GW Ethics in Publishing Conference 2025

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FULL SCHEDULE: with session abstracts and bios

Schedule subject to change; all times listed EST

Thursday, October 9, 2025

9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST

Hybrid Format—In-Person and Online Presenters and Attendees

GW Arlington Education Center

950 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22203

Friday, October 10, 2025

11:00 am to 4:00 pm EST

Virtual: Online Presenters and Attendees

Hosted by the Graduate Program in Publishing at the George Washington University

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2025 | 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

GW Arlington Education Center

950 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22203

9:00 am – Welcome and Opening Remarks

Puja Telikicherla, Licensing and Subsidiary Rights Manager, American Psychiatric Association

John W. Warren, Professor and Director, Graduate Program in Publishing, George Washington University

9:15 am – Equity and Inclusion in Publishing

Moderated by Yael Fitzpatrick, Gazelle Consultancy

Yael Fitzpatrick is a scholarly publishing ethics expert and art director. She has worked for organizations including the National Academy of Sciences and the Science family of journals, and is committed to influsing truth, empathy, and kindness into the scholarly publishing ecosystem.

Equity at the Editorial Table: Rethinking Board Policies for Inclusive, Ethical Publishing

Daniella Thoren and Jennifer Regala, Wolters Kluwer

The editorial board plays a vital role in setting the intellectual tone, values, and standards of scholarly journals, yet many current board compositions and policies reflect outdated structures that limit inclusive representation and perpetuate systemic inequities. This presentation explores how ethical editorial leadership can be reimagined through a more intentional approach to editorial board policies, appointments, and participation. It will examine how the lack of diversity — across gender, race, geography, career stage, and institution type — not only impacts representation but also affects peer review outcomes, topic selection, and publication bias. We will present a framework for revising editorial board policies to embed principles of transparency, accountability, and equity.

Daniella Thoren is Associate Director of Editorial at Wolters Kluwer Health, where she oversees a portfolio of peer-reviewed medical and nursing journals. With over 20 years of experience in scholarly publishing, Daniella leads editorial strategy, board development, and content innovation across multiple titles. Her work focuses on fostering equitable editorial practices, strengthening society partnerships, and advancing the ethical integrity of scientific communication. She is particularly passionate about diversifying editorial boards and implementing inclusive governance policies that reflect the communities journals serve.

Jennifer Regala is an accomplished leader in the scholarly publishing industry, with over 20 years of experience across a range of prominent organizations. As of May 2024, she serves as Associate Director, Publishing, at Wolters Kluwer Health, where she works with award-winning news magazine publications such as Oncology Times and Emergency Medicine News. She was recently elected to the board of directors of the Society of Scholarly Publishers.

The Rhetoric of Hybrid Publishing: Negotiating Legitimacy and Stigma in the Modern Publishing Landscape

Brittany Griffiths, DePaul University

In today’s evolving literary landscape, hybrid publishing has emerged as a disruptive force that challenges traditional notions of legitimacy, authorship, and artistic authority. Defined by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) as an author-subsidized business model, hybrid publishing combines the professional standards of traditional publishing with a financial structure in which authors invest in the process. This presentation offers a rhetorical analysis of how hybrid publishing is framed in public and institutional discourse. Drawing on digital ethnography, interviews, and publishing scholarship, it explores how legitimacy is constructed, contested, and redefined. This session invites critical reflection on access, equity, and creative agency in an evolving publishing ecosystem.

Brittany Griffiths is an undergraduate in DePaul University’s Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse program and the Senior Manager of Operations at Brown Books Publishing Group, a hybrid publisher in Dallas, Texas. With experience across independent, library, and trade publishing, she brings a cross-industry perspective to developing sustainable publishing models and author-centered initiatives. Brittany’s work focuses on the rhetorics of publishing and how emerging technologies can improve accessibility and impact within the literary world. She is also the writer behind From the Stack, a Substack publication featuring cultural criticism and essays on literature, film, travel, and publishing.

The Primary Beneficiary: Equity in Publishing Internships

Jolie Hale and Dianne Wade, University of South Carolina Press

Many publishers have long relied on interns to support day-to-day operations, and in return, we want our internships to offer value by supporting the personal and professional development of the young people who may someday fill our shoes. In addition, paying interns for their work is increasingly common practice in many parts of the industry. However, some internships remain unpaid, and we must acknowledge these opportunities effectively exclude people who cannot afford to work without a paycheck. With limited financial resources and staff time, how can we ensure our internships promote diversity and equity in publishing? What does it take, besides a paycheck, to make internships more equitable? This session will discuss the role interns play at publishing houses, the evolution of internship programs in recent years, and how we can design (and perhaps fund) a more valuable internship.

Dianne Wade is a former First-Gen student, who earned an MA in English Literature from the University of Delaware in 2019. My career goal has always been to work in the world of books and I've been with the University of South Carolina Press since November 2023 as the marketing assistant. Breaking into the publishing world was a difficult process which is why it is now a personal mission of mine to help, however I can, in steering this career field into being more accessible for those who need a little extra help in starting out.

Jolie Hale is Rights and Contracts Coordinator at the University of South Carolina Press and a freelance royalty bookkeeper on the agency side of the business. Before joining USC Press, she spent four years as an adjunct instructor of both English and French. She has also worked as a copyeditor and literary translator. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens College, CUNY.

10:45 am – Ethics and Peer Review

Moderated by Tina Donnelly, Penguin Random House

Tina Donnelly is an Assistant Managing Editor at Penguin Random House Audio, where she works on audiobooks as well as Large Print titles. She is an alumna of The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. where she earned a MPS in Publishing from the College of Professional Studies in 2022. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Ethics Over Optics: Reimagining Peer Review Reform for Lasting Change

Maryam Sayab, Asian Council of Science Editors (ACSE)

Peer review—the cornerstone of scholarly publishing—is experiencing a profound crisis of trust. Rising retractions, opaque processes, the proliferation of AI-generated content, reviewer fatigue, and unequal recognition have raised critical concerns about its credibility and fairness. While reform initiatives such as open peer review and AI-assisted workflows aim to enhance transparency, many fall short of addressing the deeper ethical foundations of the system. This presentation critically examines the ethical dimensions of peer review reform, raising questions about whether current innovations represent genuine progress or merely symbolic adaptations of outdated practices.

Maryam Sayab is the Director of Communications at the Asian Council of Science Editors (ACSE) and Co-Chair of Peer Review Week. With a background rooted in research integrity and publication ethics, she actively works to advance regional conversations around responsible peer review, transparent editorial practices, and inclusive open science. Maryam is dedicated to building bridges between global publishing standards and the practical realities faced by researchers and editors, especially across Asia and the Arab world. She also supports initiatives that strengthen community-driven collaboration, ethical scholarship, and the sustainable development of research ecosystems. Connect with her on Twitter and ORCID.

Beyond Compliance: Rooting Ethics in Peer Review for a Transformative Publishing Landscape

Ana Lewis, Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) and Julia Mullen, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

There must be a larger conversation on ethical infrastructure, as ethics form the core of peer review and underpin the integrity of publishing models. This session identifies peer review not as a static output, but a continuous, value-driven practice rooted in an ethical infrastructure that organizations can embed into their everyday operations. Ultimately, we frame peer review ethics as an organizational strategy, notably via our proposed peer review-ethics heatmap. Our heatmap highlights how peer review strategies should be shaped to serve diverse missions, values, and communities. As a result, participants can position ethical peer review as a strategic, leverageable advantage that reinforces credibility, fosters community trust, and positions their publishing programs to adapt and thrive in an evolving research landscape.

Ana Lewis is the Managing Editor of the JVIR at the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR). A Tennessee native based in Chattanooga, she brings a background in journalism, medical publishing, and professional proofreading, which she combines with a passion for clear communication and meaningful editorial work. Ana oversees key aspects of journal operations, including peer review, production, and author support, while partnering closely with editorial leadership and volunteer committees. Outside of work, she enjoys volunteering, spending time with her family and friends, and curating music, art, and creative media that spark connection and curiosity.

Julia Mullen is from Dayton, OH and currently resides in Newport, KY. She graduated with a B.A. in English and Anthropology from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in May 2023 shortly before beginning her career in scholarly publishing as an Editorial Books Administrator at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), where she acquires and develops content for proceedings, technical reports, Manuals of Practice, and the ASCE Press. Outside of the office, Julia enjoys reading high-stakes fantasy novels, discovering new local coffee haunts, and napping on her hammock with her cat, Kitters.

The Challenges of Peer Review: An Ethical Approach

Richard Easby and Eleanor Smith, Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies (ACSESS)

In scientific and scholarly publishing, peer-review must set the standard for validating and confirming key findings in scientific research. At its core, the scientific peer review process brings credibility, ensures relevance, and broadens the perspectives of the original researchers and the readers of the publication. It is a requirement of any scientific scholarly journal to create and maintain a robust peer-review process that minimizes conflicts of interest and ensures the research is sound and presents meaningful contributions to scientific discourse. Ethical considerations include identifying and avoiding perceived or real bias, identifying conflicts of interest, identifying author misconduct such as plagiarism, confidentiality, ensuring quality, identifying and removing reviewers who work for paper mills, and diversifying and expanding the pool of reviewers.

Richard Easby is a seasoned publishing professional with 35 years of experience working in the industry. He is currently the program manager for content strategy at ACSESS. He oversees book publishing, professional development workshops, and the peer review mentorship program. His expertise spans editorial, production, and design. Previously, he worked for the National Geographic Society.

Eleanor Smith is an editor with 8 years of experience in scholarly publishing and is currently the journal program manager for 4 of the 13 scientific journals published by ACSESS (Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies). Her background also includes academic instruction in writing, research, and peer-review at George Mason University and the University of Maryland.

12:00 pm – LUNCH

1:15 pm – Afternoon Welcome and Introduction

M. Luisa B. Simpson, Executive Vice President, Global Policy, Association of American Publishers

Lui Simpson is Executive Vice President, Global Policy for the Association of American Publishers (AAP). In this role, she directs the association’s engagement with the U.S. and foreign governments, as well as international organizations, on copyright, technology, competition, and international trade policy issues, and provides analysis and guidance for the association and members on a variety of policy initiatives. She chairs AAP’s Committee on International Strategies, directs the association’s enforcement efforts, and also works on pre-litigation matters. Lui serves as AAP’s representative to several domestic and international industry coalitions in pursuing shared policy and enforcement objectives. Lui is a frequent speaker on international copyright law and policy, and its intersection with technology, as well as on enforcement issues, in domestic and international forums on private sector and U.S. and foreign government convened panels. She holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in International and Comparative Law from Temple University Beasley School of Law, and a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B.) from the University of Philippines College of Law.

1:30 pm – Keynote: Five Elements of Ethical Publishing

Christie Henry, Director, Princeton University Press

As publishers, we have a great opportunity and responsibility to help humanity hold onto itself in these times. Ethics gives us the framework to do so. What is the source of your publishing ethics? What is an ethical decision- making framework in publishing? What is the public language we use to convey our ethics? And how do we stay ethically fit as publishers? Inspired by a forthcoming book, Christie will adapt “The Five Questions for Ethical Living” to our publishing communities and collaborations.

Christie Henry is the Director of Princeton University Press, a global nonprofit publisher with a team of 170 and a legacy of more than 9,000 publications. Appointed in 2017, she is the first woman to lead the organization. With her leadership and enthusiasm, the Press has launched multiple initiatives, including an audio imprint (PrincetonAudio), a speakers agency (PUP Speaks), an intellectual property team, a Creative Media Lab, expanded international programs including sales and marketing in China, launched a new website with increased direct consumer engagement, and formed and chairs the Press’s first equity, inclusion, and belonging strategic initiative program. Her commitment to global collaborations was recognized with the Special Book Award of China in 2023. Christie represents US publishing on the Executive Committee of the International Publishers Association, is an elected member of the Board of Association of American Publishers, formerly a member of the Association of University Presses board and chair of its Admissions and Standards Committee and Task Force on Gender Equity and Cultures of Respect. Additional board and mentoring joys include service on several university press boards and independent bookstore advisory councils, the Oxford Brookes Publishing Program, the George Washington University Publishing Program, the Center for Humans and Nature Publishing, and the American Philosophical Society Publications Board. When not traveling to meet her team and collaborators worldwide, Christie resides in Princeton, NJ, USA.

2:15 pm – Accessible and Inclusive Publishing

Moderated by Anand Balasubramani, American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

Anand Balasubramani is a Journals Development Editor at the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), where he led the launch of Microbiology Spectrum, ASM’s high-volume sound science journal. He currently oversees a portfolio of open-access titles that publish thousands of articles annually. Prior to ASM, Anand held editorial roles at AAAS (publisher of Science) and Cell Press. A scientist-turned-publisher, he brings a keen eye for editorial strategy and remains fascinated by quirky scientific questions across immunology, microbiology, and genomics. When not in front of a screen, you’ll find him cycling or exploring the trails around Washington DC.

A Case Study in Accessible Publishing: How One Library Publishing Program is Working to Embed Accessibility in their Workflows

Angel Peterson, Penn State University Libraries

The Pennsylvania State University Libraries Open Publishing Program publishes open access scholarly annotated bibliographies, journals, monographs, and topical web portals in partnership with editors and authors across Penn State and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The accessibility needs of our readers and editors and making the content we host available for all are foundational values of our library publishing program. In this presentation we discuss accessibility challenges faced by library publishers, share the workflows we use for making our journal platforms and content more accessible to all, and review how programs such as ours fit into accessibility maturity models.

Angel Peterson is the Open Publishing Production Specialist and Accessibility Coordinator within the Open Publishing Program at Penn State University Libraries. Angel has worked for Penn State Libraries for 18 years in several departments. For the past five years, she has worked for the Open Publishing Program. Creating accessible content has been a passion of hers for many years, and she hopes to be able to continue to improve upon the services the program provides for their editors, in hopes of making content open and accessible. She earned her Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) certification with the International Association of Accessibility Professionals in the summer of 2025.

Accessibility in Publishing: Stakeholders and Impact

Simon Holt, Elsevier, Sean Concannon, Atypon, and Jennifer Kemp, Strategies for Open Science (Stratos)

Around the halfway point between the EAA and ADA II requirements, this panel considers a multi-stakeholder point of view on the process of planning for, implementing and evaluating accessibility as an ongoing and proactive program. Combining user, publisher, consultant and content hosting perspectives, attendees can expect to understand what roles staff and leadership play in supporting product and program needs for different accessibility use cases, as well as considerations of accessibility and its impact in open scholarship.

Sean Concannon has worked at the intersection of technology and publishing for over two decades. As Senior Manager of Solution Architecture for the Atypon Experience Platform at Wiley Partner Solutions, he has led transformative migration projects for major scholarly publishers, including The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, The American Society for Civil Engineering, and Canadian Science Publishing. Sean's expertise in content accessibility, platform architecture, and web standards has driven significant improvements in publisher workflows, reducing onboarding time while enhancing user experience. Sean combines strategic vision with hands-on technical expertise to advance accessibility and digital transformation in scholarly publishing.

Simon Holt is Head of Content Accessibility at Elsevier. He has worked in Scholarly Communications for over 15 years, working across books and journals. He is an advocate for disability inclusion and accessible publishing in the scholarly communications industry and is a current SSP Board Member. He lives in Oxford, UK.

Jennifer Kemp is Director of Consulting Services at Stratos (Strategies for Open Science) where she works with research funders, libraries, publishers and initiatives on their open scholarship and organizational goals. She is also a Research Affiliate with Invest in Open Infrastructure (IOI). Previously, she was most recently Head of Partnerships at Crossref. Jennifer started her career as a librarian before joining HighWire Press and then going on to policy, marketing and product roles at Springer Nature. She is active in the scholarly communications community and is Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Open Access eBook Usage (OAeBU) Data Trust.

Inclusive Publishing Strategies for Journal Staff and Prospective Authors

Rachel Schrauben Yeates, Kennesaw State University

How do academic journals invite submissions from a wide range of authors? One strategy may be a focus on inclusivity in journal website content and design. I analyzed Digital Humanities journal sites across multiple publishing platforms to identify trends in their communication to potential authors via their journal Ethos and About sections, submission guidelines, descriptions of editorial processes, and site design elements. Through meta-analysis of journals in the digital humanities, a growing field defined in many ways by a born-digital perspective, I developed reference guides for journal staff and authors that could be useful to folks across a variety of disciplines. In my work with KSU's institutional repository, I have begun working with journal editors using these guides to identify low lift remediations to their journal sites.

Rachel Schrauben Yeates is the Institutional Repository Specialist for the Kennesaw State University Libraries and graduate of the professional writing master’s program at KSU. Her research interests include editorial communication, open peer review, accessible design, public writing, and Southern zine and remix culture. Before transitioning to libraries in 2019, she worked in journalism and newspaper design. Her creative writing has been featured in Chicago Reader, Ramifications, and From Glasgow to Saturn, and recognized at the Southern Literary Festival. This project was initially completed as a capstone for the master’s in professional writing program at Kennesaw State University.

3:45 pm – Publishing for Diverse Audiences

Moderated by Anna Jester, Wiley

Anna Jester works in Partner Success at Wiley in the Partner Solutions division. She frequently finds herself discussing manuscript submission and peer review, production, editorial services, online publishing, and consulting, as well as gastronomic pursuits, Salukis, and travel. Anna volunteers on the Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) Membership Committee, on the Science Editor Editorial Board, and is a Past President of the Council of Science Editors (CSE). She serves the NISO Standing Committee for the Peer Review Terminology, and her favorite standard is currently ANSI/NISO Z39.106-2023.

The AI Medium is The Message

Christopher Kenneally

Find one hour to read The Medium is the Message by Marshall McLuhan. You will feel you are breezing through it, yet you will have food for thought to last for days. Does a slim paperback book from the era of Mad Men really speak to 2025? Check out this quote: “Formerly, the problem was to invent new forms of labor-saving. Today, the reverse is the problem. Now we have to adjust, not to invent. We need to find the environments in which it will be possible to live with our new inventions.” This presentation reflects on the continuing vitality of Marshall McLuhan’s ideas about new media technology and especially identifying his practical advice for a radical and ethical approach to AI that is to be found in The Medium is the Message. We all recognize that we live in interesting times. It is the business of the future to be dangerous. We owe it to ourselves, our colleagues, our customers, and our professions to reckon with the present so that we may prepare for the future.

Christopher Kenneally created the Beyond the Book podcast series for Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) in 2006; later renamed Velocity of Content, the show ran until 2024. He is currently host and executive producer of The Spoken World, a podcast series covering audiobooks and audio publishing. As an independent journalist, he has reported for the New York Times and Boston Globe, among many other publications, as well as for WBUR-FM (Boston), National Public Radio, and WGBH-TV (PBS-Boston). At book fairs and publishing conferences in Europe and North America, Kenneally has developed and moderated dozens of programs covering audiobooks and podcasting as well as on intellectual property law and artificial intelligence. He contributes opinion columns regularly to the Boston Business Journal.

Book Indexing and Artificial Intelligence

Elizabeth Bartmess

Readers and authors expect a book’s index to accurately reflect the book’s contents. An index that fails to do so is unethical: it misrepresents the author's intellectual property to readers and can fail to guide readers to the information they seek, breaking the trust between the reader and the book. For an index to reflect the book’s contents, it must be at minimum complete (providing access to all indexable information in the book), navigable (guiding the reader to subtopics and related topics via cross-references), and accurate (containing no false or invented information and reflecting the author’s perspective and terminology). We asked large language models (LLMs) to index out-of-copyright books and found they failed to meet these criteria of completeness, navigability, and accuracy. Attendees will learn about necessary criteria for an adequate index and will learn where LLMs fall short in attempting to meet those criteria.

Elizabeth Bartmess is the chair of the American Society for Indexing’s AI Committee. She is an award-winning freelance indexer specializing in back-of-book and embedded indexes for scholarly, trade, and technology and design books. She also develops software utilities for indexers. Her academic background is in research psychology and information science.

Ethical Collaboration: Strategies for Supporting Neurodivergent Authors

Angela Lauria Kingdon, University of Kent, Autistic Culture Press

Neurodivergent authors, including those with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia, often bring intense focus and original thinking to nonfiction. But publishing workflows, including vague timelines, last-minute edits, unclear expectations, and emotionally flat communication, often lead to confusion, burnout, or stalled projects. These breakdowns are not about writing ability but are about process mismatches. This session is for editors and publishers who want to work more effectively with neurodivergent authors. We will share clear, tested collaboration strategies drawn from lived experience and coaching work. These include timeline translation, body doubling, and customized accountability systems that match how neurodivergent minds operate. These structural supports can make publishing more equitable. Attendees will leave with tools they can apply right away to reduce miscommunication, improve follow-through, and help neurodivergent writers finish strong.

Dr. Angela Kingdon (née Lauria) is an autistic researcher, author, and editor with over 30 years of experience in publishing. She earned her BA and MA from GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs and her PhD in Communications from The European Graduate School. She is currently completing an MSc in Psychology at the University of Kent. Angela’s research focuses on self-identification, narrative therapy, and autistic cultural studies. She is the host of The Autistic Culture Podcast, a contributing editor to Neurodiversity: A Journal of Research and Practice published by Sage, and the founder of the Autistic Culture Institute, which publishes work from neurodivergent authors. Based in Bristol, UK, she advocates for inclusive publishing models that reflect diverse cognitive and creative styles.

Revenue, Region, and Racial Demographics: A Case Study of College Publishing Programs and Presses

Mikayla Lee, MPS in Publishing, GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing

Despite recent efforts to make publishing resources more financially accessible and racially inclusive, it remains unclear how university revenue correlates with the availability of publishing programs and presses over time. This research investigates the impact of recent political and economic trends on university presses at both Northern and Southern universities, discussing how these trends have affected the representation of Black scholars and their work in scholarly publishing. We will collect revenue and other publicly available data from approximately 200 U.S. universities from 2012 onward and perform a linear regression model to determine if there is a correlation between the presence/absence of publishing programs with university revenue and other variables. We will then focus our attention on some case studies including HBCUs, Tribal Colleges, and Hispanic-serving Institutions to explore how having publishing programs in these types of institutions may affect the representation of BIPOC scholars in academic publishing.

Mikayla Lee (They/Them) is an Instructional Technologist at Johnson & Wales University who specializes in accessible E-Publishing, marketing, and peer review practices that make scholarship more relevant for underrepresented groups, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and low-income populations.

5:00 pm – Closing Remarks – Day 1

5:15 pm - In-person Social Hour to follow conference; location TBA

FRIDAY, October 10, 2025 (online only) | 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

11:00 am – Opening Remarks

11:10 am – Trust and Research Integrity

Moderated by Jennifer Regala, Wolters Kluwer

Advancing Principles of Trust and Research Integrity

Melanie Dolechek, Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP), and Caroline Sutton, International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers (STM)

In an era of unprecedented challenges to the research enterprise—ranging from funding cuts to attacks on academic institutions—a coalition of library and publishing organizations has issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to trust and integrity in research. This collaborative declaration underscores a deeper crisis: the erosion of public trust in the essential role of American research and scholarship. Despite differing perspectives, the signatories share a common concern for the very foundations of scholarship. Their statement emphasizes the importance of access, continuity, and trust in the scholarly process. While debates around pricing and access will undoubtedly continue, this moment calls for a broader conversation—one that transcends business models to focus on the conditions that make research thrive: trust, transparency, and sustained public investment.

Melanie Dolechek is the Executive Director of the Society for Scholarly Publishing. She has been active in scholarly publishing since 2006, previously serving as the Director of Publishing and Marketing of Allen Press. She is a founder and past Convener for the Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communication and past treasurer of the Kansas City Society of Association Executives. Melanie holds a Master of Science in Management from Baker University a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Kansas State University and is a Certified Association Executive. In 2023 she was awarded the KCSAE Distinguished Association Executive Award.

Caroline Sutton is CEO for the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers (STM). Prior to joining STM Caroline served as Director of Open Research for Taylor & Francis. She co-founded Co-Action Publishing, a pioneer in Open Access Publishing and was one of the founders and first President of OASPA where she served on the board between 2008-2021. She has served on numerous boards within the scholarly communications space including the Board of Directors of Dryad (2017-2023), and Infrastructure Services for Open Access (IS4OA), the managing organization of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) (2013-2022). Caroline holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Uppsala, Sweden.

12:00 pm – Transparency and Access

Moderated by Kiriana McAffee, MPS in Publishing, George Washington University

Kiriana (Kira) McAffee is a second-year graduate student pursuing her MPS in publishing. She contributes to the George Washington University Press as Press Lead, a role in which she applies her background in funding and technical writing. She also leads the Strategy and Sustainability Committee for the Journal of Ethics in Publishing. When she's not in class or working in her current role as a proposal writer of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, Kira can be found reading a good book or chasing her family around northern Oregon.

Class Stratification and Contracts

Gianna Mosser, Vanderbilt University Press

Acquisitions editors and contract departments are the main conduits by which academic authors negotiate their book contracts. Yet the practices around how contracts are discussed and decoded vary widely, as do authors' comfort level with understanding what they are reading and committing to when they work with an academic publisher. I will discuss ways to center equity principles of transparency, agency, and access when negotiating contracts with authors, as well as aspects of book contracts that can cause friction during collaboration and ways to think otherwise.

Gianna Mosser is the director of Vanderbilt University Press, where she acquires in Black studies, literature in translation, and theater and performance studies.

Counting the Hands: Understanding Labor, Compensation, and Ethics in Library Publishing

Melissa Chim, Excelsior University, Bailey Lake, Eastern Kentucky University Libraries, Lauren Collister, Invest in Open Infrastructure, Michelle Brailey, University of Alberta, Miranda Phair, Towson University

The Library Publishing Coalition (LPC), an independent, community-led membership association of academic and research libraries and library consortia engaged in scholarly publishing, surveys members and publishes a Directory which provides a snapshot of recent publishing activities. The LPC established the Staffing Survey Task Force in 2024. The task force wrote and distributed a specific survey with targeted questions to identify effective practices, common challenges, and opportunities for improvement within our community of library publishers. This presentation will discuss the process of creating the survey and our preliminary findings with a strong focus on the labor ethics within staffing publishing programs.

Melissa Chim is the first Scholarly Communications Librarian at Excelsior University where she both created and manages the university’s scholarly publishing platform and institutional repository. She holds an MLIS from St. John’s University and an MA in History from Queen Mary, the University of London, and hold certificates in open education and Creative Commons licensing. She was a SPARC Open Education Leadership Fellow for their 2022-23 cohort, a Society for Scholarly Publishing Fellow for 2024, an ASAPbio Fellow for 2024 and Resident for 2025, and a member of the Fulbright Specialist Roster from 2024-2027.

Michelle Brailey is an open publishing and open education Librarian at the University of Alberta. As the service manager for open education publishing through the University of Alberta Library, Michelle supports institution-wide program development, awareness, and sustainability for open education.

Lauren Collister is Research Engagement Manager, Invest in Open Infrastructure. Lauren is a trained sociolinguist with over a decade of work experience in scholarly communication, academic libraries, and open infrastructure. She conducts research on language and bias in advocacy in open scholarship. Her current work is with the non-profit organization Invest in Open Infrastructure, where she coordinates community engagement with IOI's various research and consultation projects. She also teaches linguistics part-time for the University of Pittsburgh.

Bailey Lake is the Open Strategies Librarian at Eastern Kentucky University Libraries, where she advocates for open education practices and facilitates OER creation in partnership with university OER champions. Bailey works with a variety of publishing platforms and advocates for the creation of niche OER to fill gaps in the literature. She is especially passionate about open pedagogy projects and the impact of renewable assignments on student learning.

Miranda Phair is the Publishing & Open Scholarship Librarian at Towson University, located just outside of Baltimore, Maryland.

From Principles to Practice: The Implementation of the Revised Antiracism Toolkit for Allies in Scholarly Publishing

Faye DeBroux, Duke University Press, Nataliia Kaliuzhna, Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology, Damita Snow, American Society of Civil Engineers, and Randy Townsend, George Washington University

This session, grounded in a collaborative initiative launched by C4DISC and SSP, presents a revised Antiracism Toolkit for Allies—a dynamic, actionable framework designed to empower publishing professionals in dismantling systemic racism by creating workplace communities where everyone strives. Given the escalating political polarization and global rise of far-right movements, university and society presses face increased challenges in upholding ethical, inclusive, and antiracist publishing practices, what making such resources essential for advancing equity within scholarly communication. Attendees will explore the framework of allyship, examining its role as a strategic approach for supporting antiracist practices and promoting equity. A special focus of the presentation will be on applying the toolkit’s principles to organizational policies and workflows, equipping presses with the tools to not only adapt but lead in promoting equity and justice in publishing today.

Faye DeBroux is the International Library Sales Manager at Duke University Press. Faye joined DUP in May 2023, continuing a career working in international publishing sales, including nine years at Pearson in various roles marketing their educational technologies and e-book in international markets. Faye covers the Middle East, Turkey, northern Africa, the Caribbean, Japan, Latin America including Brazil, Poland, India, Pakistan, eastern Europe, the UK and the Nordics.

Nataliia Kaliuzhna is a Research Associate at TIB – Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology and a PhD candidate in Library and Information Science at Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts. Her research interests include knowledge production and open research, scholarly communication, and open access. In addition to her formal employment and academic work, Nataliia is actively involved in community initiatives. She serves as an Associate Editor at the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and is a member of the Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Committee.

Damita Snow, CAE, ENV SP, is the Director of Accessibility & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategy, Publications & Standards at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). She has played a pivotal role in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, serving as the founder and past chair of ASCE’s Staff Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Council, current advisor to the ASCE Publications & Standards DEIA Committee, and a founding member of the Society for Scholarly Publishing’s DEIA Committee. Beyond her DEIA leadership, she holds prominent positions on the boards of Black Association Executives and serves as President-elect of the Society for Scholarly Publishing. Additionally, she previously served as a board member for Association Media & Publishing (AM&P) and the Research Committee of the ASAE Research Foundation.

Randy Townsend is a visionary leader who transforms organizational goals into powerful, actionable strategies that drive collaboration, success, and integrity. With nearly two decades of expertise, Randy has been at the forefront of policy innovation and publishing strategy, setting new standards for responsible publishing practices and research integrity. He is a sought-after speaker, author, and collaborator. During his term as President of the Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP),he championed a pioneering industry-wide mental health awareness initiative. Randy Townsend spearheads peer review engagement strategies for Origin Publishing & Peer Review. He was the inaugural Editor in Chief for the award-winning GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing and is an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University.

1:10 pm – Break

1:30 pm – Reading and Censorship

Moderated by Gwendolyn Harrison, MPS in Publishing, George Washington University

Gwendolyn Harrison is a second-year student in the MPS in Publishing program at GW and is serving as the Editorial Committee Lead for the GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing. After graduating with a BA in English and Spanish from the University of Mary Washington, she has been working full-time as a copywriter and editor for magazines, websites, advertisements, and social media and plans to apply this experience to publications throughout her career. She has been loving the program so far and is very excited about the opportunities that it will bring her.

The Fight Against Book Bans: An Analysis of Issues and Solutions Surrounding Readership, Authorship, and the Publishing Business

Ashley Elizalde, MPS in Publishing, George Washington University

Censorship and book banning are, unfortunately, prevalent in our society. While some proponents claim what they feel are ethical reasons, the actions of book bans break the entire ethical code of the publishing industry, the gateway to literary access. This presentation will focus on book banning in public libraries and schools and ways that the publishing community can take action against those who call for book bans and other forms of censorship.

Ashley Elizalde is a MPS in Publishing graduate, George Washington University. She has taught middle and high school students for almost ten years and has developed and contributed content for GW’s College of Professional Studies RevU platform. Her unique blend of K-12 education and publishing experience catalyzes her passion for advocating for readers, authors, and publishers in the fight against censorship. She is preparing to publish a poetry collection and is working on her first in a series of adult fiction novels.

A Clue in the Blue-Bound Books: An Exploration into the Censorship and Gatekeeping of Historic Children’s Literature

Kyra Droog, Master of Publishing, Simon Fraser University

This presentation utilizes the Hardy Boys series as a jumping off point to explore censorship and gatekeeping of historic children’s literature in the modern day. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, due to parental complaints regarding racism prevalent in the Hardy Boys series, the publishers initiated a revision process which saw significant changes to the first 38 books in the series. Changes were not actively publicized nor acknowledged, and when the books were re-released with new binding and branding, most adults didn’t realize that there was a difference between the books they had read as children and the books they were reading to their children. This revamp and its silent release raise significant questions about gatekeeping, censorship, and intellectual freedom as regards children and historic children’s literature.

Kyra Droog (she/her)is a writer, project manager, and academic living on Treaty 6 territory in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton). Armed with a Bachelor of Communication Studies from MacEwan University and a Master of Publishing from Simon Fraser University, Kyra’s academic work considers gatekeeping and censorship of historic children’s literature particularly as they are reimagined or repackaged for modern audiences. Kyra’s Master’s thesis featured a partnership with Simon & Schuster Canada to analyze the efficacy of a reimagined Hardy Boys series in celebration of their centennial anniversary. She has presented at conferences across Canada about writing, editing, and publishing. Her written works – including book-length non-fiction, short stories, and poetry – have been published by Golden Meteorite Press, Ink Movement, and the Bolo Tie Collective.

Choosing Not to Choose: The Ethics of Soft Censorship in U.S. School Library Collections

Myranda Lockwood, MPS in Publishing, George Washington University

In an era of increasing political polarization and scrutiny over educational content, many educators and librarians are navigating a complex ethical landscape. This presentation examines the phenomenon of soft censorship: the quiet, preemptive exclusion of potentially controversial books without formal challenges. Often driven by fear of backlash, reputational harm, or loss of funding, these decisions may seem pragmatic but can significantly undermine intellectual freedom and equitable access to literature. Drawing from recent cases in Texas, Iowa, and Florida (among other states), as well as emerging patterns among school vendors and library platforms, this session explores how such decisions disproportionately affect books by or about marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ authors, authors of color, and those writing about mental health or trauma.

Myranda Lockwood is a MPS Publishing student at George Washington University. She earned her BA in English from Daemen University, where she developed a deep passion for championing marginalized voices and advocating for greater accessibility to diverse literature. Currently, she serves as an Enrollment Communications Assistant at Daemen University. Outside of her professional role, Myranda is the Senior Editor of Wallstrait Literary Journal and a Marketing Editor for Radon Journal, where she continues to merge her love for storytelling with her commitment to inclusive publishing.

2:30 pm – Infrastructure and Workflows

Moderated by Hind Berji, MPS in Publishing, George Washington University

Hind Berji (she/her) is currently pursuing her Master of Professional Studies in Publishing at George Washington University. She served as managing editor of GW's student-led GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing for 2024-25. An avid enthusiast of arts, culture, politics, and media, she brings her passion for these fields into her work as a freelance writer.

Tracking and tracing the scholarly record through metadata

Danielle Padula, Scholastica; Alice Meadows, MoreBrains Cooperative

When delivering products to consumers, manufacturers must track and trace their movement throughout the supply chain to demonstrate quality controls and promptly report any issues with those products should they arise. Similarly, as purveyors of information, journal editors must monitor and record the movement of manuscripts throughout the peer review and publication process and report any updates made to the scholarly record. Robust metadata is critical to those efforts. During this session, we'll explore ways academic journals can leverage metadata for research quality assurance and emerging opportunities, including the role of metadata as trust signals and ways publishers can leverage key open infrastructure to create metadata records.

Alice Meadows is a co-founder of the MoreBrains Cooperative, a consulting organization that specializes in — and supports the values of — open research. Her career has spanned both scholarly publishing (at Blackwell Publishing and then Wiley) and research infrastructures (at ORCID and NISO). Alice is actively involved in the scholarly communications community, including as President of the Society for Scholarly Publishing in 2021-22 and as a contributor to The Scholarly Kitchen. She is passionate about the need for a robust and open global research infrastructure (with a particular interest in metadata and workflows) and about improving diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in scholarly communications and society at large.

Danielle Padula heads up marketing and community development at Scholastica, a scholarly publishing technology provider with peer review, production, and open access journal hosting solutions. Before joining Scholastica in 2014, Danielle held marketing positions at Bedford St. Martin’s Press and Academic Studies Press. She was a member of the Scientific Programme Committee for the 2025 EASE Conference and previously served as Co-Chair of International Peer Review Week from 2021 to 2022.

The Pros and Cons of the Peer Review Process in the Field of Academic Publishing

Philip J. Boutin, Jr., MPS in Publishing, George Washington University

This presentation offers a critical and constructive analysis of the peer review process as it functions within the field of academic publishing. The session will explore the traditional strengths of peer review -- ensuring scholarly rigor, providing expert feedback, and establishing credibility -- while also addressing major critiques, including systemic bias, reviewer inconsistency, and inefficiencies in knowledge dissemination. Particular attention is given to the evolving landscape of academic publishing and how emerging models -- such as open, post-publication, and collaborative review -- offer promising paths forward. By contextualizing the peer review process within the domain of publishing, the presentation invites discussion and deliberation on how the field can lead academia in peer review reform.

Philip J. Boutin, Jr. is a MPS in Publishing student at George Washington University. He has over 13 years of higher education teaching experience, including as Assistant Professor of Marketing at Eastern Kentucky University. Phil holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from the University of Tennessee, an M.S. in International Business and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Southern New Hampshire University, and a B.A. in Communication with a minor in English from the University of New Hampshire. He also has over 12 years of experience in marketing, communications, and sales for small and medium-sized organizations in the for-profit and non-profit sectors and in multiple industries, including publishing. Phil has authored or co-authored over 35 academic works and his current research focus is on publishing ethics, peer review reform, and author identity.

Publishing Ethics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Ashutosh Ghildiyal, Integra

As AI tools become increasingly embedded in scholarly publishing, the question is no longer whether we should use them—but how. This presentation explores the ethical dimensions of AI integration in editorial and peer review workflows, arguing for a purposeful and human-centered approach. Rather than framing AI as a replacement for humans, we advocate for its use as an augmentation tool—one that alleviates manual burdens while preserving the uniquely human qualities of editorial judgment, empathy, and attention. Using AI consciously can help reclaim focus by handling routine tasks, allowing editors and reviewers to concentrate on what truly matters: meaning-making.

Ashutosh Ghildiyal is a seasoned strategic leader in scholarly publishing, currently serving as Vice President of Growth & Strategy at Integra. With over 20 years of international experience, he has driven sustainable growth and forged impactful partnerships across China, India, the Middle East, and the United States. He holds an MBA in Strategy & Leadership, a Postgraduate Program in Management, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Ashutosh contributes to The Scholarly Kitchen, Science Editor, and Research Information, and serves on the Board of Directors and Asia-Pacific Advisory Council of ISMTE, the Annual Program Planning Committee of the Society for Scholarly Publishing, the Steering Committee of Peer Review Week, and the Advisory Cabinet of the Asian Council of Science Editors. His work reflects a commitment to human-centered AI integration, reader-first publishing models, and empathetic, trust-based leadership. He brings a purpose-driven mindset to every initiative, guided by the belief that scholarly publishing must not only adapt but thrive as a force for global good.

3:30 pm – Publishing for Diverse Audiences pt 2

Moderated by Cecilia Gray, MPS in Publishing, George Washington University

Cecilia Gray is a Production Editor at Simon & Schuster, Director of Operations at Inkluded, and Managing Editor of the GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing. She is currently earning her Master’s in Publishing at George Washington University. She brings a passion for inclusive storytelling and ethical industry practices to her work and is honored to serve as a moderator for this year’s Ethics in Publishing Conference.

More than Fiction in English: Translating and Editing Different Languages

Keila Gallardo Cubas

The presentation discusses inclusive practices for translating pieces into English and editing them while keeping the roots and ideas of the original language. It will also cover how to keep an open mind when it comes to other languages, best practices when editing different languages and communicating feedback to authors.

Keila Gallardo (she/he/they) is a freelance editor, translator, and sometimes writer. Born in Peru, they are now based in New Brunswick, Canada. As an editor they focus on bringing variety to the industry with honest, emotional and exciting stories. Their specialties include prose fiction and poetry, but they also edit scripts and comics/manga.

Considering Accessible Text Formatting and Layout Design in Print Format Children’s Publishing

Aurora Miner, Master in Book Publishing, Portland State University

Children’s publishing can utilize text formatting and layout design, including aspects such as font size, line spacing, and layout simplicity, to support readers with cognitive and visual disabilities such as dyslexia. This research discusses accessible text formatting and layout design for children’s publishing, with lessons and examples of accessible title text formatting and layout simplicity for accessible children’s book design.

Aurora Miner is a recent graduate of Portland State University's Master's in Book Publishing program, where she worked at the student-run trade press, Ooligan Press, in addition to a variety of publishing-related coursework. Here, she discovered her passion for visual functionality in publishing, combining her interests in marketing and editorial to assess productive presentation of material. Before pursuing her master's from 2023–2025, Aurora graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2022 with a double major in Linguistics and English, as well as a Professional Writing minor. Originally from the East Bay Area, California, she’s recently been exploring Portland, Oregon, catching up on some light reading while she determines her next bookish endeavor.

4:00 pm – Closing Remarks

HOSTED BY:

The Graduate Program in Publishing, College of Professional Studies, George Washington University

Conference co-organizers:

Puja Telikicherla is the Licensing & Subsidiary Rights Manager for American Psychiatric Association Publishing, and a part-time professor in the GW Graduate Program in Publishing. She has over two decades of experience in scholarly publishing, with primary responsibilities in digital and print content licensing, rights management, and intellectual property at Georgetown University Press, University of Washington Press, Dorling Kindersley/Penguin, NYU Press, and the Brookings Institution Press. She attends the Frankfurt Book Fair, the London Book Fair, and various national publishing meetings throughout the year. She has contributed to events offered by the Association of American Publishers (AAP), the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), the Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP), and the Association of University Presses (AUPresses), where she served as Chair of the Intellectual Property & Copyright Committee. She holds two degrees from NYU and is a D.C. area native.

John W. Warren is Professor and Director, Graduate Program in Publishing, College of Professional Studies, at The George Washington University, and founding Director of the GW University Press. Previously, he was founding director of the George Mason University Press; Marketing & Sales Director, Georgetown University Press; Director of Marketing, Publications, RAND Corporation; and Marketing Manager at Sage Publications and Fondo de Cultura Económica. He has a master’s degree in international management from the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California, San Diego. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, a frequent speaker at international publishing conferences, and author of several articles about the evolution of eBooks. He is a classical guitarist and composer, and a contributor to Classical Guitar and Acoustic Guitar magazines. He is publisher and founder of the GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing, co-organizer of the GW Ethics in Publishing Conference, and founder and co-organizer of the Student Journal Symposium for Literary and Research Publications.

Jessica Wilcox, MPS in Publishing student, George Washington University