Sue Berger Ramin, former associate publisher at David R. Godine, Publisher, has been named to the newly created position of director of Brandeis University Press effective July 1.
Ramin’s duties include working with Brandeis editors to acquire scholarly works, books for course adoption, and trade works of general interest. In addition, Ramin will focus on developing new publishing subjects that can connect with the university’s mission.
Founded 45 years ago, BUP has more than 300 titles in print, and specializes in works on Jewish studies, humanities, and the social sciences. The house is best known for its Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture, and Life; Brandeis Library of Modern Jewish Thought; and other academic series.
Ramin said she was “very excited” to Join BUP. "At a time when the written word is coming under siege it is significant that Brandeis has chosen to make a commitment to its press," she said. "I look forward to serving both the university and the wider readership."
Ramin has more than 30 years of experience working in trade, academic, and business book publishing in North America and the U.K. She is credited with initiating a wide variety of initiatives at the Boston-based Godine from acquiring key authors to creating new book series. She worked for more than a decade at Godine, most recently as its associate publisher since 2015, in addition to working as its acquisitions, marketing, and rights director from 2005 to 2014.
Prior to joining Godine in 2005, Ramin worked at Penguin Books as v-p of film and TV publishing, and worked in academic and humanities publishing at Macmillan Press. She has also written about books and media for Publishers Weekly.
BUP was previously a member of the now-defunct University Press of New England, a publishing and distribution consortium founded in 1970 that included member presses from all six New English states. UPNE folded in 2018, after which BUP partnered with the University of Chicago Press and the Chicago Distribution Center for distribution and marketing of its titles.
"We are so pleased that Sue Berger Ramin will be joining us as the inaugural director of Brandeis University Press," Brandeis University Provost Lisa Lynch said in a statement. "BUP is an important part of our institutional mission, and I look forward to Sue’s leadership to build our portfolio to even greater prominence and impact.”
