Advisory Board 

James Black (2022- present)

He is an entrepreneur, writer, poet, artist, musician, editor, and motivational speaker. Originally from Jamaica, he moved to Connecticut in 2015. He is the CEO of 3rd Eye Studios LLC. His goals are to create a space and platform for creatives that’ll allow artists and authors to create comfortably and learn how to market themselves efficiently. He is also a sport enthusiast, semi-pro soccer coach, and semi-pro soccer player. He launched 3rd Eye FC LLC to combine his love of sports, fashion, and entrepreneurship. He serves on LSP advisory board for strategy and partnered with LSP in 2022 in publishing.

 Tanesha Bramwell-Mcken (2017- present)

She has extensive experience as an educator teaching children and adults. She is fluent in English and Spanish and has international experience having lived in Colombia, Mexico, Jamaica, U.S and Jamaica. She is a mother of two daughters, wife of a small business owner, currently a Spanish elementary teacher and translator, who is dedicated to linguistics and literacy. ​​She translates Lauren Simone Pubs' books. 

 Faith Clarke (2017- present)

She  is formally trained in Computer Science, Adult Education, and Psychology. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Performance Psychology, where she focuses on stress management and well-being. In addition, she is homeschooling her three children, one of whom was diagnosed with autism. She is the author of Parenting like a Ninja: An autistic mom's guide to professional productivity and the CEO and founder of Melody of Autism, which is a program to support families caring for loved ones with autism by connecting them with trained care specialists with nuanced insights into their family's needs. Designed and implemented a comprehensive curriculum for autism care specialist training and autism sensitivity training that reflects cutting edge perspectives on autism and approaches to building deep connections and facilitating learning and development in people with autism. 

Naomie Gorham (2017- present)

She  is a high level reader and lover of books. She is honest and direct concerning what she loves and hates about the characters, story content, and illustrations. She is one of the first board members to see our books before they are published and provide feedback. 

Cheryl Gorham (2017- present)

She is a mother of three who enjoys reading to her children. She is an avid reader, completed her undergraduate degree in Biology, and currently works in the legal department at an Engineering company. Combining her diverse skill set, she serves as a tremendous asset to Lauren Simone Publishing House.

Matthew John (2017- present)

He is the father of Alyssa Simone and Olivia Lauren. He is a graduate of Fiorella H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, a school that specializes in visual arts and performing arts. As a child, he enjoyed drawing, sketching, and painting. Later, he studied at LaGuardia Community College and finished his undergraduate degree at Charter Oak State College. He advises Lauren Simone Publishing House on the art and retail of books. He is our highest-ranked bookseller at LSP.  When he is not advising or working with LSP at events, he is fitting patients for high-end optical frames at Hartford's first black, female-owned optical store, ProVision CT, where he utilizes his retail skills. 

Dalton L. Richards (2017- present)

He is the Founder of The Evo Project, a Philanthropic Program, the curator and editor of The Evolution Project: Stranger Alien Foreigner Nomad, consults on publications for ‘Sufficient For Today’, a self-help Christian resource by Sharon Haughton and has edited works such as ‘Was Jesus Really Poor’ and ‘Destined for Greatness’ (Devotional) both by author and Bishop, Dr. Dominic N. Allotey. Dalton has also worked as Editor-in-Chief and contributing author for ‘We Are Urban Legends W.A.U.L from 2013-2016. His education includes a BA in Psychology from Mercy College in New York; and he is currently completing his Masters in Counseling for Mental Health & Wellness at New York University. Next to Psychology, Literature also satisfies his desired vantage point in the mind and behavior of people. In his
upcoming debut novel series, ‘Corinthians of New’ he gets the chance to explore the human psyche, his Christian faith as well as express his passion for Fictional Drama and Anthropology. He advises Lauren Simone Publishing House on prose and style.

Rose-Anne Uwague (2017- present)

She is a Life Strategist, Business Coach, Outsourced Operations Director, and Author. She is a published author of two books, 7lbs 13ounces and Plug In. She advises Lauren Simone Pubs on content and design. She is the founder of Light A Fire LLC, personal growth and professional development organization that provides life-enhancing resources and tools for women who seek to live healthier, freer, happier, and more purposeful lifestyles. She also serves small business owners who need outsourced operations, project management, and assistance streamlining their processes. Passionate about igniting purpose to help clients identify and achieve their goals, Rose-Anne has been nicknamed “The Igniter”. She challenges her clients through accountability and introspection to set milestones, tackles their vices, and operates in their power to accomplish their mission. As a Life Strategist, she distinguishes her productivity coaching by helping her clients pursue harmony, employ grace and strategy rather than hustling, grinding, and struggling. She was featured in Forbes weighing in on a conversation about whether or not we "should" be productive, setting expectations for ourselves and others, and overcoming common challenges during the pandemic.  

Christine Sullivan, Business Development, reSET and SBDC

Christine enjoys helping entrepreneurs and small business owners achieve their next milestone.  Whether it’s developing a business plan or finding the right source of capital, Christine can help advise on the best plan to achieve the company’s short- and long-term goals. Prior to joining SBDC, Christine worked in investment banking for nearly 20 years where she focused on technology and food and beverage companies.  During her career, she realized how rewarding it was to work with earlier stage businesses where she could see that her advice was having a real impact on the company’s growth and success.

Denise Whitford, Business Development, SBDC

Denise has earned a reputation as a seasoned Business Advisor, where she brings nearly 35 years of professional economic development and financial services experience. Denise works with entrepreneurs and small business owners primarily in the Hartford region and at the US Department of Commerce in Middletown. With more than two decades of experience in bank operations, lending, sales, and service management, Denise shares her knowledge and extensive business acumen to help her clients build the best chance of enduring growth and profitability.

Jennifer Mellett, Custom Research & Brand Strategy, SCORE

Jen is a master of qualitative and quantitative research methods who can lead a segmentation study and conduct a Max Diff or TURF analysis as swiftly as she can lead a focus group and virtual community. Most importantly, Jen is a seasoned business consultant who knows how to extract insights and convert them to product and branding opportunities.  

Kathey Porter, Business Advisor, Goldman Sachs OMBW

A nationally recognized small business strategist and award-winning supplier diversity expert with a cadre of experience spanning nearly two decades in marketing, small business development, supplier diversity and entrepreneurship.

Mary Cait McManamon, Digit Marketing, PCV

As an entrepreneur, she learned firsthand the challenges of building and marketing a business when she started her first company. She realized that she was not the only entrepreneur struggling to keep up with a growing business and social media. She decided to put her first business on hold to work with other entrepreneurs instead. Now she uses social media as a tool to help entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses.

Sharon Dixon Peay, Accounting and Tax Management

Sharon Dixon Peay graduated from Westledge School in Simsbury, CT, received a BA in Economics from Yale University and a Masters’ of Public Administration Program at University of Hartford. She has several years experience in banking, insurance, and state government.  Her extensive career included bookkeeping services and helping business owners create financial systems   and training business and individuals in financial management.  Sharon also has considerable skill in financial administration, debt management and investment management as well as data verification, documentation and compliance review.

Steve Mahoney, Financial Planning and Projections, SCORE

Over twenty years of financial experience including leading large organizations, communications to executive management and boards of directors, driving financial performance, directing strategic initiatives, financial reporting and analysis, operating and strategic planning, acquisition due diligence and integration, accounting, internal controls and auditing.

 Tamira Butler-Likely, Ph.D. (2019- present)

She is the owner and operator of Likely Write Editing. She has been editing and proofreading documents for over 15 years. Her educational background in the biological sciences has given her a keen eye for detail. She especially enjoys editing books and essays, to ensure the authors present their best selves in their writing. ​​

James Dale (2023- present)

He is a Jamaican-American screenwriter, editor, radio personality, and published author. His work can be found online at Smashwords.com, Amazon.com, or wherever ebooks are sold. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing at Full Sail University. 

Sharika K. Forde (2019- present)

She is a mother, grandmother, and a student of life who has a passion for creative expression. She started jotting down notes of poetry many years ago. Inspired by her grandson, in 2019 she published her first children’s book in the Grandma’s Lil’ King Collection. Now a top selling author of several children's books filled with colorful images and rhythmic sentences to engage little ones in learning about African heritage, being fearless and the importance of teamwork. She is a content editor for Lauren Simone Publishing House. 

Stephanie Clarke (2019- present)

He has worked with entrepreneurs from various industries, professionals from various fields, CEO’s of multiple companies, mothers, Congressmen, and more. Her bachelor’s degree is in psychology and she has been a professional writer for over 15 years. She has  been happily married for 15 years and has four amazing kids. She currently resides in Punta Gorda, Florida. She is passionate about writing and the idea of creating content is something I look forward to each day. She also enjoys playing the piano, painting and reading.

Keisha Jenkins (2022- present)

She is an elementary school teacher with a passion for teaching children and inspiring them to think critically, work hard, and be their best selves. In her quest for developing an atmosphere for diversity and inclusion in the classroom, she sees a need for Black representation and an understanding of the Black experience in America, not just in the classroom but in the entertainment industry as a whole. Her love of creative writing, her passion for teaching and her desire to create and promote material that represents the Black community is demonstrated in her projects which includes “I Am Black History from A-Z”

Sarah Moynihan (2021-2022)

She is a UCONN student, who is an English major with minor in Women’s and Gender Studies and Human Development and Family Studies. She has served as the Creative Writing Club President and a writing fellow. She has valuable skills as a leader and a communicator.  She understands the role of the intersectionality between gender, race, sexuality, and socioeconomic status.

Silvana Spence (2022- present)

She is originally from Brazil, is an author, mom, and educator who lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with her two daughters. She holds a bachelor's degree in early childhood education- ESOL Endorsed and a master's degree in Curriculum and instruction. Silvana writes Children’s books and works as an educational consultant writing curricula and doing presentations in conferences. She has collaborated with the Jacksonville public library to write “Here We Go” a book for young readers. She serves as our Curriculum Development specialist. 

Angel Wells (2022-2023)

She  is a University of Hartford student, who is an English major. Angel is an aspiring YA writer, avid book lover and impressive young leader. She is a professional speaker, a member of SCBWI, and the president of Pages Come to Life.

Emmanuel Akojede (2022- present)

He is a Website Developer, who specializes in platforms such as Shopify, Wix, and Wordpress. He engages in creating professional, highly-converting, yet eye-catching websites with mobile-responsiveness and easy navigation for users in mind for businesses across the globe to enhance their progress. He is also a Digital Marketing Expert concerned about giving out the best proven marketing strategies targeted at yielding sales and in turn consistent monthly revenue for several kinds of businesses.

Paula Pierce (2021- present)

She is the owner and operator of Hosting Connecticut, LLC, where she provide everything online support including site design and development, hosting, e-commerce and digital marketing. A native of the town of Windsor, Connecticut, she now lives in the heart of its downtown with my husband, Michael, and enjoy being part of an energetic and diverse small town. She is ardent supporter of Windsor and its business community, and have been recognized for those efforts by the Small Business Administration and the Windsor Chamber of Commerce.