SPEAKERS 2026

Dave Almack

Dave Almack is an experienced and innovative leader in the Christian publishing and retail industry. He is the current Director of Sales, Marketing and Acquisitions for P&R Publishing in Phillipsburg, NJ and was previously the National Director for CLC USA and Publisher for CLC Publications for over twenty years. His time in CLC included oversight of their US based Christian retail stores and management of a store in Philadelphia whose sales quadrupled in a six-year time frame. He is also the Director of the Academy of Christian Editors, an avid reader and a fan of the Tottenham Hotspurs Football team in the Premier League.

Rob Annese

Rob Annese is a digital marketing leader with deep experience in content strategy, SEO, and emerging technology. Before joining Cook Media Global, he spent 12 years leading a national digital marketing agency serving clients including Four Seasons, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Selah Freedom. Today, he leads digital strategy and AI governance for Cook Media Global. Based in Colorado, Rob is a passionate problem solver and self-proclaimed bibliophile.

Daniel Arroyo

Daniel Arroyo is a husband, father of four, and the founder and CEO of Humble Lamb. He and his family live on a farm, where life has a way of keeping what matters most in view. Since giving his life to Christ in 2018, Daniel’s deepest desire has been to live faithfully for Him and allow that conviction to shape the way he leads, creates, and cares for others. He is also a passionate foodie and curious traveler who feels most at home around good food, meaningful conversation, and people from all walks of life.

Matt Baehr

Matt Baehr is the Chief executive of Book Manufacturers' Institute, a 90 year-old trade association comprised of both manufacturers and suppliers. Responsible for all membership, marketing, events, sales, technology and government affairs activities. Full management of two annual conferences held in various locations through the US. Achieved a 46% net turnaround in event profitability in first year at the association. Launched new conference, educational and market research programs, growing revenue portfolio and diversifying revenue streams. Grew membership numbers, reversing 10-year trend of declining numbers, while posting a profitable year for the first time in 10 years. Grew membership during the pandemic by creating industry-wide resources open to members/non-members alike.

Larry Bennett

Executive Director, North America, Nord Compo (moderator)

Robin Bermel

Robin Bermel has marketed books for 20 years, starting with entrepreneurship, business, and personal finance books at Dearborn Trade, and then at Tyndale House Publishers, partnering with NavPress and Focus on the Family. She moved to Penguin Random House Christian Publishing as the Backlist & Brand Director in 2025. In her role, Robin collaborates with influential Christian authors, notable brands, and internal teams across the company to bridge creative and commercial priorities that drive revenue and audience growth. Her ultimate goal is for more people to experience the life-changing love of a God who pursues us!

Brooke Borneman

Brooke Borneman is a Senior Director, Client Sales & Insights at Circana, a leading global advisor on consumer behavior and market intelligence. In her role, she partners with publishers and other industry stakeholders to maximize the value of Circana's data, reporting tools, and market insights by helping clients make informed strategic decisions, uncover growth opportunities, identify emerging trends, benchmark performance, and strengthen their competitive position in the marketplace. A publishing industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience, Brooke has built a diverse career spanning sales, marketing, business development, and client strategy. She works closely with a broad range of publishing clients, including Augsburg Press, Baker Books, Broadman & Holman, Charisma Media, Christian Art Gifts, Crossway, David C. Cook, Loyola Press, HarperCollins, Intervarsity Press, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, Tyndale House Publishers, Westminster John Knox, Passion Publishing, Our Daily Bread and many others. Prior to joining Circana, Brooke worked at Random House, Dorchester Publishing, Diamond Book Distributors, Penguin Random House and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Jennifer (Jenn) Butenschoen

Jennifer (Jenn) Butenschoen is the Director of Production & Digital Content at Harvest House Publishers. Jenn overseas a stellar production team that collaborates with multiple departments to effectively facilitate the creation of company product. She manages global manufacturing, eBook distribution and licensing, and related industry partnerships for both. As a seasoned publishing professional, Jenn has a passion for working together to create beautiful, high quality, gospel-centered product that glorifies God and points people to Jesus Christ as the answer to every human need. Jenn is an outdoor enthusiast that lives in the Pacific Northwest where she and her husband enjoy spending time with family and friends. She also enjoys serving as a leadership coach for the small groups ministry at her home church.

J. Peter Cerra

J. Peter Cerra serves as the Senior Director of International Publishing and Sales at Tyndale House Publishers. A seasoned veteran of the Christian publishing industry, he brings over 35 years of diverse experience to his role, having held positions in inventory management, licensing, international marketing, and sales. Throughout his career, Peter has developed a deep expertise in international sales and global partnerships. He is driven by a passion for collaborating with customers around the world to facilitate the distribution of Christian books and Bibles, ultimately seeking to see lives transformed through faith-based literature.

Olivia M. Cloud

Reverend Olivia M. Cloud is a writer, editor, and ordained minister who serves as a managing and associate editor of curriculum for the R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation in Nashville, Tennessee. She has worked extensively in Christian publishing, creating educational content and presenting video Bible study lessons for the organization.

Brian Conley

Brian Conley is the Production, Design, and Digital Publishing Manager at Ave Maria Press, where he has been a key member of the team since 1997. Over nearly three decades with the company, Brian has taken on a wide range of roles reflective of the collaborative nature of a small press. He began his career as a Graphic Designer, spending 17 years creating book covers and interior layouts before transitioning to Production Manager in 2015, overseeing all printed books and marketing materials. In November 2024, Brian stepped into his current role, where he now leads the design and digital publishing efforts in addition to managing production. He supervises a team of graphic designers and a digital publishing specialist while continuing to guide the press’s print production processes. Outside of his professional work, Brian has been married to his wife for nearly 24 years, and together they have two sons, ages 18 and 20.

Daniel Cordell

Daniel joined Tyndale House Publishers in 2025, bringing more than two decades of experience in publishing, creative services, and marketing operations. Since beginning his career in 2001, he has worked across book production, marketing technology, and digital strategy. Daniel has deep expertise in marketing automation, CRM strategy, data operations, and cross-functional collaboration. He has led complex marketing technology initiatives and supported campaign strategy for organizations ranging from publishers to global brands.

Jeff Crosby

Jeff Crosby is the president of ECPA and an organizational leader and writer who has spent more than four decades working in the world of words and ideas through roles in bookselling and book publishing. He is the author of "The Language of the Soul: Meeting God in the Longings of Our Hearts" (Broadleaf, 2023), "World of Wonders: A Spirituality of Reading" (Paraclete Press, 2025), and the editor and compiler of "Days of Grace Through the Year" (IVP, 2007), a collection of meditations drawn from the work of bestselling author Lewis B. Smedes. He is currently at work on "The Spirit in the Sky: The Power of Music in Our Search for Graceland" (Bloomsbury, 2026). His previous written work has appeared in numerous publications including CRUX, Conversations Journal, Living Lutheran Magazine, Urban Faith, Books & Culture, Christian Retailing, Publishers Weekly, Together (UK) and ExploreFaith.org.

Eddie Cuevas

Eddie Cuevas serves as the Contracts and Subsidiary Rights Manager for Moody Publishers, where he has worked for 11 years. In this role, he has played a key part in restructuring the company's licensing program while overseeing all aspects of contract management, negotiation, and subsidiary rights administration. Recently, Eddie was elected to serve on the board of the ECPA Licensing and Subsidiary Rights Association. In this capacity, he collaborates with fellow industry professionals to support the ECPA’s mission of fostering excellence in licensing and rights management, helping expand the reach, influence, and impact of Christian publishing. Outside of work, Eddie enjoys life with his wife Lauren, and their two young sons. He will also mention that he is a musician and a lifelong Chicago sports fan.

Rodney Elder

Rodney Elder is EVP, North America at Virtusales. He has worked in the publishing industry for 20 years across North America, Europe and Australasia, with clients including Macmillan, Harvard, Princeton and the United Methodist Publishing House, implementing new technologies to support process efficiencies and best practice. Over the past 18 years, Rodney has led the operations at Virtusales North America.

Pete Ford

Pete Ford is the general manager of Apricot Services, a digital marketing agency serving Christian authors, publishers, and non-profits. He is a work-from-home/stay-at-home dad who enjoys biking around the Creston neighborhood of Grand Rapids, Michigan. By night, he reads on topics including nonviolence, time, the built environment, and spiritual practices like Sabbath. He shares book reviews at WrongVsWrite.com.

Spencer Fuller

Senior Art Director, Faceout Studio

Phil Funk

Phil Funk is a Kolbus Stamper Operator at Friesens and has been part of the team for 23 years. For the past two years, he has specialized in stamping operations, where he enjoys keeping equipment running smoothly and helping bring covers with unique design features to life. Phil takes pride in producing quality work and solving challenges on the production floor. Outside of work, he enjoys gardening and tackling projects around the house.

Andrea Garcia

Andrea Garcia a senior marketing manager at Tyndale House Publishers, working primarily on fiction titles. Andrea brings years of marketing and publishing industry experience to her role. She works to find the best way to reach the right reader for every book, and she enjoys collaborating with authors to release their books into the world. Andrea enjoys a good story, which has led to a lengthy to-be-read pile, a robust streaming queue, and more library fines than she’d like to admit.

Alisse Goldsmith-Wissman

Alisse has been in publishing for over 15 years, working for independent religious publishers, small indie presses, distributors, and the Big Five. She’s primarily worked in publicity on campaigns of all sizes, from celebrities to pastors to spiritual leaders. Some of her favorite campaigns have been Cole Arthur Riley’s Black Liturgies, Brené Brown’s Strong Ground, Ian Crohn and Suzanne Stabile’s The Road Back to You, Jeff Chu’s Good Soil, and Kate Bowler’s Joyful, Anyway. She is currently a publicity manager within the Random House Publishing Group, and works primarily on the Convergent, Harmony, and Rodale imprints. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two dogs, Seamus and Orla.

Kathy R. Green

Kathy R. Green is a four-time author and conference speaker whose books have led to interviews on the Atlanta Live, TBN, and Daystar television networks. Kathy is also a publishing consultant, writing conference facilitator, and literary agent with Embolden Media Group. She has 15 years of experience in Christian publishing, specializing in nonfiction inspirational works. Kathy’s agent interests are featured in the September/October edition of Writer's Digest’s “Agent Round Up.”

Margaret Harrison

Vice President, Digital Services, Ingram Content Group

Brandie Herrell

Brandie Herrell is Friesens' Trade Book Sales Representative for the Southeast U.S., New Jersey, and Delaware. She enjoys helping authors and publishers bring their vision to life, guiding them through choices that make their books both beautiful and affordable. Known for her responsiveness and dependable service, Brandie takes pride in treating every project with care. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, especially at the beach.

David Hetherington

David Hetherington is the Vice President of Global Business Development for Books International, a leading provider of digital book manufacturing and fulfillment services to book publishers. He holds a BS in business administration from Edison University and MBA in Corporate Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Mr. Hetherington’s portfolio reflects a broad range of responsibilities including VP of Manufacturing and VP of Financial Planning for Simon & Schuster Higher Education division. In addition, Mr. Hetherington held leadership roles in Finance and Operations at Reader’s Digest, Wolters Kluwer Health, Columbia University Press and Baker & Taylor. Mr. Hetherington also served as Chief Operating Officer of Klopotek North America and as Chief Marketing Officer for knk Software. Mr. Hetherington also serves as an adjunct professor and on the Advisory Board member for Pace University’s Graduate Publishing Program and served on the board of directors for the Book Industry Study Group, Book Manufacturers Institute, Pub West, and the Minnesota Publishers Round Table. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and has contributed articles to Book Business Magazine, IBPA magazine, and the Springer’s Publishing Research Quarterly.

Whitney Hicks

Whitney Hicks is an award-winning graphic designer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising from the University of Tennessee. She started her publishing design career in 2012 on a contract basis and subsequently transitioned into a go-to freelance resource for the Hachette team. She joined Hachette Book Group full-time in 2016. In her tenure, she’s contributed her talents via design, production, and art direction to over 500 titles with Hachette Book Group.

Kailyn Hildebrand

Kailyn Hildebrand is Friesens’ Trade Book Project Specialist serving Canada's East Coast, the U.S. West Coast, and the Rocky Mountain region. She enjoys helping authors and publishers bring their ideas to life and loves seeing those "ah-ha!" moments when customers gain confidence in the book manufacturing process. With strong production knowledge and a practical approach to problem-solving, Kailyn helps customers turn their vision into a finished book. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, traveling, time at the cottage, and cheering on her son at hockey games.

Theresa Hoffner

Theresa Hoffner is Divisional Vice President of Technology at InterVarsity Press, where she has served for the past four years. With more than 30 years in publishing, Theresa has held a range of roles including technology, print and digital production, marketing operations, and human resources. Her career reflects a deep understanding of how strong operations and technology strategy work together, and how that work ultimately equips the people who carry out publishing's mission. She currently leads IVP's exploration of AI tools, an effort that, like much of the industry, she still considers very much a work in progress.

Christopher Hudson

Christopher Hudson is the author of 100 Names of God (Tyndale), The Most Significant Teachings of the Bible (Zondervan), and Visual Guide to Prayer (Tyndale). He is the President of Peachtree Publishing Services, a company dedicated to protecting and advancing God's Word by serving publishing partners and the body of Christ around the world as a trusted proofreading and editorial partner for Bibles and Bible-related content.

Kari Hurtis

Kari Hurtis is an Operational and Sales Leader at Core Print Solutions, bringing over 25 years of experience leading high-performing teams across client services, production, and end-to-end sales operations. A certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Kari specializes in customer journey optimization across both B2B and direct-to-consumer environments, spanning small businesses to large organizations. She has a proven niche in empowering customer-facing teams and designing streamlined processes that bridge cross-platform communication and partnerships to ensure exceptional results for every stakeholder.

Adrienne Ingrum

Adrienne Ingrum is Vice President and Senior Agent at Serendipity, the highly esteemed Black-owned literary agency. In her long career, she held VP editorial positions at Putnam, Crown/Random House, and the book chain Waldenbooks in the 1980s and ‘90s; led the start-up and publishing team for Black Issues Book Review magazine and served as lead consultant in the development of Black Expressions Book Club in the 1990s and early 2000s; then for 20 years, edited and acquired books on progressive spirituality as senior editor at FaithWords/Hachette, Callisto Media and Broadleaf Books. She’s been with Serendipity for two years and loves bringing authors and editors together.

Hannah Johnson

Hannah Johnson is the Chief Customer Officer at Veristage, a technology company focused on helping publishing organizations improve their workflows with AI. In her role, Hannah works closely with publishers on how to use and integrate Veristage's AI tools across their work. With two decades of experience in publishing, Hannah has broad expertise across various sectors of the global book business. Previously, she was the publisher of Publishing Perspectives, a leading online trade magazine covering the global book publishing industry. Hannah has also worked with the Frankfurt Book Fair, where she managed international partnerships, communication and marketing initiatives, and event strategies in close collaboration with cultural and publishing organizations around the world. When she's not working, Hannah can probably be found in the kitchen baking cookies, out for a run along the Tennessee River, or reading a book.

Cheryl Kerwin

Cheryl Kerwin has been working in various areas of the Christian Retail industry for over 40 years, starting as a customer service rep in a Christian bookstore, to a promotions manager with a retail marketing group, to a Senior Marketing Manager and now Sales Channel Director at one of the most respected Christian publishers in the industry. Cheryl’s career started in 1985 when she was hired at one of the largest and most honored Christian bookstores in the country. This training Cheryl received instilled a “striving for excellence” principle that she has taken into each and every job since then. During her 16+ years of retail experience she specialized in employee development, vendor relations, product knowledge (books, music and kids), promotions and merchandising. The knowledge acquired during her years in retail has given her a unique perspective of how to get a product into the consumer’s hands. During her 20+ years at Tyndale House Publishers she’s been a part of one of the most innovative sales and marketing teams in the industry having marketed many New York Times bestselling titles like the Left Behind series and Joel C. Rosenberg and authors Francine Rivers, Chuck Norris, Karen Kingsbury and Phil Vischer. Being on the Sales team has given her a well-rounded knowledge of publishing and getting product into the hands of consumers. The Sales Rep team Cheryl manages benefit from the years of management training she has received and are among some of the most respected Sales Reps in the industry.

Phil Knight

Phil Knight is the General Manager of Color House Graphics, a book-printing and manufacturing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan As General Manager, Phil has worked at CHG for over 20 years and plays an important role in every job, both big and small. His positive outlook on life is contagious; he is sure to make you smile whenever you connect with him.

Joe Matthews

Joe Matthews joined Independent Publishers Group in 2006 and has represented the company as the CEO since January 2016. He’s spent the last 10 years building traditional relationships, streamlining operations, and propelling IPG’s strategic initiatives. Under his leadership, IPG continues to find ways to innovate and grow in the changing landscape of publishing while remaining loyal to its core principle to support the expression of ideas, art, and culture from independent presses around the world. Now in 2026, Joe has seen IPG come to be one of the last independent distributors in the US.

RJ Lindemann

Born and raised in the print industry, RJ Lindemann is the third generation at Total Printing Systems. He's devoted the last several years to management in the print business and has become one of the very few young executives remaining in the book business. With one eye on the future and one eye on the present, RJ knows what works for publishers now and what will work for them down the road.

Gianna Marsella

Gianna Marsella is Interim Editorial, Design, and Production Manager at University of Hawaiʻi Press, where she oversees the post-acquisitions lifecycle of all UHP titles and supervises the EDP Department. She does double duty as Managing Editor, and in that role currently manages the production of about four dozen titles annually across the humanities and the natural and social sciences, with a focus on Asia, the Pacific, and Hawaiʻi. Her curiosity about artificial intelligence evolved into her role helping lead UHP's AI efforts.

Gianna started her publishing career as a development editor at Pearson Higher Education and as managing editor grew the American Cancer Society's Book Publishing Division from a nascent imprint to an award-winning consumer health publisher. After some years as a full-time mom and part-time freelance writing coach and editor, she returned to her Hawaii home and settled into production and leadership roles at UHP.

She believes that access to knowledge, arts, and culture can transform lives, and that belief shapes her time outside the office as well. In her spare time, she volunteers and fundraises for local schools and arts organizations, tends a small tropical garden, and voraciously consumes novels and cups of tea.

Douglas Kaine McKelvey

Douglas Kaine McKelvey is an author, song lyricist, and scriptwriter. His books include four volumes of the Every Moment Holy series (now approaching 700,000 books sold), the critically acclaimed middle-grade-reader novel The Angel Knew Papa and the Dog, and others. He served as a scriptwriter and story editor for the first three seasons of the animated series The Wingfeather Saga, and has penned more than 400 lyrics recorded by a variety of artists. In 2026 Douglas launched the ongoing Every Moment Holy: Prayer Songs project (available on most streaming platforms), and an Every Moment Holy Live multi-artist, touring event. He is currently working on a nonfiction book for Waterbrook Press. Douglas and his wife Lise live in middle Tennessee.

Kassara Meek

Senior Business Development Manager, US Audio

Lance More

Lance More is a Strategic Account Executive with RR Donnelley. He has 30 years of experience assisting US and South American publishers with product development and project management for books, bibles, kitting, packaging and F&D. He started his career in bible manufacturing at RRD Crawfordsville (IN) and spent the past 25 years selling U.S. and Asia-based solutions for print manufacturing.

Jade Novak

Jade Novak is a veteran art director with experience spanning book and music publishing, advertising, branding, and product design (plus one unforgettable stint in guaranteed-hot pizza delivery). As design team leader at B&H Publishing, she and her team shape the look and feel of covers for seven imprints, from baby board books to theology textbooks, devotional journals to trade fiction, and Bibles bound in everything from waterproof camo to handcrafted leather.

Katie Nguyen

Katie Nguyen is Managing Director at FrontGate Media, an award-winning marketing agency specializing in reaching faith and family audiences. A seasoned digital marketer and communicator, Katie helps authors, publishers, ministries, and faith-based organizations turn meaningful ideas into digital strategies that connect with the right audiences. Her expertise spans digital and social marketing, content strategy, audience development, and creating campaigns that move beyond simply generating attention to building genuine engagement. Katie is passionate about helping authors and organizations identify what makes their message uniquely valuable and translating that value into content people want to discover, share, and act on. Katie is also a writer, speaker, and host of the Faith For Her podcast, where she combines her love of communication with her passion for encouraging others.

Emilie Obermiller

Digital Sales Manager, Ingram Content Group

Katara Washington Patton

Katara Washington Patton is the newly named Publisher at Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI) and is the former Executive Editor of the VOICES Collection by Our Daily Bread Publishing. She is also the author of nine Christian living and devotional books, including her forthcoming release, Faith of Our Teen Girls: Passing Belief from Mother to Daughter (Whitaker House, 2027). A publishing veteran, Katara has worked in the editorial and acquisitions departments of several publishing organizations, including Tyndale, Weekly Reader Corporation, Jet Magazine, McGraw-Hill, The African American Pulpit, and Christian Century Magazine. In 2014, she was named Nonfiction Editor of the Year by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA). A summa cum laude graduate of Dillard University, Katara earned a B.A. in Mass Communications and English. She holds a Master of Journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, where she received the Outstanding Preaching Award. A native of Thibodaux, Louisiana, Katara lives on the South Side of Chicago with her husband, Derrick, and their teenage daughter.

Erik Peterson

Art Director, Crossway

Pete Peterson

A. S. “Pete” Peterson is the author of The Fiddler’s Gun and its sequel Fiddler’s Green as well as numerous short stories. As a playwright he has published/produced the Civil War musical The Battle of Franklin, as well as critically-acclaimed stage adaptations of Frankenstein, Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place, and most recently Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. He is currently working with Malcolm Guite as editor and publisher on Merlin’s Isle: An Arthuriad. He and his wife, Jennifer Trafton, live in Nashville where he is the Publisher for Rabbit Room Press and Artistic Director of Rabbit Room Theatre.

Davina Powell

Davina Powell is the Consumer Marketing Services Manager for Ingram Content Group. She is a creative sales and marketing expert who is known for connecting publishers to key audiences. She has spent more than 10 years in the digital marketing space developing new resources that ensure publishers and booksellers marketing budgets are used in a productive way.

Kristina Radke

Kristina Radke has over 15 years of expertise in book marketing, publicity, and reader engagement. As Senior Vice President of Business Growth & Engagement at NetGalley + Booktrovert, she leads a global team specializing in high-impact discovery strategies for both frontlist and backlist titles. A firm believer that a book’s lifecycle extends far beyond its launch week, Kristina helps publishers leverage digital tools and community engagement to drive sustained ROI for their books.

Bill Rojack

Bill Rojack is Senior Vice President of Sales at MIDLAND. With 30 years of experience in the paper business, he specializes in sourcing and developing paper products and programs for many markets, concentrating uniquely on publishing and direct mail verticals. Bill’s personal interest in environmental stewardship led him to adopt now-popular sustainability trends in the paper sector. This interest has also provided Bill a unique opportunity to develop aggressive but achievable procurement strategies in collaboration with global paper manufacturers and supply chain partners. While admittedly concerned by the quickening pace of change in the industry (paper, printing, publishing, advertising, and retailing), Bill is energized by the many opportunities that such change presents. He is a self-described optimist, a dedicated husband and father of 4, and a tireless worker.

Jillian Schlossberg

Since coming to Tyndale in 2014, Jillian Schlossberg has enjoyed partnering with a variety of bestselling authors, including Aundi Kolber, Kayla Craig, and Ashley Morgan Jackson, as well as Chuck DeGroat, Alicia Britt Chole, and Jessica Smartt. She loves to collaborate and develop a unique vision for each of her projects to help her authors reach their greatest potential. Jillian holds bachelor’s degrees in English literature and Spanish language from the University of Michigan. Jillian has an equally deep love for her husband, her three beautiful children, and any kind of taco.

Torrey Sharp

Torrey Sharp is the owner and principal of Faceout Studio, a market leading firm specializing in book design. The studio designs hundreds of books each year working with the world's top media companies, mid–size publishers, university presses, and individual authors. Over the years, Faceout Studio’s work has been recognized by Communication Arts, the AIGA, the AAUP, ECPA, the IBPA, Print magazine, Eye magazine, the New York Book Show, Graphis, and the American Advertising Federation. Torrey earned his economics degree from Wheaton College, IL after spending most of his growing up years in Brazil. He has been in the publishing industry since 1996.

Margot Starbuck

Margot (rhymes with "Gogo") Starbuck is a New York Times bestselling writer who has written dozens of books and worked with publishers on hundreds of major publishing projects as a writer, editor, and coach. She's a graduate of Westmont College and Princeton Theological Seminary. Margot especially enjoys writing alongside athletes, entertainers, and overcomers. And she specializes in helping writers get published by equipping them to craft winning book proposals and books.

Joshua Tallent

Joshua Tallent is the Director of Sales and Education at Firebrand Technologies where his focus is on helping publishers of all sizes learn about, and find solutions to, their workflow and metadata problems. Joshua’s background is deeply rooted in ebook development, metadata, and other publishing technologies, and he is an acclaimed teacher and guide on the role of data and AI in publishing. He serves as the Immediate Past Chair of the BISG Board of Directors and is the host of the BookSmarts Podcast, which features practical discussions and interviews about publishing data and technologies. In his spare time, Joshua enjoys teaching Bible studies, playing complex board games, and fiddling with AI coding projects.

Kim Tanner

Kim Tanner is passionate about the beauty and power of the written word. She is a senior production editor at Zondervan / HarperCollins Christian Publishing, where she has worked for twenty-three years. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Justin Tarsiuk

Justin Tarsiuk currently serves as the Director of Partnerships at YouVersion and the Bible App. For 25 years, Justin has pastored churches, led ministry and marketplace teams, and helped faith-based ministries find success navigating the digital landscape while staying true to their mission.

David Thiessen

David Thiessen is an Electronic PrePress (EPP) Cover Operator at Friesens, where he works with customer cover files to ensure they are accurate, production-ready, and meet quality standards. He enjoys the variety of designs he gets to work on and takes pride in his attention to detail. Before joining the cover team in 2024, David worked as a Planner and VPS Checker. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, target shooting, and following his favorite motorsports, including Formula 1 and WEC.

Dan Van Gorp

Dan Van Gorp is Director of Sales at Kregel Publications and has more than two decades of experience in serving the Christian publishing and bookselling community. His career has included senior sales leadership roles with HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Penguin Random House, where he worked closely with retailers, distributors, authors, and ministry partners. Dan values the relationships at the heart of Christian bookselling and is passionate about ensuring meaningful books reach the readers who need them. He and his wife, Jani, have been married for more than 30 years and have four children. Outside of work, Dan enjoys traveling with his family, officiating basketball, and staying actively involved in his church and community.

Cameron Verrells

Cameron Verrells joined Virtusales in 2022 after graduating with a BSc in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. With a background in Natural Language Processing and Supervised Machine Learning, he leverages his expertise to collaborate with customers on AI and Machine Learning developments within BiblioSuite.

Linda Walz

Linda Walz is the Production Director at Tyndale House Publishers and has been helping produce books and Bibles for more than 35 years. She works with a dynamic group of buyers and loves being part of the process that brings the authors’ messages and the designers’ visions to life. In her free time, Linda enjoys combing for fun finds at antique markets, reading, and paper crafting. She and her husband, Bruce, are the proud parents of five adult children and are enjoying their new role as grandparents.

Mark Warner

Mark Warner is VP of Business Development and Operations with HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Mark has worked in publishing for nearly 22 years, including several roles at HCCP focused on sales, corporate integration, business strategy/turnaround, plus working 3.5 years as Publisher for Christian Audio/RB Media before returning to HCCP in early 2024. Mark specializes in finding growth via new business opportunities and helping challenged businesses improve. He is an avid reader and received his BA from Spring Arbor University, MA from Regent University, and lives outside of Nashville with his wife of 29 years and three sons.

James Whittaker

James Whittaker, is the VP of Sales & Business Development for MetaComet. He brings more than 27 years of leadership across global publishing and B2B SaaS sales and partnership development in North America, the UK, and Europe. Whittaker is recognized for his domain expertise in rights and royalties, metadata, and technology-enabled publishing workflows. A frequent industry speaker, he has presented at leading trade fairs including London and Frankfurt. He has held senior roles at Phaidon Press, Paperblanks, and Hachette Book Group.