Lucas Church Promoted to Executive Editor 

UNC Press is pleased to announce that Lucas Church has been promoted to Executive Editor 

Lucas joined UNC Press in 2013 as an editorial assistant, after working for the Press as an intern during his last semester of graduate school. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Appalachian State University and later his MFA in Creative Writing from North Carolina State University. Over the course of his decade at the Press, Lucas has been acquisitions editor for literary studies, sociology and other social sciences, history of medicine and social medicine, Appalachian studies, and southern studies. He also acquires national and regional trade titles. Throughout his tenure, he’s sponsored or co-sponsored several series, including Black Food Justice, Great Circle Books, the Rural Studies Series, and, until recently, Studies in Social Medicine.  

“I’m thrilled to continue my work here at UNC Press,” Church said. “I’m excited to keep pushing the boundaries of my scholarly lists and to continue publishing exciting and meaningful books for general audiences. I also look forward to continuing to work with one of the best teams in publishing.” 

“For the last two years, Lucas has led the acquisitions department in contract signings and transmittals, including several award-winning academic titles as well as notable trade publications,” says assistant editorial director Debbie Gershenowitz. “In addition to his stellar acquisitions work, the mentoring that Lucas has provided to numerous junior colleagues has strengthened our editorial department and enabled us to embrace new publishing areas. I’m delighted that his accomplishments have been recognized and look forward to working with him on strategic and other new initiatives in the coming years.”