Staff

ACQUISITIONS

Katie Hannah is the director of the University of Tennessee Press, where she leads a publishing program that emphasizes scholarly works in Appalachian studies, African American religion, vernacular architecture, and other areas, alongside regional trade titles. With more than twenty years of distinguished experience in publishing, Hannah has held various roles in sales, marketing, and management. She holds a BA in English from the University of Mississippi and an MA in English from Western Kentucky University. Hannah’s extensive background in publishing and education reflects her commitment to advancing rigorous scholarship and cultural dialogue. 

Over a twenty-year career in academic publishing, Thomas Wells has held a number of different positions: intern, editorial assistant, acquisitions editor, and now associate director. He currently serves as editor-in-chief, overseeing the publishing program and editorial direction of the press. Wells is also a trained chef with more than twenty-five-years’ experience cooking professionally in both Knoxville and Nashville. 

Aidan Watson-Morris holds a PhD in English Literature from the University of Illinois, with a certificate from the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory. His dissertation charts the twentieth-century career of the transatlantic single-day novel. His writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Modern Fiction Studies, Modernism/modernity Print Plus, ASAP/Review, and elsewhere. He was previously reviews editor, assistant editor, and associate editor at the journal American Literary History. 

Having been employed at the press for more than thirty years, most recently as director, Scot Danforth now acquires titles in religion and music on a freelance basis. He lives in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

COPYEDITING

Jonathan Boggs has been in editorial at the University of Tennessee Press since 2017, earlier serving eleven years in content marketing and graphic design roles, including at InterVarsity Press. He maintains an independent publishing practice, Are Not Books and Publications, with Matthew J. Smith. Jonathan acquires new work in religious studies, especially related to non-Baptist Appalachia.

Maliea Ruby has served as the editorial assistant for the University of Tennessee Press since May 2024. Prior to that, she earned a master’s degree from the Book Publishing graduate program at Portland State University where she learned about the industry and gained hands-on experience working at Ooligan Press. In her free time, she enjoys hiking in the woods, orchestral performances, and scientific documentaries.

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

Stephanie Thompson started at the press more than twenty years ago as an intern and was later hired as the design & production assistant, working her way up to production manager. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Tennessee, as well as an associate’s degree in communications graphics technology from Pellissippi State. Her job duties include production estimates and scheduling, liaising with freelancers, and book design & typesetting. 

Kelly Gray graduated magna cum laude in 2001 with a bachelor of arts in graphic design from Virginia Commonwealth University with a passion for typography. After working as a graphic designer for various design firms and print shops, she joined UT Press more than twenty years ago for three years before accepting a job with the University of Illinois Press to hone her interior skills. She moved to Nashville after her first child was born and continued to telecommute with Illinois before coming back to UT Press as the senior book designer more than ten years ago. She has won a handful of book design awards for cover and interiors for the Association of University Presses and heads up the current internship program and a book cover project with local college students.

IT

Sarah works as the digital initiatives specialist at UT Press, which combines her previous experience in scholarly journals publishing with her master’s degree in information sciences. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

MARKETING

Walt Evans serves as sales and marketing manager for UT Press. His duties include coordinating with booksellers and other trading partners, working with UT Press authors on marketing plans for their books, securing earned media and advertising, and organizing events. When not at work, he enjoys seeing live music and reading old novels. 

Stephanie Phillips has a BA in English from the University of Tennessee (’13) and an MA in fiction from the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi (’17). She joined the UT Press in 2025 after eight years as an administrator in the UT School of Art. Almost always found working in a creative field, she’s been the art editor for the literary journal Stirring since 2018, and has past experience in copywriting, web design, podcasting, photography, events, and teaching.

FINANCIAL

Lisa Davis specializes in financial reporting, monitoring and tracking program costs and obligations, accounts payable and receivable, deposits, and accounting.