Christian publishing veteran Dan Balow has been appointed vice president of business development and publisher of Barbour Publishing. Balow, who previously served as publisher of eChristian, will report to Executive Vice President George Kourkounakis.

Balow will be responsible for "generating new and sustainable revenue streams to achieve projected sales growth, acquisitions and product development for all book and media products, and instrumental in long-term publishing plans and strategy development, company officials said.

"His skill set aligns perfectly with Barbour's mission statement and his strong publishing background will provide the vision to grow both print and e-books," Kourkounakis said.

Balow joined Carol Stream, Ill.-based Oasis Audio in 2006 after 14 years with Tyndale House Publishers, where he held positions in marketing, sales and international rights and licensing. He resigned from Oasis in June 2010 and joined eChristian later that year.

Gary Davidson will join Hachette Book Group (HBG) as Hachette Nashville’s vice president of CBA sales and marketing.  Davidson will start at HBG on Jan. 7, and will report to Chris Murphy, senior vice president retail sales.

Davidson comes to HBG from Thomas Nelson, where he spent 15 years in leadership roles including senior vice president sales for the largest revenue-producing division at the company and senior vice president and Bible group publisher. During his tenure there, he led teams in winning several industry sales awards.

Micah Carter assumed the role of spokesperson for B&H Publishing Group’s Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) translation, effective Nov. 15.

Carter will focus on educating the marketplace about the distinctive values of the HCSB, from end consumers and retail partners to influencers, including pastors and college and seminary students. He also will assist the Bible development team with publishing strategies for the translation.

Steve Smith has been named the new publisher of Oasis Audio, following the resignation of Tammy Faxel. With him more than 25 years of publishing experience, Smith has served as the vice president of sales and marketing since August 2010.

In addition to editorial and marketing positions, he has authored eight juvenile fiction titles and contributed to several short story anthologies and art books.

"While the Oasis team is sad to see Tammy go, we are excited for her as she enters into this new chapter in her life," Smith said. "Because of the dedication and expertise of our entire staff, we anticipate a seamless transition with no disruption to our customers. Over the past decade, Oasis Audio has established itself as the leader in inspirational Christian audio products, and we look forward to continuing this tradition of excellence and integrity."

After five years with Oasis Audio, Faxel has taken a role in business development for Brilliance Audio.

Guideposts Publishing has named Christian publishing veteran Dale Wilstermann as vice president of national sales of its retail services division.

"Dale will ensure that Guideposts capitalizes on opportunities in today's rapidly changing publishing environment," said Guideposts CEO Dick Hopple. "Dale's CBA and ABA market experience—particularly in the digital market—will help us stay focused in our approach to our retail program. We are confident he will help us keep our loyal customers happy as we move forward with 21st century publishing strategies."

Wilstermann, who will lead the sales teams for all Guideposts imprints, comes to the company from Worthy Publishing, where he served as senior vice president of sales and distribution. Wilstermann's previous experience also includes senior management duties at Thomas Nelson, where he led the company's e-tailer division and marketing teams, and also worked in the company's ABA sales division.

Guideposts' flagship, Guideposts magazine, has a paid circulation of 2 million. Guideposts' divisions also includes Candy Cane Press, Ideals, Williamson, Summerside Press and Ellie Claire.

Kelly Gallagher, formerly vice president of R.R. Bowker Market Research, has joined Ingram Content Group—the parent company of Christian distributor Spring Arbor Distributors—as vice president of content acquisition.

He will lead Ingram's selling and business development activities for print-on-demand and digital distribution products, reporting to Chief Content Officer Phil Ollila.

Gallagher is well-known to Christian publishers, presenting details of publishing research at industry events such as the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's Executive Leadership Summit.

Along with Gallagher, Pep Carrera also joined Ingram on Oct. 8 as Ingram's chief information officer. He comes to Ingram from RAPP, a leading marketing services provider. Carrera will report to Chief Operating Officer Shawn Morin, who joined ICG in 2009 and served as chief information officer until June when he was promoted.

ICG Chairman John R. Ingra became CEO when David "Skip" Prichard resigned June 8.

Thomas Nelson’s Bible Group recently announced its new editor in chief, Bob Sennett, who has been with the company 24 years.

“I couldn’t ask more of an editor in chief than what Bob Sennett brings us,” said Bob Sanford, Thomas Nelson vice president and associate publisher of the Bible Group. “His product and market knowledge are thorough; his biblical acumen ensures that we stay true to the message of the Scriptures. Bob is well-deserving of this promotion.”