PLOS Appoints Alison Mudditt Chief Executive Officer

PLOS is pleased to announce the appointment of Alison Mudditt as its Chief Executive Officer, effective June 19, 2017.  For the past six years Mudditt served as Director of University of California Press (UC Press) where she ushered in new strategies to lead the company into the digital age, including the innovative journal and monograph Open Access programs Collabra and Luminos. Prior to UC Press, Mudditt was Executive Vice President at SAGE Publications, Inc., leading publishing programs across books, journals and digital platforms. Her 25 plus years in the publishing industry include leadership positions at Blackwell Publishers in Oxford, UK, and Taylor & Francis Inc., in Philadelphia, US. Mudditt received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Bath and her Masters in Business Administration from The Open University.

“PLOS is truly privileged to bring on board a person of Alison’s caliber whose extensive experience in and deep knowledge of academic publishing will invigorate a renewed focus on our mission—transforming research communication to better serve authors, readers and the public,” said Gary Ward, Chairman of the Board at PLOS. “Her history and accomplishments as a leader, coalition builder and strategic thinker for organizations experiencing change is impressive and will prove very valuable to PLOS in the years ahead.”

“I am delighted to join a like-minded publisher in PLOS, which fully embraces the Open Access principles that drive its mission,” said Mudditt. “PLOS’ long-held reputation as a change agent in this industry provides a tremendously gratifying challenge as we continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in scientific publishing.”