked at the University Press of Kentucky as a marketing manager and then senior acquisitions editor while also coordinating fundraising and development. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Runyon got her start in publishing as a work-study student at the press, making this a double or triple homecoming. After graduation, she also worked in design, marketing and production at the Lexington Herald-Leader and Blood-Horse Publications.
Larry Holloway, vice-provost and provost chief of staff at the University of Kentucky, said, "Ashley Runyon brings new ideas and new energy to the University Press of Kentucky."
Runyon commented: "Kentucky and Appalachia are a part of my heritage and publishing the voices and issues of the region is not just a job, but a passion. I'm thrilled to lead the University Press of Kentucky into the future of publishing."
The appointment came as the press received funding from the state legislature, with significant support from the Thomas D. Clark Foundation, that will allow it continue to operate and fulfill its mission of "publishing books of high scholarly merit in a variety of fields for a largely academic audience and tell the stories about the rich history and culture of Kentucky." Two years ago, proposals had been made to eliminate state funding for the press.
The University Press of Kentucky is the mandated nonprofit scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, operated as an agency of the University of Kentucky and serving all state institutions of higher learning, plus five private colleges and Kentucky's two major historical societies. The press's consortium schools include Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College, Eastern Kentucky University, Georgetown College, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University.
The press's editorial program focuses on the humanities and the social sciences and it has a national reputation in film and military studies.