Thomas Payton has been named director of the scholarly press at Trinity University in San Antonio, Tex., effective January 1. Payton will oversee all print and digital book publishing operations at the press, which publishes books that focus on the landscape and the environment; Texas, Mexico, and the Southwest; literature; and architecture and urban planning.

With 26 years of experience in the book business, Payton first began working with Trinity University Press as a consultant in 2002. He later joined the press as associate director in 2010. Payton's history also includes stints at the University of Georgia Press, Hill Street Press, the American Institute of Architects, and Oxford Bookstores.

Payton will take over for Barbara Ras, the director of TUP since it re-opened its doors in 2002. Ras, who is credited with reviving TUP after it ceased operations in 1989, will continue working with the press as associate director for editorial as part of a leadership succession plan she developed.