NCCU alumnus Andrew Winters, ‘13, ‘18 has made history after being named the first African American acquisitions associate editor for the University of North Carolina (UNC) Press.
Prior to his appointment, Winters served as an acquisitions editorial assistant for the organization. In the new role, he supports the acquisition of works that cover US history with an emphasis on cultural history. His work also includes obtaining books that cover gender, class, race, sexuality, performance and material cultural.
“It is a great honor to serve in this role. The support I received from the Eagle community especially the Department of History has instilled in me a great sense of self pride, awareness and professionalism which impacted my career tremendously,” said Winters.
The UNC Press is one of the oldest university presses in the south and one of the first university presses in the nation. It boasts close to 100 years of publishing award-winning books, including Department of History professor Jerry Gershenhorn’s latest work “Louis Austin and the Carolina Times: A Life in the Long Black Freedom Struggle.”
Winters credits Gershenhorn and Department of History professor Lydia Lindsey, Ph.D. for being very influential during his studies and career.
“In this role I take the university’s motto of ‘Truth and Service’ especially as a person of color in publishing, to promote historical truths in doing so I’m providing a service to elevate diverse authors and educate readers locally, regionally and nationally.”
During his graduate studies, Winters served as a graduate assistant for College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities interim dean Carlton Wilson, Ph.D. Winters credits Wilson with encouraging him to initially apply for his first position with the UNC Press.
“Dr. Wilson has been of great encouragement and continues to provide support and valuable advice, I owe a lot to him,” he adds.
The young alumnus obtained a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in history from NCCU.
Winters encourages students seeking to follow in his trajectory to establish solid relationships with mentors, be detail oriented and to seek opportunities with curiosity and eagerness to learn.
