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Platypus Media Team

Lauren Adams, Activity Guide writer: Lauren wanted to be a teacher for as long as she could remember. She fulfilled her dream and spent 15 wonderful years teaching first and second graders in Prince William County, Virginia. Now she has downsized her class to one student - her beautiful daughter Rylie.
Naomi Bromberg Bar-Yam, Co-author, Breastfeeding at a Glance and Development Editor, Breastfeeding Annual International: Naomi Bromberg Bar-Yam was the development editor of Breastfeeding Annual International. She has been working in the area of maternal child health for 15 years as a teacher, writer, and researcher. She has a masters in social work and Ph.D. in social policy. Her special interests in this area include breastfeeding policy, social movements and medical ethics. Naomi enjoys hiking, needlework, and swimming. She lives in Newton, Massachusetts, with her scientist husband and four children.
Nina Barnett, Graphics Design, If My Mom Were a Platypus: Nina is designed, If My Mom Were a Platypus. Now a resident of Tabori & Chang, she has worked extensively in the book industry. She has designed a book for Simon & Schuster and Random House. She has received a BFA in visual communications/graphic design from the Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore, MD.
Andrew Barthelmes, Illustrator, If My Mom Were a Platypus: Andrew Barthelmes, illustrator of If My Mom Were a Platypus, and designer of I Was Born to Be a Brother, Sleeping with your Baby, and 101 Things Everyone Should Know About Science, is a New York based illustrator and graphic designer. A graduate of The School of Visual Arts, his illustrations have appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, Ladies' Home Journal, Street & amp; Smith's Sports, and The Wall Street Journal. In addition to the Platypus book, he also illustrated Herman the Loudmouth. He has been a children's book designer for Random House, Inc. and is currently creating new children's books for Reader's Digest. He lives in Peekskill, NY with his wife Barbara, and baby, Julia.
Barbara Barthelmes, Copyeditor: Along with being a copyeditor and proofreader for Platypus Media projects, Barbara has worked for The Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group for five years, and is currently Senior Managing Editor. When she's not flipping through manuscripts or catching typos, she's probably cuddling with or nursing baby Julia, if "Da-da" Andrew isn't already holding her. The family enjoys the outdoors any way they can in their hometown that's still home, Peekskill, NY.
Fred Bell, Illustrator, Zack in the Middle: Fred draws on memories of childhood with his two sisters for illustrations in Zack in the Middle. He does his drawings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he lives with his dog and cat. His drawings appear in publications throughout the US.
Michael J.N. Bowles, Photographer, Look What I See! books: Michael grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe and in Madison, Virginia. He is a self-taught photographer whose work has appeared in People, Forbes, Business Week and Time. His special interest is portraiture, and he has had showings in Galleries in New York and London. An avid traveler, he has set foot on every continent including Antartica. He now has a new passion in his life, his daughter, Grace.
Martin Foner, Director of Operations: In addition to consulting with mid sized and small publishers since 1982, Marty has owned and managed two publishing companies. He was CEO for 15 years at KIDSRIGHTS, a mid sized publisher/cataloger, which is now owned by a large Midwestern publisher.. Marty's training and early career in Strategic and Tax Planning for small businesses gave him the opportunity to work with and help grow hundreds of small and mid sized companies in various fields, providing broad experience in what it takes to make a business successful. He was a Co-Founder and Past President of the Florida Publishers Association pets.
Clifford Galanis , MD, author, Breastfeeding Facts for Fathers: A native of the Bahamas, Clifford Galanis is a graduate of Princeton University and Howard University Medical School. He trained as a pediatrician and adolescent physician at Children's Hospital in Washington, DC. He is currently in private practice in Mitchellville, MD.
Janelle Hatton, Researcher: Janelle is currently enjoying the 'quiet' life of caring for her two young daughters. A former member of U.S. Army military intelligence community, Janelle received a degree in marine biology which lead her to working at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. In 2000, she left her job in defense contracting to be a full-time mom. She now resides in northern Virginia with her husband, two daughters and an assortment of pets.
Jo Anne Iaciofano, Web Design and Development: Jo Anne Iaciofano of Jo Jo Graphics has been professionally developing Web sites and designing business materials for over eight years. Jo Anne Iaciofano's creative passion and technical experience allow her to perform both sides of Web development, design and coding, offering clients one option for their print and Web needs. She is honored to have the opportunity to bring internet life to Platypus Media and Science, Naturally!.
Irene Cumming Kleeberg, Senior Editor, Breastfeeding Annual International 2001: Irene is the author of almost twenty books on a variety of subjects. She has edited numerous books for many publishers, including Dutch, French and British publishers who need an editor to change their British English into American English. She has served on the Board of Governors of the Editorial Freelancers Association and is a member of the Authors Guild. Her first freelance article was entitled, based on her own experience, "Even an Infant Can Be Fun".
Kathy Leggett, Supervising Editor, Activity Guides: Kathy Leggett has been creating exciting schooldays for little people for more than 20 years, most of them as a first grade teacher in Prince William County, Virginia, public schools. She incorporates ideas that have worked in real classrooms into our Platypus Media activity guides. Kathy earned her teaching degree from Fairmont State University and her masters in gifted and talent education from West Virginia University. The mother of two boys, Kathy is also an active Cub Scout pack and den leader.
Nathan Levy, Author, 101 Things Everyone Should Know About Science and 101 Things Everyone Should Know About Math: In his thirty five years as a teacher and principal, Nathan worked directly with children, teachers and parents. He has developed unique teaching strategies that encouraged the love of learning. Mr. Levy has mentored more than thirty current principals and superintendents, as well as helped to train thousands of teachers and parents in methods to help children learn. For the past thirty years Nathan's workshops have been among the most popular at state and national education conferences. Nathan has done workshops in the areas of Reading Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Critical Thinking, Gifted, Special Education & Classroom Management.
Daniel Liegey, Illustrator, I Was Born to Be a Brother: Daniel Liegey lives in Jersey City, NJ. When he's not working, he attends The Art Students League where he studies drawing and art for fun. He loves chocolate and candy so much that he has to remember that he's not a kid anymore and makes himself eat some vegetables.
Cynthia Good Mojab, Co-author, Breastfeeding at a Glance: Facts, Figures, and Trivia About Lactation: Cynthia Good Mojab, MS clinical psychology, is a private researcher, author, educator, and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She writes and speaks about issues related to psychology, culture and the family-particularly as they relate to breastfeeding. Through her private practice, LifeCircle Counseling and Consulting, LLC (www.lifecirclecc.com) she offers a blend of psychological and lactation services to women and health care providers-in person and by phone. Cynthia is the founder and moderator of LactPsych, an international email discussion group for dual professionals whose work significantly addresses lactational psychology: the junction of the fields of lactation and psychology. She is also a member of the Ask the Experts panel on Mothering magazine's website, answering questions about breastfeeding. She was a member of the La Leche League International Editorial Review Team for The Breastfeeding Answer Book (3rd edition). Her numerous publications can be accessed from her website, Ammawell (http://home.comcast.net/~ammawell).
James J. McKenna, Author, Sleeping with Your Baby: A Parent's Guide: Professor James J. McKenna, Ph.D. is the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce CSC Chair in Anthropology and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. He also directs the Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at the University. He has published extensively on infant sleep, breastfeeding, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and the evolution of human behavior with special emphasis on the differences between the behavior and physiology of solitary and co-sleeping-breastfeeding mother-baby pairs. His interests include how cultural factors influence infant and childcare practices, which in turn, affect maternal-infant health and well-being. The National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development fund his research. Currently, he is involved in a multi-site USA national prospective project examining first-time teen moms throughout their pregnancies and throughout the first three years of their infants' lives. His articles have appeared in refereed periodicals and academic journals around the world, and he is considered one of the leading authorities on scientific studies of infant-parent co-sleeping and breastfeeding, especially bed-sharing, having been the first to study the practice.
Dia Michels, President: An internationally published science and health writer, Dia L. Michels has written for People, Parents, Parenting and Public Radio, International. Prior to founding and writing for Platypus Media, she wrote the award-winning Milk, Money & Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding and the best-selling A Woman's Guide to Yeast Infections. Michels is a popular speaker, lecturing frequently at conferences, universities, libraries and schools around the country. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband, a physicist with NASA, their three children and three cats.
Akaela S. Michels-Gualtieri, Author, I Was Born to Be a Sister: Kaely lives in Washington, DC with her writer-mother, her scientist-father, a younger brother, a younger sister and three cats. Now a high school student, Kaely trains in gymnastics and circus arts, plays piano in a jazz band, and works hard in her classes (knowing that college is just around the corner).
Zaydek Michels-Gualtieri, Author, I Was Born to Be a Brother: Zaydek is now in middle school in Alexandria, VA. He loves drawing Star Wars creatures, building with legos, playing computer games, and working on his solid foil ball (which now weighs 24 pounds!). He is a little brother to Akaela and a big brother to Miralah. Even though he occasionally works on catapult designs, he really does love being a brother.
Janet Pedersen, Art Director, Zack in the Middle: Janet Pedersen is a freelance designer and illustrator. She has illustrated several books for children. She has worked as a designer for several major publishers in New York, and very much enjoys the working process it takes to pull a book together. Then she enjoys reading the books to her young son! She lives with her family in Brooklyn, NY.
Marcy Dunn Ramsey, Illustrator, I Was Born to Be A Sister: Marcy has two daughters, Jessie, a talented sculptor, and Rosie, a discerning critic. She is also fortunate to have a patient husband, a good cook. When she isn't tearing her hair out over deadlines, Marcy Dunn Ramsey paints pictures of nice quiet places to nap in.
Emily Schuster, Research and Editing, If My Mom Were a Platypus: Emily works in publications at a museum, where she gets to learn about all kinds of cool mammals every day. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, she has also worked as the assistant editor of the children's magazine Science Weekly. Her articles have appeared in the Baltimore Sun and the National Zoo's ZooGoer magazine. Emily lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Donald Sosin and Joanna Seaton, Songwriters, I Was Born to Be a Brother and I Was Born to Be a Sister: Donald Sosin and Joanna Seaton are songwriters and film composers. Their work has been performed by professional vocal groups across the country. They have also written music for television, video and film, and specialize in creating new scores for classic silent films. They work extensively with both children and adults helping them create their own songs. Joanna is an accomplished actress and singer. Donald works as a composer, arranger and conductor. They live in Connecticut with their son, Nicholas.
Jessica Smith: Jessica graduated from the George Washington University with a degree in Journalism and Creative Writing. She is excited to have found such a fun, creative company to work for right here in Washington, DC. Originally from Atlanta, GA, Jessica has many younger siblings who love the Platypus Media and Science, Naturally! books. Outside of work, Jessica teaches a creative writing seminar and writes a column for a local paper.
Debra Stover, Graphic Design, Marketing: Debra is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator living and working in Sterling, Virginia. She has a degree in graphic design and has been a designer/illustrator for over 20 years. She is a member of the Graphic Artists Guild, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals and Cultural Arts of Greater Washington.
Douglas Wink, Art Director: Douglas Wink is an award-winning designer whose career began at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. There he taught graphic design and book arts. He has designed publications for Doubleday, The Pierpont Morgan Library, The Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. His wife, Marcia Sullivan, is active in the dance community, an interest Wink shares. He has designed materials for dance companies including Parsons Dance, Alvin Ailey and Dance Theater of Harlem, as well as the Joyce Theater and Jacob's Pillow. Today, Wink runs Inkway Graphics from a Victorian townhouse in Jersey City. He collects fountain pens to remind himself that email is only a passing fad.
Interns: College interns play an important role in the day to day operations at Platypus Media. Students spend a semester working part-time in the office. Through a hands-on approach to learning students are submerged in the publishing industry. We are happy to consider students and/or college graduates from any school who have an interest in writing, editing, publishing, or marketing. For more information please email us at info@PlatypusMedia.com. If you are a George Washington University student or a student at American University you can easily apply to our internship program through your career resource center on campus or online.


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