Nicole Sholly

Nicole Sholly has two decades of writing, editing, and content strategy experience spanning print, digital, and video content. She has provided personalized author-coaching for copywriting, content marketing, and book publishing, as well as marketing consultation and content strategy services. Throughout her career, she has worked with both independent authors and traditional publishers (Wiley, IT Revolution, Sigma Nursing), consulting on and editing more than 150 books on a variety of topics, including business IT, consumer technology, design, marketing, sales, and more.

Meg Winter

For over 10 years, Meg Winter has been a leader in the marketing and advertising space. She has a breadth of experience including developing business transformation strategies and managing campaign work (social media, email, website, print, radio, broadcast and video). Meg has worked in Chicago and New York City at some of the most reputable advertising agencies servicing Fortune 500 global portfolio clients such as Chase Bank, NFL, Hasbro, Kimberly Clark and Unilever. Some of Meg’s past client work has been honored with a Webby Award, Shorty Award and Clio Award. Meg currently resides in Chicago with her husband and son. She has recently fulfilled her lifelong dream of co-writing a children’s book with her beloved grandmother.

Kristina Anderson

Kristina Anderson is a designer for Pithy Wordsmithery, and has partnered with the company since 2013. She has over ten years of experience in both graphic design and web design, and is experienced in design for print and web as well as HTML, CSS, jQuery, PHP, and responsive design. She also works in branding, social media management, and product marketing.

Kristina has a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has also completed design programs through The Art Institute of Chicago and Ascend Training. Besides design, Kristina also enjoys cooking, reading, blogging, and bringing beauty to everyday life. Kristina currently lives on the north side of Chicago with her husband and daughter.

Lauren Ezzo

Lauren Ezzo is a story fiend and linguistic polymath. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English & Theatre from Hope College, and at this writing has professionally narrated over 300 audiobooks for publishers including Scholastic, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, & more. She’s also a sometime author and illustrator. For Pithy, she works as a copywriter, narrator, & coach/consultant for authors narrating their own titles. She loves to read, catch home games at Wrigley, hike her native Michigan, & improvise pasta dishes. She is a proud member of the Audio Publishers Association, and a lifelong bookworm.

Molly Tranberg

Molly Tranberg is a rockstar content strategist and copywriter who loves solving business pain points with creative campaigns and initiatives. A digital native, Molly curates on-point social media branding and strategy and has worked with clients like Shake Shack, The Campbell Bar, and Zaro’s Family Bakery, among others. Her biggest win on Instagram was growing @grandcentralnyc from 20,000 followers to over 100,000 followers.

Molly has over 10 years of writing, editing, and marketing experience and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing & French Literature from Michigan State University and a Master of Arts in Writing and Publishing from DePaul University.

Nils Kuehn

For Nils, editing is truly and rewording activity! Starting his career as copyeditor of his high school newspaper, then graduating from the University of Michigan before moving to San Francisco during the first dot.com bubble, he has spent over three decades developing his proofreading and copyediting acumen. Currently calling the East Coast home, Nils has worked with a diverse list of clients throughout the U.S. and even abroad in industries ranging from consulting to marketing to technology to finance to publishing. Perhaps his most noteworthy accomplishment is having proofread the winning U.S./Mexico/Canada United Bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup (men’s soccer). No matter what form of writing—web content, books, marketing materials, whitepapers—Nils can edit it!

Cherie Gilmore-Forczak

Cherie is an expert proofreader and editor. Her eagle eye makes her an asset to the Pithy Wordsmithery team. A retired educator, Cherie holds a BA in history, a Masters in library science, a Masters in reading, a Law Degree (JD), and a teaching certificate.

In her free time, Cherie volunteers as an Advocate for foster children, writing reports for the court and appearing at hearings to be a voice for the children. She also enjoys crafting, spending time with friends, and cheering on the Oregon Ducks.

Soumaya Yacoub

Soumaya Yacoub is passionate about entrepreneurship. At Pithy Wordsmithery, she specializes in internal and external business operations, as well as marketing. Soumaya has a background in STEM, and she has worked as a researcher in multiple laboratories in Boston and Chicago. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marine biotechnology and a master’s degree in biotechnology, as well as a bioengineering diploma from Harvard University. Most recently, she received a certificate in Business Planning from the Women’s Entrepreneurship Institute at DePaul University.

Jennifer Cooper

Jennifer is an artist who specializes in illustration and design. She enjoys working with authors to transform their words into art through pen and ink, watercolor, and many other media. Jennifer is also a professional potter and art educator who feels passionately about arts integration and giving arts opportunities to students in Title 1 schools. She loves listening to personal experiences in order to create the perfect art pairings for projects.

Jennifer has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Alfred University and a Masters from the University of Colorado.

Claire Lacy

Claire is a creative strategist and designer who thrives on transforming ideas into reality through design. She has worked across a wide variety of industries to create branding and marketing materials that inspire people to connect with one another and with the world around them. Claire has over 15 years of design, branding, and marketing experience and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ball State University and a Master of Fine Arts from Purdue University. In her free time, she can be found voraciously consuming podcasts and audio books, experimenting with watercolors, slalom waterskiing, and traveling the globe to quench her thirst for watermelon juice.

Scott Morrow

If you’ve made a copy error, Scott will find it. On top of his full-time proofreading gig at a prolific Chicago marketing agency, he helps Pithy rid the world of typos on a freelance basis. Earlier in his career, Scott served as managing editor of an independent music magazine called Alarm and has written for publications such as Chicago Reader, Consequence of Sound, A.V. Club, Revolver, and Playboy.

On the side, Scott is working on a collaborative sociopolitical music project called Plutocracy Planet. He also loves bubble tea, fantasy football, and the Chicago Bears.

Rebecca Senninger

Rebecca Senninger has devoted her entire professional existence to publishing, bringing decades of proofreading experience and achieving success in every editorial role imaginable. At present, her time is spent working one-on-one with authors to produce stellar books. Her specialties include developmental editing and coaching authors to improve their manuscripts.

Rebecca has a history as a digital nomad but calls New Orleans home for now. Wherever the best words live, she will also.

Martha Nicholson Steele

Since childhood, Martha Nicholson Steele has been guided by the Shakespearean principle “Brevity is the soul of wit (and wisdom).” She values clear communication and for over 30 years has helped craft concise and informative prose for book publishers, art journals, and a science museum. Her previous titles include proofreader, copyeditor, development editor, and production editor, all while pursuing perfection in published texts.

Nurtured by literature and family lore, Martha is one of four beloved children from generation after generation of kind, artistic, and curious people.

Chet Turnbeaugh

Chet is a classically trained creative nonfiction writer and ghostwriter. He is passionate about helping ordinary people tell their extraordinary true stories. As a seasoned ghostwriter, he loves helping business thought leaders, influencers, Hollywood personalities, and people in the entertainment industry present their message in print and on-screen.

Chet is a magna cum laude graduate of Wabash College. During his undergraduate degree, he studied the art of Creative Nonfiction abroad at the University of Oxford at St. Catherine’s College. Additionally, Chet spent time as a script consultant for a production studio in Hollywood, while studying Creative Production and Screenwriting at UCLA. In his free time, Chet enjoys playing his guitar and rapping out pages on his vintage typewriter.

Heather Chamberlain

Heather Chamberlain is a business relationship expert who specializes in building audiences, cultivating strategic partnerships, and converting customers, clients, and followers into lifelong fans. Heather has worked with top-tier brands including LEGOLAND Florida Resort, the National Hockey League, Opry Entertainment Group, and national Broadway productions to increase audience engagement, drive sales, and build a loyal community through authentic connections. Through years of experience across industries, Heather mastered best practices and strategy proven to increase marketing ROI and deepen lifetime customer value. Her passion for elevating the customer and user experience gives her a unique acumen at the intersection between marketing and relationship building.

Brian Walls

There’s nothing Brian Walls hasn’t done in the area of online publication. He has vast experience as a creator, coordinator, and teacher, serving in roles such as instructional designer, editor, technical writer, and copywriter/proofreader. Client-facing or behind the scenes, he’s a true master of his craft.

Brian also enjoys traveling and recently returned from a trip abroad to Mexico, with New Mexico next on his list. He loves anything outdoors and everything craft cocktails offer. Drinks on a patio? Yes please!

Jonathan Sainsbury

Jonathan is an award-winning graphic designer with over two decades experience specializing in book design (covers, interiors, and marketing). Client list includes Atria Books, Da Capo Press, Hachette Book Group, Harper Collins, Harry N. Abrams, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Knopf, Pantheon, Pegasus Books, Penguin Random House, Picador, Shambhala Publications, Simon and Schuster, Smithsonian Books, St. Martins Press, VeloPress, and W. W. Norton. Also designs CD booklets, film posters, identities, branding, logos, retail, social media marketing, and more.

His work has been in many prestigious publications, including COMMUNICATION ARTS, HOW magazine, PRINT magazine, among significant design blogs such as The Casual Optimist.

Awards include the AIGA 50 / 50 Covers, AAUP, Bookbuilders of Boston’s New England Book Show, HOW International Design, PRINT Regional Design, the New York Book Show, the National Gold Ink Awards, Communication Arts, Type Director’s Club, STEP Design Magazine, and the Publishing Professionals Network.