Marva Allen
Managing Partner & Co-Owner
Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe

Marva Allen has served as a majority partner and CEO of Hue-Man since 2004. She is past president and a co-owner of USI, a multi-million dollar technology firm in Southfield MI that was thrice nominated for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneurship Award, and she is the recipient of numerous business awards. Marva holds a BSN from SGI in England, a B.S in Biology from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in Health & Business Administration. Besides LitWorld, Allen is currently a member of the Board of Trustees for St. Hope Leadership Academy founded by NBA player Kevin Johnson, Riverside Theater of The Oppressed, and the Neighborhood Charter School. Ms. Allen is also Director of the Melvin Van Peebles Foundation. A recent recipient of the 2008 New York Urban League Frederick Douglass Award, Ms. Allen is committed to providing options for underserved communities.

Sue Atkins
Managing Director
JP Morgan Chase Bank

Sue Atkins is a Managing Director at JPMorgan, specializing in Corporate Restructuring. She has a degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota. In addition to serving on LitWorld's Executive Board, she volunteers for the Big Brother Big Sister program and the Parents Advisory Committee at Kenyon College. Sue lives with her husband, Eben Shapiro and her two children, in New York City.

Jeannie Blaustein, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist and D. Ministry

Jeannie Blaustein is a licensed clinical psychologist and pastoral counselor. Jeannie is an Adjunct Clinical Supervisor for the City College Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, and for the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Center for Pastoral Counseling. In addition to serving on the LitWorld Board, Jeannie also serves on the boards of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, The Institute for Jewish Spirituality, and Congregation B'nai Jeshurun. She lives in NYC with her husband Peter and their two daughters, Sophie & Livia.

Lois Bridges, Ph.D.
Publisher, Theory & Practice
Scholastic

A former teacher, literacy consultant, and teacher educator, Lois Bridges brings her passion for serving teachers and children to her work as the publisher of Scholastic's Theory & Practice line. After developing a series of professional books for the Galef Institute and Macmillian/McGraw Hill, she served for ten years as Heinemann's Literacy Publisher and Senior Editor. She holds a PhD in language and literacy and has written and co-edited seven books- all related to the theme of joyful literacy.

Sally deGozzaldi-Knowlton
Commander, Ret.
U.S. Navy

Sally deGozzaldi-Knowlton currently teaches high school math at Avon High School in Connecticut after serving twenty years in the United States Navy. For her last tour Sally served as a Commanding Officer of Helicopter Training Squadron EIGHT located in Milton, Florida, where she had the opportunity to lead one of two large squadrons that produce all U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and some allied helicopter pilots. Prior to her Commanding Officer tour, Sally served as a joint planner working for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Geology from Amherst College, her Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, California, and her Teaching Degree from Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, Connecticut.

Joanne Heyman
Executive Director
Urban Zen

Joanne Heyman is an executive with over twenty years of senior management experience in non-profits and foundations. She has worked in international affairs, education, health and wellbeing, and arts/culture, focusing on organizational and program development, external affairs, and fundraising.

Ann Erb-Leoncavallo
Communications Advisor
United Nations Population Fund

Ann Erb-Leoncavallo has worked in the United Nations for two decades and currently serves as speechwriter and communication adviser at UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

Nicole Nakashian
Managing Director
Agio Technology

Nicole Nakashian has been leading technology teams within the finance industry for over 10 years. Nicole earned a bachelor of arts degree in communication from SUNY Albany, a MBA from Long Island University, is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), and holds Series 7 and 63 licenses. Nicole lives with her partner in New York City and is the proud mother of twin girls, Madeline and Avery.

Phoebe Yeh
Editorial Director
HarperCollins Children's Books

Phoebe Yeh is an editorial director at Harper Collins Children's Books. She and her team of four editors are responsible for managing the C.S. Lewis and Shel Silverstein estate programs, the Collins imprint, Let's Read and Find Out science series and the Amistad co-publishing program as well as acquiring individual picture book, tween and teen novels. Prior to arriving at Harper in 1996, she was the editor of the Magic School Bus series and the SeeSaw Book Club for K-1 readers at Scholastic Inc. She lives in New York City with her family.