The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) announced today that Mark Kuyper, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), has been hired as the organization’s new executive director. Mr. Kuyper will join the organization June 15.
“We were pleased to find an association veteran from within our industry with a long history of success,” said BISG Chair Tara Catogge (Quarto Publishing), who also headed the four-person search committee that sought to fill the position. ”Mark has extensive strategic planning experience mixed with both an easy way and a commanding presence that members will welcome. His strong vision and guiding hand is exactly what BISG needs at this crucial time in our development.”
Mr. Kuyper has spent nearly thirty years working in the larger publishing ecosystem, and has seen the industry from multiple perspectives. Prior to his role at ECPA, Mr. Kuyper was an executive at the Christian Retail Association, and prior to that, a sales director for Nav Press. He has extensive experience working with boards and committees, planning and managing a stellar lineup of events, and navigating the changing digital landscape. He has served on the BISG Board for the past ten years. Mr. Kuyper also holds a Certified Association Executive accreditation from the American Society of Association Executives.
“I am thrilled to join the team at BISG,” Mr. Kuyper noted. “The organization has a rich history of bringing peers together to solve problems, advance new ideas, and enable the profitable delivery of content to readers—I’ve been proud to be involved in that mission as a Board member, and am honored to have the opportunity to now lead the staff. I am thankful to the Board and staff for the outstanding work they have done to set the stage for the next wave of change in the industry, and look forward to jumping in as quickly as possible to build on that foundation.”
“I speak on behalf of the ECPA Board of Directors and the entire ECPA membership in conveying our appreciation for Mark’s leadership these past 11 years as ECPA’s President and CEO,” said ECPA Chair Dwight Baker (Baker Publisher Group). “His innovative vision and unique ability to foster collaboration and friendship led the industry successfully through a period of great change. I am confident that all he brought to our industry will now be accomplished for the greater publishing industry and we are proud of him.”
Mr. Kuyper succeeds current Executive Director Len Vlahos, who has resigned his position effective June 12 to join the management team, and, along with his wife Kristen Gilligan, eventually assume operational control, of the Tattered Cover Bookstores in Denver, Colorado.
About BISG:
The Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) is the book industry’s leading trade association for standards, education, and research and information. BISG facilitates the connections and conversations that solve common problems, advance new ideas, and more profitably bring published content to readers. For over 35 years, BISG has provided a forum for all industry professionals to come together and collaboratively address issues and concerns to advance the book community. Its 200 members include publishers, manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, librarians, and others engaged in the business of print and electronic media.
