Three publishing veterans—all women with extensive backgrounds in editing, acquisitions, and management —will take over roles at religion presses in challenging times for the church and society.

The Rev. Dr. Bridgett A. Green at Westminster John Knox

Green, once an acquisitions editor at WJK, is returning from a stint in academia as the new v-p of publishing for the Presbyterian Publishing Corp. and editorial director for the WJK Press. She will oversee all editorial developments, production, and relationships with seminaries and academia. Green, the first woman and the first African American person in this role at WJK, is also charged with leading “the rest of the executive staff of the Press as they work to re-envision the Press as an anti-racist publisher and organization,” according to the company.

PPC president and publisher David Dobson praised Green’s scholarship, teaching experience, love of the church, and publishing experience. From 2013 to 2018, Green was an acquisitions editor for WJK, handling bestselling titles and editing both the Old Testament and the New Testament Library series. Between her posts at WJK, Green was an assistant professor of New Testament at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, a seminary of the PC (USA) in Austin, Texas.

In a statement, Green said she is “a huge fan of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation and the resources it has produced for both the church and academy." She added: "It is an honor to be a part of such a rich legacy of excellence and to rejoin the team as the organization continues to evolve in whom it publishes, what it publishes, and how it operates.”

Katelyn Beaty at Brazos

Beaty has been named editorial director, moving up from her role as Brazos Press acquisitions editor since fall 2018 for the Baker Publishing Group (BPG) imprint. She brings a varied background as past print managing editor at Christianity Today, a current co-host of the Saved by the City podcast at Religion News Service, and an author with an upcoming book, Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church (Brazos, Aug.)

“Katelyn is uniquely prepared to curate the editorial vision of Brazos Press,” Dwight Baker, BPG president and CEO, said in a release. “As we survey recent social shifts within and around the church, it is clear that the demand for emerging leaders and discerning voices has never been greater.

Brazos looks to nonfiction titles that Beaty told PW "go deep in representing the best of nuanced Christian thinking.” Her aim in the new role, she says, is to “help the church fearlessly address timely questions with better answers than the ones we naturally fall back to. I’d like people to look back on the books Brazos published during my time as editorial director and say, ‘They were leading the church, not just reflecting the status quo.’”

Therese Ratliff at Liturgical

Therese Ratliff has been named director and CEO at the Catholic publisher that has provided religious and spiritual resources for parishes and academia for 96 years. She’ll become the first woman to lead Liturgical Press, succeeding Peter Dwyer who will leave the post in June after 33 years, including 21 as director.

Ratliff is a veteran of Catholic book and periodical publishing and current v-p of the Association of Catholic Publishers board of directors. She is only the second layperson to lead the press, which is based at St. John’s Abbey, a Benedictine abbey in Collegeville, Minn. Abbot John Klassen, OSB, calls Ratliff “an energetic, vibrant person who brings a rich set of leadership experiences.” And Dwyer praised his successor’s “wisdom and gifts” and her “deep commitment to the Gospel" in a press release announcing the news.

Ratliff, who has degrees in theology, literature, writing, and publishing, said in a.release that she is “thrilled” with the opportunity to lead the historic house into the future. “We in Catholic publishing must meet the moment our world faces in diverse new ways, and I’m confident that, together, we will find new pathways and explore new directions for the Gospel to take root and flourish,” she said.

Her hiring is the latest in a wave of restructuring and reassignments within the company since September as it looks toward increased digital marketing.