Harvest House Announces Retirement of LaRae Weikert and Hire of New Publisher

Eugene, Oregon—August 4, 2017—Harvest House Publishers industry veteran and Publisher/EVP LaRae Weikert has announced that she will retire on August 31, 2017. In 1985 Weikert joined the company’s customer service department before moving into editorial a year later, where it quickly became evident that she had found her niche. After several promotions over the years, LaRae eventually became the EVP of Editorial in 2014, then Publisher and EVP of the Willamette Group in 2016.

For nearly 32 years, Weikert’s character and integrity have provided steadfast leadership for the company. Her knowledge of the industry, her creative thinking, and her keen insights have been a valued asset to authors, agents, and Harvest House. LaRae is a gifted communicator, an encourager, and a relationship builder who played a significant role in the writing careers of several bestselling authors, including Stormie Omartian, Lori Wick, and Jim and Elizabeth George.

“Looking back on my time at Harvest House, I feel such gratitude for the many opportunities I’ve been given, the incredible people I have had the privilege to work with, and the many friendships I’ve made,” reflected Weikert. “It has truly been a rich and rewarding experience to have spent 32 years in Christian publishing, immersed in a world of books that point people to Jesus. I couldn’t have asked for a more fulfilling career—one that has enabled me to grow personally, professionally, and spiritually.”

“Working alongside LaRae for over three decades has been a wonderful privilege for me. LaRae has represented our mission, values, and books with an amazing amount of excellence, grace, and humility,” said Bob Hawkins, president of Harvest House. “Her passion for publishing has only been surpassed by how much she is loved by our authors and staff.

With Weikert’s retirement, Harvest House is pleased to announce the hiring of Sherrie Slopianka as Publisher/VP of the Willamette Group. Sherrie will begin her tenure with the company on August 7, 2017. During the month of August, she will work closely with LaRae to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.

Sherrie comes to Harvest House with a wealth of publishing experience and know-how in a wide variety of industry disciplines. She began her career at Word Entertainment Canada in the capacity of Director of Operations where she oversaw the company’s two distribution centers. She then worked for Integrity Publishers, managing their customer service and distribution functions while working in a key role to support the company’s sales activities. Following her job as manager of Ingram Publishing Services, Sherrie worked for Worthy Publishing as Marketing Director before becoming the Executive Director of Sales. In these positions, she served as an active member on their Publisher’s Committee, addressing decisions regarding acquisitions, title, subtitle, and cover design planning. She also developed robust key-author presales and marketing campaigns that led to the bestselling status for several titles.

“Joining a company that for more than 40 years has been committed to proclaiming Jesus as the answer to every human need is both thrilling and humbling,” says Slopianka. “Their steadfast devotion to producing high quality books along with their dedicated staff is a winning combination. I so look forward to working with an already stellar team who are committed to excellence and a company that has such an amazing and consistent reputation within our industry.”

“We are very pleased to have Sherrie Slopianka join Harvest House,” adds Hawkins. “She is deeply passionate about working in Christian publishing and brings a unique and strong skill set to our company at a time when we endeavor to enhance our efforts to reach as many people as possible with the books we publish. I have no doubt that Sherrie will be a tremendous asset to Harvest House’s expansion in the years to come.”

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