Mark H. Saunders is the new director of the University of Virginia Press, succeeding Penelope Kaiserlian, who served as director from 2001 until her retirement in 2012. For the past year, he has been interim director and editor-in-chief. He continues to head Rotunda, the press's electronic publishing initiative.
Saunders began his career as a buyer and events coordinator at Politics & Prose, Washington, D.C. He then joined Columbia University Press as East Coast sales representative and later became national sales manager. In 1995, he joined the University of Virginia Press as associate marketing manager and webmaster. He was later promoted to marketing and sales director and assistant director. He's also the author of Ministers of Fire, a spy tale published last year by Swallow Press. (See his Book Brahmin with us from our May 18, 2012, issue here.)
David Klein, the press chair and a professor at the university, said that Saunders "has a deep understanding of both the substantive and technical sides of publishing, outstanding leadership skills, and an exciting vision for the press in a fast-changing industry."