Rodale Inc. has announced the appointment of Kathleen Schmidt as associate publisher of Rodale Books. The hire is part of a restructuring of the publisher's leadership team.
Also as part of the restructuring, Jennifer Levesque has been promoted to v-p and editorial director, and Yelena Gitlin Nesbit has been named executive director of strategic development and communications. The trio will work alongside publisher and v-p Gail Gonzales, and will comprise the Rodale Books executive team going forward.
“I’m delighted to welcome Kathleen to Rodale Books," Gonzales said in a statement. "Her well rounded publishing experience in sales, marketing, and publicity will be a great asset to us as we take our business forward in new and exciting directions."
Most recently, Schmidt was v-p of marketing and publicity at Running Press, and simultaneously served as v-p and director of corporate communications at Perseus Books Group. In her nearly two decades in the industry, Schmidt has led her own marketing and PR firm, and has held positions at Weinstein Books, Atria, Dutton, and Gotham.
Levesque joined Rodale in 2013, and has overseen the acquisition of such titles as the Thug Kitchen cookbooks, Kristin Cavallari's Balancing in Heels, and Dr. Kellyann Petrucci's The Bone Broth Diet. Nesbit, who joined Rodale in 2008, has worked with books including Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet and Dr. David Kessler's The End of Overeating.
"[Levesque and Nesbit's] expertise and vision has been a key driver behind the success of Rodale Books these past few years," Gonzales said in a statement. "I look forward to increased collaboration among this leadership team as we position ourselves as the #1 publisher that helps people make happy and healthy changes in their lives.”
