The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation and The de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi are proud to introduce the individuals on our Executive Committee, Advisory Committee and Leadership Team, who have signed on to implement, honor and celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Ezra Jack Keats Award.
Executive Committee
Our 35th Anniversary Executive Committee includes esteemed executives and senior leaders from major publishing houses, universities, public library systems, and advocacy organizations. They share the goals of the EJK Award and are actively dedicated to the creation and development of children’s literature that reflect the diverse population of our country and world.
Jon Anderson, President and Publisher
Children’s Publishing Division, Simon & Schuster
Rita Auerbach, Chair
EJK Award committee
Rodney Bennett, President
The University of Southern Mississippi
Terry Borzumato-Greenberg, V.P. Marketing & Publicity
Holiday House Publishing
Thelma Golden, Director
Studio Museum in Harlem
Melissa Jacobs, Director of Library Services
NYC DOE Office of Library Services
Linda E. Johnson, Pres./CEO
Brooklyn Public Library
Nicole Johnson, Executive Director
New School, WNDB (We Need Diverse Books)
Carl Lennertz, Executive Director
Children’s Book Council
Leonard Marcus, Curator, Author, Historian
Anthony Marx, President & CEO
New York Public Library
Claudette McLinn, Executive Director
Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature
Richard Michelson, Author & Founder/Owner
R. Michelson Galleries
Suzanne Murphy, President & Publisher
HarperCollins Children’s Books
Vaunda Nelson, Author, Youth Services Librarian (retired)
Rio Rancho Public Library, New Mexico
Catherine Onder, Senior Vice-President & Publisher
Books for Young Readers, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Andrea Davis Pinkney, Award Winning Author, Editor-at-Large
Scholastic
Deborah Pope, Executive Director
Ezra Jack Keats Foundation
Jennifer Roberts, Executive Director of Marketing, Publicity, and Events
Candlewick
Ellen Ruffin, Curator Literature Collection
De Grummond Collection
Yolanda Scott, Associate Publisher and Editorial Director
Charlesbridge
Deborah Taylor, Coordinator, Student & Youth Services (Retired)
Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore
Megan Tingley, Executive Vice President & Publisher
Hachette Book Group
Patty Bayer Troup, Trustee
Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, Board Member
Dennis Walcott, Pres./CEO
Queens Public LIbrary
Faith Wallace Gadsden, Managing Director
Archemides Project
Caroline Ward, Youth Literature Consultant
Ken Wright, Vice President & Publisher
Penguin Young Readers Group
Advisory Committee
The authors and illustrators listed below have received Ezra Jack Keats Awards and/or Honors, have been jurors on the EJK Award Selection Committee* and/or have nurtured the EJK Award.
Micha Archer, Author/Illustrator, Website
Adam Auerbach, Author/Illustrator, Website
Jessixa Bagley, Author/Illustrator, Website
Derrick Barnes, Author, Website
Cari Best, Author, Website
Sophie Blackall, Author/Illustrator, Website
Shirin Yim Bridges, Publisher, Author, Website
Keith Calabrese, Author, Website
K.G. Campbell, Author/Illustrator, Website
Bryan Collier, Author/Illustrator, Website
Misty Copeland, American Ballet dancer & Author, Website
Ashleigh Corrin, Illustrator
*Nina Crews, Illustrator, Instagram
Laurel Croza, Author, Website
*Pat Cummings, Author/Illustrator, Website
Mike Curato, Author/Illustrator, Website
Bianca Diaz, Illustrator, Website
*Sharon Draper, Author, Website
Ame Dyckman, Author, Website
*Zetta Elliott, Author, Website
Matthew Farina, Author
Julie Fogliano, Author, Instagram
E.B. Goodale, Author/Illustrator, Website
Janice N. Harrington, Author, Website
Chris Haughton, Author/Illustrator, Website
Juanita Havill, Author
Daisy Hirst, Author/Illustrator, Website
Stian Hole, Author/Illustrator, Facebook
Matt James, Author/Illustrator, Website
D.B. Johnson, Author/Illustrator, Website
Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw, Author/Illustrator, Website
Megan Dowd Lambert, Author, Website
Jennifer Lanthier, Author, Website
Jessica Love, Author/Illustrator, Website
Elaine Magliaro, Author, Facebook
*Fran Manushkin, Author, Website
Juana Martinez-Neal, Author/Illustrator, Website
Stacy McAnulty, Author, Website
Meg Medina, Author, Website
Aaron Meshon, Author/Illustrator, Website
Pat Zietlow Miller, Author, Website
Oge Mora, Illustrator, Website
*Christopher Myers, Author/Illustrator, Website
Soyung Pak, Author, Twitter
Zeke Peña, Illustrator, Website
Bao Phi, Author, Website
Chris Raschka, Author/Illustrator, Twitter
Kate Read, Author/Illustrator, Website
Christian Robinson, Author/Illustrator, Website
Mara Rockliff, Author, Website
*Marisabina Russo, Author/Illustrator, Facebook
Doug Salati, Illustrator, Website
Francesca Sanna, Illustrator, Website
Julia Sarcone-Roach, Author/Illustrator, Website
Sydney Smith, Author/Illustrator, Website
Shadra Strickland, Illustrator, Website
Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, Author, Website
John Sullivan, Author, Simon & Schuster
*Melissa Sweet, Author/Illustrator, Website
Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie, Author, Website
Don Tate, Author/Illustrator, Website
Yoriko Tsutsui, Author
Evan Turk, Author/Illustrator, Website
Chieri Uegaki, Author, Website
Phoebe Wahl, Author/Illustrator, Website
Rowboat Watkins, Author/Illustrator, Website
Jeri Watts, Author, Twitter
Deborah Wiles, Author, Website
Nicola Winstanley, Author, Website
Taeeun Yoo, Author/Illustrator, Website
Hyewon Yum, Author/Illustrator, Website
*Paul Zelinsky, Author/Illustrator, Website
Leadership Team
The dedicated members of our Leadership Team are responsible for designing and implementing the EJK Award 35th Anniversary Public Awareness Campaign along with our Executive Committee, Advisory Committee and the thousands around the country who are committed to the goals of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.
Ramona Caponegro, Associate Professor, Eastern Michigan University
Stace Mercier, President, The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation
Deborah Pope, Executive Director, Ezra Jack Keats Foundation
Karen Rowell, Director of Children’s Book Festival, The University of Southern Mississippi
Ellen Ruffin, Curator Literature Collection, De Grummond Collection
John Scott, Librarian, Friends School of Baltimore
Robyn L. Stein, Campaign Director, EJK Award 35th Anniversary, Robyn L. Stein Group
Claire Thompson, Coordinator, EJK Award, The University of Southern Mississippi
Tracy van Straaten, President, TvS Media Group LLC
Diana Vozza, Associate Director, Ezra Jack Keats Foundation
Teresa Welsh, Professor and Director of Library Info and Science, The University of Southern Mississippi