People 12/2

Jason LaCoursier will join as vice president of distribution operations on December 15. He succeeds vice president of operations & distribution services Pat Kelman, who will retire at the end of the year. Kelman has been at the company for 35 years.

Nancy Conescu has joined as editorial director. Most recently she was publisher at Australia’s Berbay Books.

Elianna Kan is joining as a literary agent. She was previously at Regal Hoffmann & Associates.

Melissa Rodman has joined as associate agent and agency assistant. She was previously at Park, Fine, & Brower Literary Management.

Alexander Slater has joined as manager of Media Scout. He will “help bridge the gap between content and screen—connecting creators, rights buyers, and storytellers across industries.” Slater was an agent at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

Anke Göbel has been promoted to publisher of the Heyne division, effective January 1, and will join the board of PRH Germany. She is the first woman to lead the publisher.

Kitanna Hiromasa has joined as a publicist. She was previously at Riverhead.