BISG Names Allison Belan As Its Next Executive Director

The Book Industry Study Group has hired Allison Belan to become the organization’s ninth executive director. Belan will replace Brian O’Leary, who retires from the role on June 30.

Belan joins BISG after a 22-year career at Duke University Press, where she has served most recently as Director, Strategic Innovation and Services. In that role, Belan has been responsible for technology operations and publishing infrastructure at the press (books and journals). She also is responsible for the launch and day-to-day management of the Scholarly Publishing Collective, a publishing services business within the press that provides content hosting, sales, and fulfillment to nonprofit scholarly publishers. 

BISG Board Chair Matt Kennell of Versa Press noted, “Allison joins BISG with hands-on knowledge of our core topics, including supply chain, metadata, rights management, accessibility, distribution, and standards development. She also brings the experience and credibility necessary to engage with C-suite decision makers and other stakeholders across the supply chain.”

In accepting the role, Belan added, “For the past 50 years, BISG has led the industry in working to solve problems and build interoperability across book publishing. Its contributions are foundational to the modern supply chain: the creation of the BISAC subject codes standard, the launch and development of metadata standards, and the transition to the 13-digit ISBN are just three examples. BISG’s recent focus on Book Publishing Next, an ambitious plan to update how the supply chain functions, shows that its vibrant legacy continues. I’m honored and excited to be a part of the transformations that BISG will lead in the future.”

While Belan will formally join the organization on June 22, a transition plan is already underway. BISG members will have opportunities to meet the new director over the next several weeks.