Following the recent promotion of Michael Hyatt to president and COO of Thomas Nelson, the company has formed two new book divisions and named executives to head them. Jerry Park has been appointed executive v-p and group publisher for the Nelson Christian Books Group and Pete Nikolai has been named senior v-p and group publisher of the Nelson Specialty Books Group.

In the newly created post, Park will oversee Nelson Books, W Publishing Group and WestBow Press. Park had been sales manager for the former Nelson Book Group and he will continue in that role for the new groups "for the time being," Nelson said. Nikolai is now in charge of J. Countryman Press and Tommy Nelson and will continue to be responsible for backlist development. Both men will report to Hyatt as will David Dunham, head of the General Trade Group, which consists of WND Books, Rutledge Hill Press and Cool Springs Press.

In another appointment, Ted Squires has been promoted to executive v-p and will now be in charge of World Publishing, a Bible publisher acquired by Nelson last fall. He will also continue to head Nelson Ministry Services.