Lois serves as Texas Book Festival’s Executive Director and CEO, responsible for leading the organization’s strategic direction, staff, resource development and external relations. Born in Seoul, Lois grew up in Williamsville, New York. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in English from the University of Texas at Austin, where her research focused on Shakespeare and early modern culture. In her early career, she taught high school English and pursued graduate coursework from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. Prior to joining the Texas Book Festival, Lois served as the associate director of University Extension at UT Austin, where she managed student and academic affairs for college credit students and ran several community programs. She has served on the Board of the Austin Public Library Foundation and on various committees for literary awards and grants. Lois loves to cook for family and friends, walk/jog/hike, and is a member of two great bookclubs. Her favorite book genres are literary fiction across all centuries and memoir.