Jennifer Baker is a publishing professional of almost 20 years, creator/host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast, and faculty member of the MFA program in creative nonfiction at Bay Path University. In 2019, she was named Publishers Weekly Superstar for her contributions to inclusion and representation in publishing. Jennifer is also the editor of the BIPOC-short story anthology Everyday People: The Color of Life (Atria Books, 2018) and the author of the forthcoming novel Forgive Me Not (Putnam BFYR, 2022). Her fiction, nonfiction, and criticism has appeared in various print and online publications. Her website is: jennifernbaker.com. 

Cherise Fisher began her career in publishing as the assistant to the Editor-in-Chief of Dell Publishing a month after graduating from Yale University. Over the course of her twenty-five year career, she worked as an acquiring editor at Simon & Schuster and the Editor-in-Chief of Plume. As an agent, she is interested in working with novelists who have several compulsively readable yarns in their head and are committed to perfecting their craft as storytellers. She will advocate for memoirs that uncover the diversity of human experience, and take on non-fiction writers who are experts on a variety of topics such as personal development, health and sexuality, racial identity, Christianity and spirituality, diet and fitness, African American history, and pop culture. Her intention is that all the books she helps bring into the world are relevant, enduring, and help readers maximize joy and productivity in their lives.

Gilda Squire founded Squire Media & Management, Inc. in 2008. The boutique management and PR firm oversees the career of groundbreaking ballerina Misty Copeland, which has resulted in several endorsement deals, film, book, and television projects. The firm also manages public relations for actor Courtney B. Vance, whose stunning portrayal as “Johnnie Cochran” on FX’s mega hit series The People vs. OJ Simpson earned him EMMY, Critics Choice, and NAACP Image awards, and Golden Globe winner Angela Bassett, who is one of the most gifted and beloved actresses of this era. In addition to talent management and public relations, the firm offers media training and brand marketing services for a number of projects for television networks, film studios, media corporations, and streaming services. Prior to founding Squire Media & Management, Gilda served as a Director of Publicity at HarperCollins Publishers. She was responsible for overseeing publicity and book tours for the corporation's Amistad imprint, as well as several titles under the publisher's flagship HarperCollins imprint. Gilda began her career in publishing at the G.P. Putnam and Riverhead imprints at Penguin. Before transitioning into book publishing, Gilda was a brand marketing manager at Goldman, Sachs & Co. where she served as project manager for the firm’s global recruitment marketing efforts, as well as implemented Goldman’s inaugural diversity marketing program in the U.S. in 2000, which included advertising, sponsorships, events, and internal communications components. In addition to her many professional accomplishments, Gilda managed the celebrity and media components of the prestigious American Ballet Theatre’s fall and spring galas, building the events to be must-attend affairs each season with attendees such as Zoe Kravitz, Karlie Kloss, Selena Gomez, Meghan Markle, Christopher Noth, Alec Baldwin, Solange, and Coco Rocha.

Bridgett M. Davis is a novelist, essayist, teacher, filmmaker, memoirist and curator. She pronounces her name Bridge-JET.  She is author of the memoir The World According To Fannie Davis: My Mother’s Life in the Detroit Numbers, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, and named a Best Book of 2019 by Kirkus Reviews and Real Simple magazine.  Davis’ second novel, Into The Go-Slow, was selected as a best book of 2014 by Salon, The San Francisco Chronicle, BookRiot, Bustle and The Root, among others. Time Out New York named Davis one of “10 New York Authors to Read Right Now”. Into The Go-Slow was praised by Nigerian writer Chris Abani as, “a beautiful allegory of love, family, expansion, hope and transformation”.  Equally dedicated to her work as a teacher and mentor, Davis is Professor of Journalism and the Writing Professions at Baruch College, CUNY, where she teaches Creative, Film and Narrative Writing. She also facilitates writing workshops for junior faculty of color and women seeking to complete and publish their creative and scholarly works. A graduate of Spelman College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Davis lives in Brooklyn with family.