Bay Area Women in Publishing

BOARD MEMBERS

KATY BEEHLER — President, Robin Seaman Award Committee Chair

Katy Beehler (she/her) is a Product Manager at the tech for social good non-profit, Benetech. She works on Bookshare, a software application for the world's largest digital library for people with print reading disabilities. Katy has over 15 years of experience in the book industry, previously working for Independent Publishers Group, INscribe Digital, and Borders Group Inc. As a native Michigander, she can often be spotted at BAWiP events talking about Michigan football, the Detroit Red Wings hockey team, and pop (not soda). She earned her BA from University of Michigan and her MA in Jewish Art and Visual Culture from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. In addition to her role as President, Katy chairs the Robin Seaman Award, Governance, and Nomination Committees.

EDEN JULIA SUGAY — Vice President, Communications Committee Chair, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and Leader of BIPOC and Queer Affinity Groups

Eden Sugay (they/them) is a Publishing Sales Manager at VIZ Media. Eden has previously worked for Ingram Content Group (formerly Perseus Books Group) and Chronicle Books in sales, marketing, events, and client management. Eden is also Poetry Editor for Apricity Press, a multi-genre arts press that publishes one issue per year. They earned their BA in Creative Writing from Mills College in Oakland, CA and is pursuing their MFA in Writing at University of San Francisco. In addition to their role as Vice President, Eden is an active member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, Communications Committee Chair, and a BAWiP Mentor.

KATE WARNE — Secretary, Co-Chair Events Committee

Kate Warne is Director of Editing, Design, and Production at the University of California Press. She’s also an advisory board member for the Bay Area–based Publishing Professionals Network. An editor by training, she now particularly enjoys being a manager and is interested in the ways professional relationships drive success in organizations. Outside work, Kate hikes, reads, writes, and sometimes rides her bike.

ALEX HENDERSON — Social and Education Events Committee

Alex Henderson joined Labyrinth Learning four years ago as an Editorial Assistant and is now an Editor, overseeing the creation, release and upgrading of the company’s online courses and multimedia products, and also its internal processes. Alex graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Creative Writing, and interned at the California Film Institute and Avalon Travel. She is a member of BAWiP's Education Committee.

MICHELLE PHAN — Robin Seaman Award Committee, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, BIPOC and Queer Affinity Groups

Michelle Phan is a publicist at North Atlantic Books. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a B.A. in English and a minor in Asian American studies, she moved from SoCal to the Bay Area, where she spends a lot of time camping, hiking, and shopping at Berkeley Bowl. In addition to her role on the board, she is a member of the Robin Seaman Award Committee, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and the Communications Committee.

GUILLIAN HETZLER — Robin Seaman Award Co-Chair

Guillian Hetzler is a founding board member of Bay Area Women in Publishing and is co-chair of the Robin Seaman Award Committee. Most recently she was Director of Content and Library Partnerships at Benetech, a nonprofit that runs Bookshare, a global digital library for people with print disabilities. She is a passionate advocate for accessible books and has served on related committees with organizations including the Book Industry Study Group, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, W3C, and the DAISY Consortium. Previously, Guillian worked in client services at INscribe Digital and editorial at Simon & Schuster and Entangled Publishing. She is a graduate of Harvard College and the Columbia Publishing Course and is always on the lookout for her next great read.

CHLOE WONG — Communications Committee

Chloe Wong (she/her) is Product Marketing Manager at University of California Press. She started her career in publishing at Berrett-Koehler Publishers after graduating from UC Berkeley. She lives in San Francisco, CA where she enjoys reading a little bit of everything and running the Marina Green.

DOROTHY HEARST — Membership Committee Chair, Diversity and Inclusion Committee

Dorothy Hearst (she/her) has over twenty years of experience in the publishing industry as an acquiring editor, marketing professional, book doctor, co-writer, and proposal writer. Clients include Vice President Kamala Harris, UN Undersecretary General for Communications Melissa Fleming, Creative Artist Agency, Flatiron books, and Roaring Brook Press. She specializes in finding, crafting, and sharing ideas and stories that can change the way people live, work, and see the world. She was Senior Editor at Jossey-Bass/John Wiley & Sons, and acquiring-editor-at-large for Sounds True. She is the author of The Wolf Chronicles trilogy (Simon & Schuster) and co-author with Pam Berkman of the At the Heels of History chapter book series (Margaret K. McElderry Books). She would like to pet your dog.

ROCHON PERRY — BIPOC Womxn in Publishing Committee, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and Co-Chair, Education Events Committee

Rochon Perry is co-founder of WRTB, LLC, which consists of Cedar Grove Publishing (book company) and Articulate Fish Media Group (digital marketing and media), along with her partners Rebecca Sims-Nichols and Gloria Davenport-Wilson. With the tagline Every Book is Somebody's Story, Cedar Grove Publishing's books celebrate diversity, and being true to yourself while overcoming adversity to achieve success. Previously, Rochon was an Art Director for a local San Francisco television station. She also worked on the White House Access to Capital for Small Business campaign, Bishop Desmond Tutu's first tour upon his release from prison, and has helped independent comic book companies and non-profits launch new marketing and publicity campaigns, curated cartoon exhibitions and been an Eisner Award judge. Rochon is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association, Institute for Comic Studies, CALIBA, Bay Area Independent Book Publishers Association, People of Color in Publishing, the Children's Book Council and the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. She is also the recipient of several awards, including an award for news content from the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).

KELLY PETERSON — Professional Development and Education Co-Chair

Kelly Peterson is Director of Client Services at INscribe Digital, and brings 20 years of marketing and merchandising experience to her current role, helping major trade publishers, university presses, independent publishers, agents and authors maximize their eBook sales and marketing efforts at the major retailers. Prior to INscribe, Kelly worked at Borders Group, Inc. for 14 years, initially at Waldenbooks and later running the eBook program. Kelly currently chairs BAWiP's Education Committee. She is also a board member of Independent Book Publishers' Association, and serves on the Member Benefits Committee. She sees every nominated Oscar film annually (59 last year alone!) and is always ready with a book or movie recommendation. She believes each of us have the ability to change the world.

RAYA RAHMAN — Mentorship Task Force

Raya Rahman is a children's book author and the founder and editor of a bilingual picture book company called Guba Publishing. She works in partnership with other authors, illustrators and non-profit organizations to publish diverse and multicultural children's stories and learning resources. Raya lives in Oakland, California with her husband and their two daughters.

JOHANNA VONDELING — Diversity and Inclusion Chair, Mentorship Task Force Co-Chair

Johanna Vondeling 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, after joining 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 BAWiP's board, she is on the advisory board of the Publishing Professionals Network and is the proud recipient of PPN's 2020 Distinguished Service Award.