Leading African-American publisher Urban Ministries Inc. (UMI) is marking its 40th anniversary with a leadership addition.

A former vice president at Focus on the Family, Terence Chatmon has been appointed president of the Calumet City, Ill.-based supplier. He takes on the job from C. Jeffrey Wright, who joined the business in 1995 as president and CEO and continues in the latter role.

The author of Charting Your Family's Spiritual Course (Focus on the Family), Chatmon previously also worked for Citigroup and Coca-Cola, and has served as an elder at Perimeter Church in Atlanta for the past four years.

Chatmon and Wright led the UMI executive team along with Melvin Banks, who founded the company in 1970. Operated from the basement of Banks' home for the first 12 years, UMI has since become largest independent African-American owned and operated religious publisher. Its products include Sunday school curriculum, Vacation Bible School resources, books, videos and music.

Anniversary events include sponsorship of the fourth annual McDonald's Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour, which will take place in cities including Philadelphia, Detroit and Chicago in May; Memphis, Tenn., and Atlanta in August; and Washington, D.C., in September.

There will also be a celebration gala in September to honor Banks.

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