2025 PubU Brain Trust
PubU is developed BY Christian publishers FOR Christian publishers.
Here are the industry leaders developing this year's program in these training tracks:
LEAD

Jerri Helms
Senior Vice President of Marketing
HarperCollins Christian
EDITORIAL

Katara Washington Patton
Executive Editor, VOICES
Our Daily Bread Publishing
MARKETING & PUBLICITY

Bob Gaudet
Executive Vice President of Marketing and Publicity
Baker Publishing Group
SALES - Debut Track!

David Almack
Director of Sales, Marketing and Acquisitions
P&R Publishing
PRODUCTION & OPS

Jenn Butenschoen
Director of Production & Digital Content
Harvest House Publishers
RIGHTS

Tim Thornborough
Founder and Publishing Director
The Good Book Company
CHILDREN'S SUMMIT

Shannon Marchese
VP and Publisher
Tommy Nelson, the children’s imprint for Thomas Nelson
CHILDREN'S SUMMIT

Dr. Mary Manz Simon
Children's Author and Speaker
EMERGING LEADERS

Deborah Sáenz
Acquisitions and Developmental Editor
NavPress

KEYNOTE WITH JERRI HELMS: OCTOBER 31
Gathering the Christian publishing community for inspiration & insight as we kick off the PubU Online program
Jerri Helms is the Senior Vice President of Marketing at HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP), where she leverages over 15 years of extensive experience in digital marketing strategies. A regular speaker at industry conferences, Jerri has delivered engaging presentations at numerous Digital Summit events. Her sessions highlight her expertise in the intersection of artificial intelligence and advanced SEO techniques for maximizing digital visibility and audience engagement. Additionally, she has contributed valuable insights as a panelist in high-profile discussions, such as "AI and Re-shaping Marketing" during the DMWF Expo North America.
Since 2018, Jerri has provided strategic leadership to HCCP's Marketing Operations team, guiding key initiatives across various digital marketing areas. Her responsibilities also include overseeing the Consumer Insights team, driving data-informed decisions to shape publishing strategies, and managing the Online Optimization Team, championing consistent SEO and metadata best practices company-wide. Furthermore, Jerri serves on the SEO Global Council at NewsCorp, the parent company of HarperCollins.
TOP SHELF BOOK COVER AWARD WINNERS WEBCAST
Celebrating Design Excellence in Christian Publishing
The Top Shelf Book Cover Awards recognize design excellence in Christian publishing in four categories: Fiction, NonFiction, Bibles, Children. This webcast will honor the important role of design and present the year's best designs in each of these categories. More information at TopShelfAward.org.
Emerging Leader Scholars & Mentor Program
Invest in the new and diverse voices in your organization by nominating them for an Emerging Leaders scholarship to PubU. After PubU, scholars will be matched with an industry veteran for a year-long mentor program.
Training, Connecting, and Inspiring the Christian Publishing Professional
For more information on sponsoring this event, contact [email protected]