Judy Turner New Book Fest Board President

is making more changes.

Judy Turner, vice president of the , will become president of the festival board of directors, effective June 30.

She replaces Alice Murray, who has held the post since the book festival started in 2005.

The board also added two new vice presidents: Linda Harris, assistant director of community and economic development for the City of Decatur, and Brett Gadsden, assistant professor of African American studies at Emory University.

About three weeks ago, the festival announced the addition of Emory University as a festival sponsor.

For festival goers, that means the Friday night keynote presentation will be held at Emory’s Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, not

This year's festival will be held Aug. 31-Sept. 2. Featured authors for 2012 will be announced at a festival media launch June 19.

The festival sent out a statement saying,

Murray, a long-time Decatur resident, retired in 2007 after 26 years with the AJC. She currently lives in Avondale Estates and works as a freelance writer and marketing consultant. She will remain on the board of directors, serving as president emerita and assisting in board fund-raising campaigns.

Richard Lenz, president and CEO of Lenz, Inc., was reelected secretary at the board’s April meeting. 

AJC DBF Executive Director expressed gratitude for Murray’s years of board leadership and welcomed Turner to her new role. “Words are hardly adequate to express how much Alice has done to lead the board through our first six festivals. We’ll miss her calm, collaborative leadership style, but we know she has left the office in good hands,” Wang said. As treasurer, Turner has played a key role in the stability of the festival since the beginning, and “I am confident she is an ideal person to lead us moving forward.” 

 In addition to the officers, board members include Decatur attorney George Bradford, James K. Diedrick, Associate Dean of the College and Professor of English at Agnes Scott College, Will Johnston, Manager of Community and Customer Engagement for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Alison Weissinger, Director of the DeKalb County Public Library.

Ex officio members of the board include Wang, Tom Bell, founding program director, Terra Elan McVoy, program director, and Stephanie DiLorio, development director.

The election of new officers follows the 2011 approval of new corporate bylaws that establish revolving terms and term limits for board members.