Changing of the guard at UNC Press

For the first time in 20 years, UNC Press, one of the nation's leading academic presses, is getting a new director.

John Sherer, vice president and publisher of Basic Books, has been selected to succeed Kate Douglas Torrey, who has led the press since 1992. She is retiring.

Under Sherer's leadership, Basic Books has won numerous awards and published bestsellers by Zbigniew Brzezinski, Diane Ravitch, Thomas Sowell and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, among others. His appointment is effective July 30.

Under Torrey's leadership, UNC Press has more than doubled the size of its publishing program and tripled the size of its endowment. Its books have also won numerous prizes.