Gita Manaktala, the former head of MIT Press, has been named executive director of Columbia University Press.
Manaktala spent more than three decades at MIT Press, where she expanded its trade publishing program and pioneered innovative approaches to digital publishing and open access. Her hire follows a nationwide search led by Sarah Cole, dean of the School of the Arts, and Ann Thornton, vice provost and University librarian.
Founded in 1893, CU Press is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected university presses. It publishes some 190 books annually and maintains a backlist of more than 5,500 active titles on a range of subjects, including climate science, critical theory, East Asian studies, film, history, politics, literature, sociology, social work, and business.
