The Administrative Staff

Director of the Institute. Joyce Meskis began her career in the book industry during college working in a university bookstore. In the intervening years she became the owner and President of the Tattered Cover Book Store, establishing it as one of the industry's preeminent independent bookstores. During her tenure she has worked with the multitude of diverse publishing companies throughout the United States and beyond. Ms. Meskis is the recipient of many awards for her service to the book community, as well as in recognition for her work on behalf of the First Amendment. Awards include the Walter J. Brennan, Jr. Award from the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, the American Booksellers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, and the American Library Association's Freedom to Read Foundation Role of Honor Award.

Co-Director. Jill Smith joined the Publishing Institute in 2003 after spending four years writing and editing corporate communications for a major telecommunications company. Ms. Smith has recently completed her Masters of Business Administration through the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business.

Program Administrator. Sandra Bond joined the Publishing Institute in May 2005. She has worked in publishing for twelve years and heads her own literary agency in Denver, which she started in 1998. She represents both fiction and nonfiction, and her clients’ books have been published by Penguin, Warner Books, McGraw-Hill, MacAdam/Cage, and Mainstream Publishing in Scotland.

Director Emerita. Elizabeth A. Geiser brings to the Institute more than 40 years of experience in New York book publishing. Most recently she has been senior vice president of Gale Research Inc., for whom she presently serves as consultant. She has held positions as promotion director of the Macmillan Co. and senior vice president and publisher of the R. R. Bowker Co. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors, Association of American Publishers, and is the editor of The Business of Book Publishing, a basic text on publishing. In 1988, Ms. Geiser was honored for the accomplishments of her professional career and for "her role as an industry educator" by being inducted into the Publishing Hall of Fame.