Akiko Neumann (she/her) is a production designer in children’s publishing at Chronicle Books. She works between the realms of in-house design and overseas manufacturing, shepherding the book in its transition from a digital layout to a physical object. Specializing in color management, experimental ink processes, and prepress, Akiko has worked with Caldecott-winning illustrators as well as color-critical licensing partners such as LEGO and Studio Ghibli. Off-hours, she applies this same skillset to her own book and zine projects on Risograph.

Alan Harvey (he/him) joined Stanford University Press in 2002 as Editor-in-Chief, taking over as Director in 2012. His career began at Cambridge University Press in the United Kingdom, slowly moving westward, through New York, and finally to California, where he was manager of the West Coast office and Executive Editor for Science. With a PhD in mathematics, he has spent much of his four-decades-long career addressing issues of technology in publishing.

Darlene Weide, MPH, MSW (she/her) is a leader of the mediation movement and the Executive Director of San Francisco-based Community Boards, the first and longest running community mediation center in the US, and home to the People Project and the San Francisco Peacemaker Awards. She is also an organizational ombuds and faculty member at Georgetown University, where she teaches advanced mediation courses in the MA Conflict Resolution program, and at City College of San Francisco. She earned her BA from Columbia University and her master’s in public health and social welfare from UC Berkeley.

Eden Julia Sugay (they/them) is Senior Manager of Publishing Sales at VIZ Media. Eden is also President of Bay Area Women in Publishing, where they govern committees and programs dedicated to uplifting women and nonbinary folks within the publishing industry located in the Bay Area and beyond. Eden received their BA in English creative writing from Mills College and their MFA in writing from the University of San Francisco.

Emma Cofod (she/her) is Associate Director of Production at North Atlantic Books. She has worked in production for more than 20 years at a variety of Bay Area publishers in a mix of genres, including legal treatise, trade nonfiction and literary fiction, and education.

Holly Smith (she/her) is an industry-leading eCommerce strategist with more than two decades of experience in book publishing. As the Principal and Founder of Expansive Commerce, she is known for driving explosive, profitable revenue growth on Amazon for book publishers and consumer brands. Holly recently joined UC Press as Sales and Marketing Director, where she oversees sales, marketing, and publicity. She holds certificates in executive leadership from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and in marketing and optimization from NYU, in partnership with the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF). Previously, Holly held sales and marketing roles at Callisto Media, Chronicle Books, Tokyopop, and Barnes & Noble, Inc. 

Jesse Finkelstein (she/her) is a veteran book publisher with a career that spans nearly three decades. She is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of innovative book publishing firm Page Two Books. Before launching Page Two, Jesse held executive and senior roles at several publishing houses, including Chief Operating Officer at D&M Publishers and Associate Publisher at Raincoast Books. Jesse holds a master of publishing degree from Simon Fraser University. She lives with her family in Vancouver, Canada, and travels far and wide to celebrate with Page Two authors as they launch their books.

Johanna Vondeling (she/her) is founder of Vondeling Ventures, a consultancy supporting nonfiction publishers and authors. She was President and Publisher at Berrett-Koehler Publishers through December, 2022. She previously served as BK’s Vice President for International Sales and Business Development and as Vice President for Editorial and Digital, having joined the company in 2004. Before that, she worked for Jossey-Bass (a Wiley imprint), W. W. Norton, and Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. In addition to serving on the board of Bay Area Women in Publishing, she is the proud recipient of PPN’s 2020 Distinguished Service Award.

Peter Brantley (he/him) is the Director of Online Strategy for the University of California Davis Library. Previously serving with several large academic research libraries, he has additionally held senior technology roles at the New York Public Library; Hypothes.is, a not-for-profit organization; and the Internet Archive. With O’Reilly Media and then the Frankfurt Book Fair, he convened a publishing conference from 2010–2017 called “Books in Browsers,” and co-launched PageBreak, a follow-on conference in San Francisco in 2022.

Stephanie Moon (she/her) has spent more than fifteen years in book marketing and publicity, leading campaigns for New York Times bestsellers and working with publishers including Chronicle Books, HarperCollins, Scholastic, and Hardie Grant. She mentors authors on how to maximize their book sales by building real relationships and communities. Follow Stephanie on Instagram or read her Substack, The FAQs, where she addresses the most common questions authors ask and shares insights about book marketing and publishing.