Laura Barker, VP and publisher at the Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group, will step down on April 15, PRH Christian SVP and publisher Campbell Wharton announced on Tuesday.
Barker joined WaterBrook in 1998 as managing editor, and was promoted to editorial director before stepping away in 2004 for a five-year stint as a consultant, including for WaterBrook. She returned as editorial director to a combined WaterBrook & Multnomah in 2009, working her way up to editor-in-chief and then publisher, a role she has served in for the past five years. She took on her latest title in October, following the formal establishment of the PRH Christian Publishing Group as a division.
“Everything seems to confirm this as the best time to make way for fresh vision and leadership in this particular season, so rich with possibility in our new organizational structure as PRH Christian,” said Barker, in a statement. For his part, Wharton praised Barker for “not only her editorial acumen but also for her passionate advocacy of our authors and their messages during every step of the publishing process and for her insight and wisdom that helped shape our Christian division into a top destination for Christian publishing.”
As a result of the move, all editors for adult fiction and nonfiction at the division will report to recently hired editorial director Madison Trammel, who reports to Wharton. Also reporting to Wharton are executive editor Sarah Rubio, who leads the division’s children’s book program; Susan Tjaden, VP and executive editor at Ink & Willow; and Bridget Baxter, manager of publishing operations.
