Diversity & Inclusion Track Speakers

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Dr. MELVIN BANKS

Dr. Melvin Banks, Sr., is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.).  Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education and other resources for churches in the African American community and throughout the world.  UMI was started in 1970 in the basement of his home in Chicago with a publication focused on teens. Today, from its corporate headquarters in suburban Chicago, UMI has served over 50,000 churches with a product line of curriculum, books, video and many other resources.  The company’s focus on contextual resources also led to many other publishers, churches and denominations becoming more diverse and culturally relevant in the reach and content of their product offerings.  Dr. Banks earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies at Wheaton College where he was later awarded an honorary doctorate and served for many years as a board member.  Dr. Banks and his wife Olive live in South Holland, Illinois.  The couple has three children.

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jevon bolden

Best-selling editor, writer, and literary agent, Jevon Bolden is CEO of Embolden Media Group, a boutique publishing consulting firm in sunny Florida. With sixteen years’ experience in publishing, Jevon shares the best of what she knows at conferences, workshops, and in coaching sessions with passionate, creative, and influential people who desire to publish great books that make a difference. Jevon has a bachelor’s degree in English, with a minor in sociology, from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.  She is also the founder of Christian Publishing Professionals of Color.

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joyce dinkins

Joyce Dinkins is a publishing leader with Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODBM), a Christian nondenominational nonprofit. After two years executing editorial for the Our Daily Bread devotional, Joyce now directs a publishing board that develops partnerships, provides publishing services, and develops products for diverse African American entities and audiences as well as for general markets. Joyce collaborates to acquire authors and other publishing talent for special editions of Our Daily Bread, for books published by Our Daily Bread Publishing, and collaborates in content development for other ODBM channels, at US headquarters.  Before joining ODBM in 2015, she dedicated 9 years as New Hope Publishers managing editor, 4 years as a NavPress editor, and 13 years as a David C. Cook editor. Joyce’s freelance work includes projects for a dozen more Christian publishers since 1995. After beginning her professional career as an NBC-TV news writer, she was a copywriter at the Chicago Tribune, and created corporate communications for many years.  Since 2005, Joyce has enjoyed membership in the Academy of Christian Editors and is now a board member.  She has earned awards and honors from professional groups, and as an undergraduate and graduate student. By collaborating in a range of publishing conferences, she enjoys sharing her enthusiasm and experience.

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Cris garrido

Cris Garrido serves as vice-president and publisher for Spanish at HarperCollins Christian Publishing. His career in publishing started 7 years ago in acquisitions and has expanded to overseeing all areas of the business, both domestically and internationally. Before working in publishing, Cris worked in international Christian community development, serving in over 20 countries. This global view of the Church informed his publishing strategies and drove his passion for shaping lives through content development and stewardship from the start. Cris has degrees in business management and in theological education. Most importantly, he is a husband to Georgina and dad to Colette and Nicolás.

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Dr. theon hill

Theon E. Hill (Ph.D., Purdue University) is an Associate Professor of Communication at Wheaton College where he studies the intersections of race, religion, and politics in American culture. His work has appeared in numerous scholarly journals and edited collections along with popular outlets like Christianity Today.  Dr. Hill is also the Director for the upcoming Center for Faith, Race, and Ethnicity.

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helen lee

Helen Lee is the associate director of strategic partnerships and initiatives at InterVarsity Press and the director of content and resource development at Missio Alliance. She has more than twenty years of experience in Christian publishing as an editor, writer, and marketer prior to her current roles. Helen loves to help people to identify how their experiences and passions can translate into published work and is a staunch advocate for voices of color in Christian spaces and places. She lives in Chicagoland with her husband Brian and their three teenaged sons.

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edward gilbreath

Edward Gilbreath is an award-winning journalist and author, and currently serves as an executive editor at InterVarsity Press. His books include Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical's Inside View of White Christianity and Birmingham Revolution: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Epic Challenge to the Church. He has served previously as the executive director of communications for the Evangelical Covenant Church, an editor of numerous magazines at Christianity Today, and the founding editor of Urban Ministries Inc.'s UrbanFaith.com.  Visit his website at edgilbreath.com.  Follow him on Twitter: @EdGilbreath.

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patnacia goodman

Patnacia Goodman is a nonfiction acquisitions editor at Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Growing up as an avid reader, her love for words led her to pursue her B.A. in English Literature and Writing from Bethel University. She makes her home in Minneapolis, and when she isn't reading, she spends her time trying to enjoy all four seasons (yes, even the Minnesota winters).

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ashley hong

Ashley Hong is an assistant editor at Random House, where she acquires nonfiction books for the Convergent imprint. She is the editor of Madeleine L’Engle’s spiritual classics, as well as the forthcoming A Rhythm of Prayer by Sarah Bessey. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, running, and producing audio storytelling.

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jamie lapeyrolerie

Jamie started out book blogging in 2012, before it led to working in publishing. Since starting at WaterBrook and Multnomah in 2016, several books she has worked on include New York Times best-sellers and acclaimed & best-selling children’s illustrated books. She is also part of the team behind WaterBrook’s newest imprint, Ink and Willow, a line of interactive products that infuse contemplation and inspiration into the regular spiritual practice of creative-minded Christians.  She is part of Penguin Random House Diversity and Inclusion committees, Entrusted Women, Christian Publishing Professionals of Color, and also does sensitivity reading for authors. You can find her writing about all things bookish and travel adventures at www.musingsofjamie.com and connect around social @musingsofjamie.

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amanda mae steele

Amanda Mae Steele is a native of San Francisco, CA, and is currently based out of Franklin, TN with her musician husband, Nick, and 11-year-old puppy, Dino. She is a writer, photographer, and the marketing specialist for B&H Kids (LifeWay). Her background is in performing arts (singing, dancing, and acting) which really grew her love for people, culture, stories, and travel. 

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maila kue

Maila Kue currently resides in Chicagoland, Illinois. She holds an MA in Christian formation and ministry, with a concentration in Bible and theology, from Wheaton College Graduate School. She works for InterVarsity Press while also offering marketing consultation to various organizations including Crazy Love Ministries, Golden Shores Initiative, Wheaton College Graduate School, and the Asian American Christian Collaborative. Maila is a speaker and writer; she is passionate about discipling the next generation of Asian American leaders and empowering young women to step into their God-given calling. 

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brian allain

Brian Allain leads Writing for Your Life, a resource center for spiritual writers, and provides marketing services for authors and companies through Who Are You Trying To Serve? His work includes the Publishing in Color conference series, which is intended to increase the number of books published by spiritual writers of color, who have been under-represented in terms of the number of books published.  Brian also leads the team that produces Compassionate Christianity. Previously Brian served as Founding Director of the Frederick Buechner Center where he led the launch of Mr. Buechner’s online presence and established several new programs and strategic partnerships. Brian has developed and led spiritual writers conferences at Princeton Theological Seminary, Drew Theological Seminary, Western Theological Seminary, Belmont University, New Brunswick Seminary, and several churches. He led the DIY-publishing effort for the book Buechner 101: An Introduction to Frederick Buechner, in collaboration with Anne Lamott. All of this is a second career, coming after successful business and technology leadership in high-tech. Brian has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was designated a Palmer Scholar, their highest academic award. 

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lisa crayton

Lisa A. Crayton has more than 30 years’ communications experience. She is a freelance editor with Harambe Press, and provides freelance services (including sensitivity reading, and collaborative writing) to other publishers. An award-winning freelance writer, she also is the author of sixteen nonfiction books, including fifteen children’s/YA titles. She has served as a judge for the Christian Book Award®, Christy Awards®, and other contests. A member of the Evangelical Press Association and other professional organizations, Lisa earned two degrees, including her M.F.A. from National University. Website: https://lisacrayton.wordpress.com

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nicola menzie

Nicola A. Menzie is a religion reporter who writes on the intersection of race, culture, and Christianity. Nicola is also the founder and publisher of Faithfully Magazine (faithfullymagazine.com), a news and culture publication centering on Christian communities of color. Her work has appeared or been mentioned in such outlets as The Washington Post, Christianity Today, the Religion News Service, The Christian Post, CBS News, and elsewhere.

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Eréndira Ramírez-Ortega

Eréndira Ramírez-Ortega is a Christian who writes. Her fiction, essays, and poetry appear widely in various publications, including The Washington Post, The Millions, The Brevity Blog, Crosswalk, and others. She holds a BA from UCLA and an MFA from Mills College. She’s in the middle of completing a novel. Her writing is described as contemporary with a Christian worldview and a sensibility to identity in all its facets: faith, second-generation Mexican, language, motherhood, trauma, silence, and transformation. She writes a semi-monthly newsletter, Lovely Things and is the co-founder of Burning Bush Press, a project meant to encourage believers by bringing literary works that sharpen, stimulate, and advance the kingdom. It launches a biennial short story contest for homeschoolers in grades 3 through 8.