Our Editors
Publish with Us | Submit a Proposal
Heather Boyer
Senior Editor, Built Environment
Subjects: green building, land use planning, sustainable cities, transportation, landscape architecture
I have been with Island Press since 1992, and currently work out of Brooklyn, New York. In 2004-2005 I was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design where I studied land-use planning, real estate development, and architecture. I am the co-author of Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change with Peter Newman and Timothy Beatley (Island Press 2009). I received a BA in English Literature from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN and completed the Denver Publishing Institute.
Emily Turner Davis
Editor
Subjects: human health, food, water, and related issues
I acquire books on human health, food, water, and related issues. Recently, I have worked with MacArthur Foundation "genius” Peter Gleick on the latest volume in The World’s Water series, toxicologist Emily Monosson on a groundbreaking book about how life responds to chemical threats, and Stanford scientist Pamela Matson on an unprecedented study of the green revolution in agriculture. I joined Island Press in 2002 as a publicist before moving into the editorial department. Previously, I worked at New York University Press, Academy Chicago Publishers, and the California Governor’s Office. I hold a B.A. in English literature from the University of Virginia.
Barbara Dean
Executive Editor, Ecosystems Studies
Subjects: biodiversity, restoration ecology, conservation biology, ecology, forestry, freshwater systems, invasive species, fire ecology, trophic cascades, climate change
I acquire, review, and edit new manuscripts for professionals, students, and engaged citizens on topics integral to the understanding, preservation, and restoration of global biodiversity. After graduating from Duke University and receiving an M.A. from California State University, I was part of the founding of Island Press in 1978. In more than thirty years of developing the ecosystems studies program, I have been fortunate to work with dedicated scientists and writers who are expanding our understanding of how nature works. Recent highlights of our publications in this area include Trophic Cascades: Predators, Prey, and the Changing Dynamics of Nature; Bird Migration and Global Change; and An Introduction to Restoration Ecology, one of the first textbooks in this rapidly-growing field.
Erin Johnson
Assistant Editor
Subjects: ecological restoration, biodiversity, conservation biology, forestry, fire, and wildlife
I joined Island Press in 2006 and have worked with Barbara Dean on books in the ecosystems study list. Previously, I have worked as a freelance editor and copyeditor, as publications manager for a GIS consulting firm, and as a forester. I hold a BS in forest management from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MA in English literature from California State University, Chico.
Courtney Lix
Associate Editor
Subjects: sustainable cities, green infrastructure, urban ecology, landscape architecture
I joined Island Press in 2008 after gaining invaluable and wide-ranging publishing experience at the Columbia University Publishing Course. Prior to my time at Columbia, I received a bachelor’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology with a minor in environmental studies from Princeton University. I spent several years editing, writing and blogging for the Great Smoky Mountains Association and am the author of the award-winning Frequently Asked Questions about Smoky Mountain Black Bears (GSMA 2010). Here at Island, I work with Senior Editor Heather Boyer to acquire new manuscripts in areas of urban design, land use planning, transportation, and architecture. I am particularly interested in manuscripts that contain insights into the ecology of both natural and human environments.
David Miller
Senior Vice President & Publisher
Subjects: energy, water, environmental economics
I acquire and edit books for both professional and general interest readers in these areas. I have a particular interest in books that cross disciplines and open our eyes to new ways to approach old problems. I joined Island Press in early 2011, having been in publishing for thirty years as an editor, a publisher, and a literary agent. I am fortunate to have published a number of bestselling and award-winning science and professional books in my career. I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and did graduate work in Classical Philology at Harvard University.
