A former CBA board member and franchise retail group chief has been named the caretaker leader of Zondervan, while the publisher looks for a new president and CEO.

Moe Girkins leaves the role she has held for three years, effective March 11. The company said that her contract was not being renewed, but declined to comment further on the reason for her departure.

Appointed interim president is Scott Macdonald, acting general manager of Zondervan's The City online church community unit since last December. He was formerly president of Lemstone Christian Stores, renamed Insight Retail Group (IRG) in 2007. That same year Macdonald was appointed to the board of CBA, and IRG was acquired by the Parable Group, after which Macdonald departed.

Zondervan's brief announcement on the changes said that the search for Girkins' long-term replacement would begin immediately, with Macdonald working "closely with Zondervan's leadership team, which combined has more than 100 years of experience with the company."

Girkins' tenure at Zondervan will officially end less than two weeks after the March 1 print debut of the updated New International Version (NIV), a major thrust for the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based business.

Zondervan spokesperson Tara Powers said that Girkins' leaving would "in no way" impact the launch. "Moe has played an integral role in getting us to this point in the release," she said.

A newcomer to Christian publishing with a background in high-tech business, Girkins became the first woman to head Zondervan. Doug Lockhart had stepped down as president and CEO in January 2008. Lockhart had held the post for two years, taking over from longtime head Bruce Ryskamp.

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