Christopher Lloyd, CEO
Chris is the founder of children’s non-fiction company What on Earth Publishing. He has written more than 15 books on world history, including What on Earth Happened? (Bloomsbury, 2008), The Story of the World in 100 Species (Bloomsbury, 2009) and Absolutely Everything! (What on Earth Books, 2018). He also edited the Britannica All New Kids’ Encyclopedia (Britannica Books, 2020). In 2018, he created a new concept for teaching U.S. state history with a generation of resources crafted in the style of newspaper and timelines. The first was the Illinois Chronicles, developed for the Bicentennial of Illinois in 2018. This concept forms the foundation of the State Chronicles project. Chris is in great demand as a lecturer and speaker worldwide. chris@statechronicles.com
Michele brings years of tourism, marketing, and leadership experience to Ideaz Ablaze, LLC, her own consultancy. Michele is skilled at business development, expanding an organization’s national and international recognition and outreach, government involvement, fundraising strategy, and overall strategic planning. She has managed a professional staff and board of directors, both key to growing an organization. Ms. Pecoraro is also the architect of Massachusetts 400, a concept to sustain the momentum of the Plymouth Colony commemoration for 10 years, from 2020 to 2030, as over 30 communities in the State of Massachusetts reach their 400th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. michele@statechronicles.com
Michele Pecoraro, Partnerships Director
Nancy has been editing and publishing children's nonfiction for over 25 years. Before joining What on Earth Publishing, she led the Children’s Publishing department at National Geographic, and she has also held positions at Scholastic and HarperCollins. Nancy is devoted to engaging children’s natural enthusiasm for fun, surprising information and emotionally compelling true stories and inspiring them to find out more. Over the course of her career, her books have garnered hundreds of awards and places on best book lists judged by librarians, teachers, parents, and children themselves. nancy@statechronicles.com
Bill worked as the Senior Director of Sales & Marketing for National Geographic Books and Education for over 25 years. During his tenure, he worked to build the publishing brand to new revenue levels and to achieve all mission related goals. He managed partnerships to build the mission of the organization with such organizations such as First Book, National Parent Teacher Association and many corporate partners like Boeing, Feeding America, and Mars, Inc. bill@statechronicles.com
Bill O’Donnell, Special Sales / Fundraising Director
Nancy Feresten, Publishing Director
Kenetha is a historical anthropologist/archaeologist whose life's mission has been to amplify the voices of the past. She has conducted fieldwork and research on African American history in the eastern and southern United States. She has also assisted historic sites and other organizations in creating inclusive historical narratives, developing new exhibits, implementing programs, hosting presentations, and engaging with the community. Kenetha is a founding member of Central Louisiana African American Historical Society, and serves as the principal researcher for Diaspora Research & Consulting. She is also a PhD candidate at Louisiana State University. kenetha@statechronicles.com
Kenetha Harrington, Director of Partnerships
Ali is a writer and editor dedicated to making information exciting and accessible to readers of all ages. She was an editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica for 13 years, where she pioneered several new types of content and publishing partnerships, including as the managing editor for the Britannica Books line. Along with her husband Stephen, Ali has written several books for children, including the American Symbols series (Enslow Publishers, 2012). ali@whatonearth.co.uk
Andrew is a writer, editor, and journalist who has contributed to The Times of London, The Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph, where he was Head of Culture. Andrew is the author of Listified! and a co-author of the Encyclopedia Infographica (both published by Britannica Books), the editor of Britannica’s What on Earth! Magazine, and was a contributor writer and editor of The Massachusetts Chronicles for What on Earth Books. He studied at St Peter's College, Oxford University. andrew@whatonearthbooks.com
