David Rosenbaum, director of product development and project management for the American Heart Association, has been named director of the University of Missouri Press, Provost Brian Foster announced last Friday. Rosenbaum begins the position Nov. 1.
“David’s experience goes beyond scholarly publishing, as he has been successful in commercial and not-for-profit publishing arenas, as well,” Foster said in a statement. “It is this diverse background that feeds his unique perspective.”
“He has some compelling ideas of how to create a more visible presence for the press in the world of scholarly publishing,” Foster said.
By August, the search committee had narrowed candidates to three: Rosenbaum; Clair Willcox, associate director and editor-in-chief of Missouri Press; and Leila Salisbury, director of the University Press of Mississippi. A few weeks ago, the candidates were on campus for interviews and to each give a public presentation describing their vision for the press.
At the American Heart Association, Rosenbaum managed the domestic and international publishing branches of the association. Prior to that, he served as senior acquisitions editor at Elsevier, a provider of science and health information online, in journals and in books; senior acquisitions editor at Delmar Cengage Learning, a textbook publisher; and senior publisher and production manager at the Iowa State Press. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Alabama.
“When I was on campus, I was gratified to hear the tremendous amount of support that faculty and staff had for the press,” Rosenbaum said in a statement.
He is optimistic about the press’s future. “I’m convinced that the university will support the press as long as the press is committed to making improvements to help itself financially,” Rosenbaum said.