Lisa Lucas is senior vice president at Knopf Doubleday, and a former executive director of the National Book Foundation.[2]
Lisa Lucas | |
---|---|
Born | Lisa Lucas 1980 (age 43–44)[1] New York City |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Chicago |
Occupation | Executive director |
Known for | National Book Foundation |
Lucas was born in New York City in 1980[1] and grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey and Montclair, New Jersey.[3][4][5] Lucas's father is musician Reggie Lucas, a Grammy-winning songwriter and producer.[6]
Lucas attended the University of Chicago, where she studied English.[4] She graduated in 2001.[7]
Lucas began her career as a 15-year-old intern at Vibe magazine; at 17 she worked for radio station KIIS-FM.[4] After college, Lucas worked for Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater, then the Tribeca Film Festival.[8] In 2012, Lucas became publisher of arts magazine Guernica.[9]
Reporting on Lucas's 2016 appointment to executive director of the National Book Foundation,[10] NBC said: "With Lucas at the forefront of the National Book Foundation and Awards, the future of publishing looks very bright."[11] The Los Angeles Times said Lucas "is clearly poised to bring the organization to a new level...ideally suited" to promote the foundation. She is the third director in the history of the foundation, "one of America’s key literary institutions,"[12] and the first woman and the first African-American to lead the organization.[13] As executive director, she has publicly discussed the importance of inclusivity in publishing and reaching young readers.[14]
In July 2020, Lucas was named by Knopf Doubleday as a senior vice president who will oversee both Pantheon Books and Schocken Books.[5]
June 22, 2020...Lucas, 40, who is the executive director of the National Book Foundation...her mother, Kay Lucas wrote (This was written when you were being born. It's about you.)