Steering Committee

  • RAE CHESNY

    ZORA NEALE HURSTON SCHOLAR

    DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS, ZORA NEALE HURSTON TRUST

  • DR. AIESHA TURMAN

    AFROFUTURIST ETHNOGRAPHER AND TRAUMA & MEMORY THEORIST

  • SAUDA MITCHELL

    CERTIFIED ARCHIVIST, VISUAL ARTIST AND EDUCATOR

Subcommittee Members

  • YVELETTE STINES

    WRITER & PR STRATEGIST

    PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR

  • ANDREA TOSTEN

    CULTURAL PROGRAMS COORDINATOR, OAK CLIFF CULTURAL CENTER

    ARTS COMMITTEE CHAIR

  • DANIELLE DIAMICO

    AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN’S LIBRARIAN

    CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING CHAIR

  • DR. ASHLEY WADE, PHARM D.

    PHARMACIST, AUTHOR, PODCAST HOST & LITERACY ADVOCATE

    PROGRAM COMMITTEE CHAIR

  • RAYMOND WILLIAMS

    CREATOR OF THE ZORA CHALLENGE

    ZNH SUMMIT BOOK CLUB ADMINISTRATOR

  • CAMERON CHESNY

    STUDENT

    CHILDREN’S AMBASSADOR, ZORA NEALE HURSTON TRUST

  • SEANATHAN POILDORE

    HOST OF THE SEAN P. EXPERIENCE & SITTING WITH THE GRIOTS, 6X AUTHOR & PODCAST HOST

    PROGRAM COMMITTEE MEMBER

  • ROBYN BROWN

    DEAN OF STUDENTS & CURRICULUM SPECIALIST, VAN E. BROWN ACADEMY

    PROGRAM COMMITTEE MEMBER

  • JALYN GORDON

    FOUNDER, AFROCOMMUNIVERSITY, CONSULTANT, STRATEGIST

    PROGRAM COMMITTEE MEMBER

  • CRAIG SPENCER

    YOUTH ADVOCATE & ARTIST

    YOUTH ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR

  • AKILAH PEYNADO

    ADMINISTRATIVE LOGISTICS COMMITTEE CHAIR

Advisory Committee

  • ABBY WEST

    VICE PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR FOR AMISTAD BOOKS OF HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS

  • TARA PARSONS EGGERT

    VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF DEPUTY PUBLISHER, HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS

  • LUANA HORRY

    EDITORIAL DIRECTOR FOR AMISTAD FOR YOUNG READERS & HARPERKIDS OF HARPERCOLLINS

  • CARLA KAPLAN

    AUTHOR OF ZORA NEALE HURSTON: A LIFE IN LETTERS AND EDITOR OF EVERY TONGUE GOT TO CONFESS: NEGRO FOLK-TALES FROM THE GULF STATES BY ZORA NEALE HURSTON

  • TINA MCELROY ANSA

    AWARD-WINNING WRITER, NOVELIST, FOUNDER OF THE SEA ISLAND WRITERS RETREAT AND DOWNSOUTH PRESS

  • DR. IMANI PERRY

    INTERDISCIPLINARY SCHOLAR, NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER

  • MONICA MILLER

    CHAIR AND PROFESSOR OF AFRICANA STUDIES, BARNARD COLLEGE

  • JOANNE DELGADILLO

    CHIEF OF STAFF FOR THE OFFICE OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION, BARNARD COLLEGE

  • TRACY CHILES MCGHEE

    MULTI-GENRE AUTHOR, CULTURAL CURATOR & COMMUNITY BUILDER

  • TRELANI MICHELLE

    NYT BEST-SELLING AUTHOR & AFROFUTURIST ANTHROPOLOGIST

  • SEVONNA BROWN

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BLACK WOMEN’S BLUEPRINT

  • MARKTAVIUS NICHOLS

    DIGITAL MEDIA COORDINATOR, FLINT INSTITUTE OF ART

  • SHARON D. JOHNSON, PhD

    LECTURER, CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE DEPT. OF AFRICANA STUDIES AND BARNARD ALUMNA

  • ERICA XAVIER-BEAUVOIR (they/them)

    YEYE OBA (MOTHER KING), PSYCHIC MEDIUM ABOLITIONIST,ORISA PRIEST, HAITIAN VODOUISANT, HEALER, ENERGY WORKER, & EARTH STEWARD

  • DR. JENNIFER FREEMAN MARSHALL

    AUTHOR OF AIN'T I AN ANTHROPOLOGIST: ZORA NEALE HURSTON BEYOND THE LITERARY ICON, INTERDISCIPLINARY SCHOLAR

  • YONA DESHOMMES

    PRESIDENT AND CEO, RIVERCHILD MEDIA