Stacey Altemari

Stacey Altemari is the Senior Director of Consumer Insights at HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP), where she brings over a decade of experience translating reader behavior into actionable strategies for publishers, authors, and retailers. At HCCP, she leads research across audience development, brand, product and content optimization, marketing support, and trend identification—equipping stakeholders with insights that guide smarter decisions and extend the reach of meaningful content. In addition to her role at HCCP, Stacey serves on the ECPA Research Committee, helping shape industry-wide studies such as the 2023 Christian Publishers Audience Survey. She is passionate about connecting the dots between reader behaviors and business strategy to ensure that stories and resources reach more people in impactful ways.

Brian Chung

Samuel Han Park

Brian Chung, based in Los Angeles, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Alabaster. He attended the University of Southern California (USC) and brings over 12 years of Christian ministry experience to his work. Passionate about making faith both accessible and beautiful, Brian founded Alabaster to bridge the gap between Scripture and design, creating books that invite deeper spiritual engagement through thoughtful visuals. His vision has garnered recognition in the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list and was also named to Forbes’ Next 1000 list for his innovative leadership.

Samuel Han Park, based in Los Angeles, is the Head of Brand and Creative Director at Alabaster Co. He studied Photography at Parsons School of Design and completed an MA in Biblical Studies at Wheaton College. For several years, he served in missions abroad and volunteered in discipleship, and his passion for art and faith eventually led him to start with Alabaster as a freelance photographer. What started as a simple outreach grew into a deeper alignment between his creativity and calling, leading him to his current leadership role at Alabaster.

Together, Brian and Sam represent Alabaster’s mission to merge faith and creativity in meaningful ways. Alabaster has been featured in The Washington Post, Forbes, and Christianity Today, among other outlets, and was recognized as one of the Best Workplaces by Inc. Magazine in 2025.

Brooke Dobson

Brooke Dobson is Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Shimmr AI, the first fully automated advertising platform built specifically for books. With expertise in economic forecasting, marketing analytics, and AI technologies, she brings a unique perspective on how AI can transform publishing. Brooke’s executive background spans AI-native SaaS businesses, where she has held roles as COO, CSO, and US President. At Shimmr, she oversees global Sales, Marketing, and Finance, translating cutting-edge AI into practical, revenue-generating strategies for publishers. Her perspective is valuable for an industry seeking to unlock new audiences, scale book discoverability, and maximize the commercial potential of every title in today’s digital landscape.

Thomas Minkus

Thomas Minkus has more than two decades of leadership experience in international book publishing. He's held several executive-level roles, including vice president of business development at QA International and vice president of the Frankfurt Book Fair. Thomas earned a master's degree in political science from the University of Kansas and completed the Stanford University Publishing Course for Professionals.

Dr. Emily Smith

Dr. Emily Smith is an Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine/Surgery at Duke University and an Associate Professor of Global Health at the Duke Global Health Institute. Her research interests include pediatric global cancer, health economics, health systems strengthening in low-income countries, and capacity building. Currently, her research takes place in Burundi, Tanzania, Somaliland and Latin America. Dr. Smith received her PhD in epidemiology from the Gillings School of Public Health at UNC-CH and an MSPH from the University of South Carolina. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she started a Facebook page and Substack newsletter called Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist, which reaches millions of people in 160+ countries and her work was featured in Christianity Today, NPR, the Washington Post, and TIME Magazine. Dr. Smith’s book, The Science of the Good Samaritan: Thinking Bigger about Loving our Neighbors, was released in 2023 (Zondervan, Harper Collins). Emily has been married to her pastor-husband for twenty-three years and they have two fantastic children, one spoiled golden retriever, and an overly-happy golden doodle. On any normal day, you can find her outside gardening, reading in the hammock with a good cup of coffee, or trying to become a bird-watcher.

George Walkley

George Walkley is an independent consultant and non-executive director based in the United Kingdom. As a consultant, George has worked with clients in the media and publishing, professional services, education and non-profit sectors. He is a leading expert on the impact of artificial intelligence on media and publishing. Working with the IPG, a leading publishing trade association, George developed and delivered the world’s first independent, award- winning, CPD-accredited training course on generative AI designed specifically for book and journal publishers. The course has now been delivered to delegates from more than 250 organisations. He has spoken on AI at a range of conferences, corporate events and universities. George currently serves as non-executive chair of the communications group Midas (including Midas Public Relations and The Bks Literary Agency) and is a non-executive director of Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing. His early career was spent in bookselling and publishing, notably fifteen years at the Hachette UK group, where he held senior executive roles in marketing, digital development and strategy. George earned his MBA at Bayes Business School and is a 2012 alumnus of the Yale Publishing Course. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Liveryman of the Stationers Company.