Board of Directors

  • MADELINE McINTOSH

    MADELINE McINTOSH, President
    Cofounder, CEO & Publisher, Authors Equity

    Madeline McIntosh is the co-founder, CEO and president of Authors Equity, an author-centered independent publishing launched in 2024. She previously served as CEO of Penguin Random House U.S.

  • SASHA QUINTON

    SASHA QUINTON, Secretary
    EVP and President, School and Reading Events, Scholastic

    Sasha Quinton is Executive Vice President and Publisher of Scholatic Children’s Book Group, which encompasses Scholastic’s unmatched Trade publishing, home to best-selling and beloved franchises such as Harry Potter, Dog Man, The Baby-Sitters Club, Clifford, and more; and the company’s iconic Book Fairs and Clubs, providing nearly 30 million kids with equitable access to books while raising over $240M in resources every year for schools and educators. She joined Scholastic in 2020 as President, Scholastic Book Fairs, driving unprecedented growth by successfully innovating and delivering highly engaging books kids love to read through compelling, reading-focused experiences for schools, families, and communities. Her most recent position was President, Scholastic School Reading Events which expanded her portfolio to include Book Clubs. 

    With over two decades of publishing, distribution, marketing, and retail experience, Quinton has earned a reputation as a thought leader in the publishing industry. Prior to Scholastic, she held senior leadership roles at Barnes and Noble Inc., the largest U.S. retail bookseller, and ReaderLink Distribution Services, North America’s largest full-service book distributor, where she designed bespoke book programs for leading retailers—from mass merchants to grocery chains—and oversaw all marketing functions.

  • PAUL J. VIDICH

    PAUL J. VIDICH, Treasurer
    Writer

    Paul Vidich is the author of six novels: The Coldest Warrior, An Honorable Man, The Good Assassin, The Mercenary, The Matchmaker, and most recently Beirut Station (Pegasus, 2023). Prior to turning to writing, Vidich had a distinguished career in music and media at Time Warner, AOL, and Warner Music Group, where he was executive vice president, in charge of global technology and digital strategy. He is vice chair on the board of governors at the New School for Social Research.

  • KOFI APPENTENG

    KOFI APPENTENG
    President, Africa-America Institute

    Kofi Appenteng is the President of the Greentree Foundation. Founded in 1982, Greentree Foundation is a philanthropic nonprofit organization established by Betsey Cushing Roosevelt, the former daughter-in-law of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, stewarding 408 acres of land in its commitment to peace, philanthropy, and sustainability. It is also committed to causes such as international justice and human rights issues, hosting events for the United Nations by providing its facilities for UN use, and accommodating visiting dignitaries. Among their programs for climate change mitigation and water protection, they also have staff dedicated to land management and grassland restoration; that includes managing invasive species with a unique canopy-gap strategy. 

    Previously, Appenteng served as president of the Africa-America Institute (AAI), a premier U.S.-based organization dedicated to bridging Africa and America to catalyze a more sustainable and equitable world. 

     

  • JOHANNA CASTILLO

    JOHANNA CASTILLO
    Senior Agent, Writers House LLC

    Johanna V. Castillo is a senior agent at Writers House literary agency. Previously, she worked at Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, where she was vice president and executive editor and editorial director of Atria Español.

  • ALLISON J. DAVIS

    ALLISON J. DAVIS
    Founder, Coopty Productions, LLC

    Allison Davis has a long career as a television and non-profit executive. Currently, she is the founder of a video production company that produces documentaries and virtual events.

  • SANYU DILLON

    SANYU DILLON
    President, Random House Publishing Group

    Sanyu Dillon is president of the Random House Publishing Group, where she oversees imprints Random House, The Dial Press, Hogarth, The Modern Library, One World, Ballantine Bantam Dell/Delacorte, Random House Worlds, Harmony/Rodale, Convergent, and WaterBrook & Multnomah. An incisive and inclusive leader guided by future-oriented thinking and a deep passion for creative storytelling, she began her PRH career at Random House in 2004 as director of marketing for the Random House imprint. She held successive marketing roles over the next fourteen years, bringing an empathetic approach centered on a deep understanding of the evolving needs of readers. Dillon moved to corporate marketing in 2018, and in 2020 she became chief marketing officer, helping the company connect with its readers through dynamic storytelling and breakthrough campaigns. She is a member of the Penguin Random House U.S. Board and has an executive MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

  • ALEXANDRA ENGLER

    ALEXANDRA ENGLER
    Independent Financial Analyst

    Alexandra Engler has worked in finance for more than fifteen years, with a strong interest in alternative investments. Most recently she was a senior analyst at Diameter Capital Partners, where she invested across industries, including energy, power, autos, transportation, logistics, gaming, sovereigns, industrials, and municipalities. 

  • KASSIE EVASHEVSKI

    KASSIE EVASHEVSKI
    Co-Head of Media Rights Department, Anonymous Content

    Kassie Evashevski is the co-head of media rights at Anonymous Content. Previously, she was a partner at the United Talent Agency, where she was co-head of the books department. Her career has taken her to Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Writers House, and Random House.

  • ELLIOT FIGMAN

    ELLIOT FIGMAN
    Executive Director Emeritus, Poets & Writers

    Elliot Figman came to Poets & Writers as a volunteer in 1977; in 1981 he became the executive director. Elliot retired as P&W’s executive director at the end of 2020. He led Poets & Writers for nearly four decades, overseeing the launch of Poets & Writers Magazine and pw.org, among other significant initiatives. An accomplished poet, his book, Big Spring, was published by Four Way Books in 2003; his chapbook, Interior Whistle, was published in 2017 by Green Zone Press.

  • TERRANCE G. FINLEY

    TERRANCE G. FINLEY
    CEO, Books-A-Million

    Terrance G. Finley is the chief executive officer of Books-A-Million Inc., the nation’s second largest bookstore chain operating 220 stores in thirty-two states. A veteran of the book industry for over forty years, Mr. Finley began his career as a book buyer at Rich’s Department Store in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been an enthusiastic supporter of Poets & Writers, including as chair of the organization’s annual gala in 2023.

  • A.M. HOMES

    A.M. HOMES
    Writer

    A.M. Homes’ most recent book is The Unfolding (Viking Press/Penguin Random House, 2022). Previous titles include Days of Awe, May We Be Forgiven, This Book Will Save Your Life, Music for Torching, The End of Alice, In a Country of Mothers, Jack, Things You Should Know, The Safety of Objects, and the best-selling memoir, The Mistress’s Daughter. Her opera, RISE, debuted at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 2022. She teaches at Princeton University and sits on the Council of the Writers Guild of America East.

  • KIMBERLY JACKSON

    KIMBERLY JACKSON
    Trustee, Liana Foundation

    Kimberly Jackson worked in direct marketing for an educational publishing company before moving abroad to produce country-based economic reports for an international press agency. She lived and worked in many different countries, ultimately managing teams across the globe. After completing clinical studies in classical Chinese medicine, she attended Columbia University where she earned a master’s degree in narrative medicine, a discipline that integrates the humanities, health care justice, and clinical practice. Jackson brings a narratological framework to both her clinical work and her writing, and she is currently working on a book about her own experiences in the medical community. She serves as a trustee of the Liana Foundation, which supports education and the arts.

  • SALLY KIM

    SALLY KIM
    President and Publisher, Little, Brown

    Sally Kim is president and publisher of Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group. She was previously senior vice president and publisher of G. P. Putnam’s Sons, a Penguin Random House imprint. She’s held senior editorial positions at Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, the Crown Publishing Group, and St. Martin’s Press, after getting her start at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency almost thirty years ago. In 2022, Poets & Writers honored her with the Editor’s Award.

  • CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE

    CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE
    Writer

    Christina Baker Kline is a No. 1 New York Times best-selling author of nine novels, including The ExilesOrphan TrainA Piece of the World, and the forthcoming The Foursome. Her novels are published in forty countries and have received the New England Prize for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, the Inter-Allied Union Prize of the Cercle Interallié (Paris), and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other prizes, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities, and schools as “One Book, One Read” selections. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as the New York Times and the New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, Literary Hub, Psychology Today, and Slate.

  • KATIE MAHON

    KATIE MAHON
    Writer; Banking Executive (Retired)

    Katie Mahon is retired from a senior management position in banking. She recently co-authored her second book, The Miracle Collectors: Uncovering Stories of Wonder, Joy, and Mystery (Worthy Publishing/Hachette, 2021) and continues to speak widely about miracles and spirituality.

  • ROCHELLE RILEY

    ROCHELLE RILEY
    Director of Arts and Culture for the City of Detroit

    Rochelle Riley is the City of Detroit’s director of arts and culture. An award-winning journalist, she was a columnist for the Detroit Free Press for nearly twenty years. She is the author of That They Lived: African Americans Who Changed the World (Wayne State University Press, 2021) and The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery. Her many honors include the Ida B. Wells Award from the National Association of Black Journalists and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. An essayist, keynote speaker, and artist, she remains a writer by trade, warrior by necessity.

  • ERIC SIMONOFF

    ERIC SIMONOFF
    Partner and Literary Agent, WME (William Morris Endeavor)

    Eric Simonoff is a literary agent and partner at the William Morris Endeavor, a global entertainment agency. His clients include Jhumpa Lahiri, Jonathan Lethem, Stacy Schiff, Edward P. Jones, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, Phil Klay, Stephen Chbosky, Christina Baker Kline, Megha Majumdar, Yaa Gyasi, ZZ Packer, and the New Yorker magazine, among others.

  • LIATE STEHLIK

    LIATE STEHLIK
    President and Publisher, The Morrow Group

    Liate Stehlik is president and publisher of the Morrow Group, overseeing the publishing operations for William Morrow, Mariner, Harvest, Avon, Dey Street, and Harper Voyager. Liate joined HarperCollins in 2005 as publisher of Avon Books. Prior to joining HarperCollins, Liate was an associate publisher at Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. She is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and has an M.A. from New York University’s Gallatin Division. She is a member of the board for the NYU/Gallatin Publishing Program. Liate lives in New York City with her husband and four children.

  • ANKE STEINECKE

    ANKE STEINECKE
    EVP & Chief Legal Officer, Penguin Random House

    Anke Steinecke, a recognized expert in First Amendment and intellectual property law, is Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Penguin Random House. In addition to leading the PRH legal team in the United States, she advises and provides legal support across territories with an emphasis on a pragmatic, collaborative, and productive approach to legal matters. She and her team counsel on all aspects of the publishing process, prepublication and content review, litigation, material transactions, including corporate and commercial contracts and M&A, licensing and intellectual property matters, finance, data protection and privacy, and general corporate matters.