Columbia University has appointed Indian American publishing leader Gita Manaktala as Executive Director of Columbia University Press to lead one of the nation’s oldest and most respected university presses into its next chapter.
Manaktala, who “emerged as an exceptional choice to lead Columbia University Press into its next chapter” after a national search, will assume her new role on Sept. 8, according to a university release.
She joins Columbia following a distinguished career at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press, where she spent more than three decades helping to shape one of the world’s leading academic publishing programs.
Most recently, she served as executive editor at large, following her tenure as editorial director. She led the strategic growth of the Press’s publishing portfolio, expanded its trade publishing program, advanced innovative approaches to open-access scholarship, and strengthened its reputation for publishing work that bridges academic excellence and public impact.
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“Gita is an accomplished publishing leader whose career has been defined by intellectual curiosity, editorial excellence, and a deep commitment to expanding access to knowledge,” said Angela V. Olinto, Provost and Rutherfurd Professor of Astronomy and Professor of Physics.
“At a time when universities play an increasingly important role in advancing knowledge and informing public understanding, I am confident that she will build on Columbia University Press’s extraordinary legacy and help shape its future with creativity, ambition, and purpose,” she said.
During her tenure at MIT Press, Manaktala helped expand the publishing program from approximately 200 to 300 titles annually, strengthened relationships with authors and scholarly communities, and pioneered innovative approaches to digital publishing and open access.
She has also been a recognized leader within the broader publishing profession, serving on the board of directors of the Association of University Presses and advising several leading publishing organizations.
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“I am honored to join Columbia University Press and to build upon its distinguished tradition of publishing scholarship that informs, challenges, and inspires,” said Manaktala commenting on her appointment.
“At a time when the world faces complex social, scientific, technological, and political questions, university presses play a vital role in bringing rigorous research into the public conversation,” she said. “I look forward to working with the Press’s talented staff, authors, faculty partners, and supporters to champion exceptional scholarship and bring it to wider audiences around the globe.”
For more than 130 years, Columbia University Press has published award-winning and widely reviewed works that deepen understanding, advance research, and inform public debate, according to the release.