Bay Area
WOMEN in PUBLISHING
THE ROBIN SEAMAN AWARD
Who Is Involved in the Robin Seaman Award?
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This award grew out of a partnership between Robin Seaman’s family and Bay Area Women in Publishing, a professional organization co-founded by Robin Seaman and others in 2012. Robin’s family, colleagues and friends serve on the RSA Committee, along with members of BAWiP, and other representatives of the Bay Area publishing community. We’ve been developing this award since fall 2019 to honor and support women and non-binary people from all backgrounds and professional levels who are passionate about publishing.
Our Partners
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Heartfelt thanks to all of the people and organizations who are supporting the Robin Seaman Award, including:
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The Seaman Family, including Scott Seaman (Robin’s brother) and Laura Seaman (Robin’s niece)
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Bay Area Women in Publishing, a professional organization that connects and supports current and aspiring colleagues who identify as women or non-binary, helping them to advance their career goals while building community and a more equitable environment in publishing (co-founded by Robin Seaman and others in 2012)
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Benetech, a nonprofit technology company developing software for the social good, which developed the Bookshare project (where Robin Seaman worked from 2008 to 2019)
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The Social Good Fund, an organization that sponsors projects that help positively impact and develop local communities into healthier and happier places to live, work, and be
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If you are interested in partnering with us, please contact us.
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Robin Seaman Award Committee Members
Scott Seaman
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Scott Seaman is Robin Seaman’s brother. He lives with his wife Christina in San Jose, CA, where he served in the police department until he became chief of police for Los Gatos/Monte Sereno. A few months after Robin’s passing in 2019, Scott proposed the creation of this award program to Charlotte Abbott and the BAWiP board, suggesting that it be named after Robin and funded by the Seaman family and Robin’s many friends and colleagues. Knowing how much Robin benefited from the support of her publishing mentors, and how she helped found BAWiP with Charlotte and others, Scott wanted to collaborate on an award that would open doors for applicants who want to make a positive impact in the publishing industry. The Seaman Family, including Scott and Christina’s two adult children, Brendan and Laura, are forever grateful to Robin’s friends and colleagues who have worked so hard to develop the Robin Seaman Award.
Laura Seaman
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Laura Seaman is Robin‘s niece. She runs a nonprofit, lives in the Bay Area with her partner and their rescue dog, and volunteers as a youth soccer coach. Laura credits her aunt Robin with instilling in her a lifelong love of books. One of her earliest memories is of sneaking into her aunt’s study on Christmas Eve to curl up with the copy of Little Women that Robin had let her open early. Laura feels lucky to have had Robin as a mentor and role model, and is proud of Robin’s personal and professional legacies—including as a trailblazer in her industry. She hopes the Robin Seaman Award will support others as they build rewarding, impactful careers in the world of book publishing.
Charlotte Abbott
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Charlotte Abbott started BAWiP with Robin Seaman in March 2012 to help Bay Area women become recognized as publishing leaders, and began creating the Robin Seaman Award with Scott Seaman and the BAWIP Board in July 2019. She brings 30 years of experience to her marketing consultancy, Futureproof Content, which helps publishing and tech companies grow their audiences with stories that drive results. A frequent speaker at industry conferences, Charlotte also serves on the Programming Committee of the Women's Media Group in New York. Earlier in her career, she honed her storytelling and audience-building skills as a journalist at Publishers Weekly and an acquiring editor at HarperCollins and Avon Books. A native San Franciscan and Yale graduate, she thrives on the synergy of living in Brooklyn, New York, and visiting the Bay Area and London regularly.