Dear Members of the Yale Community,
I am delighted to share the news that Niko Pfund will be the next director of Yale University Press, effective July 1, 2025.
Niko joins Yale from Oxford University Press (OUP), where he has held a variety of roles over the last two decades and most recently served as global academic publisher and president of its U.S. division. In that time, he has had a hand in—and demonstrated a keen acumen for—all aspects of modern academic publishing. While overseeing hundreds of colleagues across two offices in the United States, he has pursued fruitful and creative partnerships, expanded OUP’s distribution capabilities, and supported both digital growth and innovative marketplace opportunities. Prior to his work at OUP, Niko was director and editor in chief of New York University Press, where he doubled its size and elevated its profile.
We have found in Niko a leader who prizes the time-honored tenets of rigorous scholarship and bold, future-oriented thinking in equal measure. He brings with him an immersive understanding of scholarly publishing and serious non-fiction as well as a proven track record, with experience in broadening the mandate of an academic press while abiding closely by its vital mission of contributing to a global understanding of human affairs. Importantly to me, he also has a sterling reputation as a wonderful colleague and has shepherded OUP with a focus on community-building and responsible stewardship.
A deep believer in the power and impact of longform scholarship, Niko has served as a mentor in publishing programs affiliated with Oxford University, Columbia University, Pace University, Amherst College, and the Association of University Presses, among others. He has also been an active member of numerous boards, affiliated with both academic and service-oriented institutions, including the governing board of Stanford University Press, the advisory board of the George Washington University Graduate Program in Publishing, and the board of directors of the Digital Public Library of America.
Niko joins us at a time when our ambitions for Yale University Press are growing, as we seek to build on the strong groundwork that John Donatich, the outgoing director of the Press, has laid. With his thoughtfulness and precision, Niko is well-equipped to help us realize these aims.
Throughout the search process, we were fortunate to receive feedback from many members of the Yale community, who had ideas and insights about the future of Yale University Press and the role that it can play in elevating longform scholarship in the public consciousness. The search advisory committee commended Niko as someone who not only echoed many of the recommendations we heard, but also has the finesse and aptitude necessary to implement them. I am grateful to everyone who participated in this process and to the members of the search advisory committee, chaired by Yale University Press Board of Governors Chair David Wan ’76, for their meticulousness and care. I also want to extend my profound gratitude to John Donatich, who has served this institution with distinction.
Please join me in celebrating Niko as he steps into his new role. I know his vision for Yale University Press will see it grow and help it to reach new audiences. I look forward to working with him as he leads the Press to even greater heights both here in New Haven and in London.
Sincerely,
Maurie McInnis
President
Professor of the History of Art