IBPA Publishing University 2026

Emily balances a hopeful vision for the future while managing the impermanent nature of reality. As Executive Director of BookSpring, an Austin-based nonprofit inspiring a love of reading in children and families, she leads a fantastic team doing the critical work of sustaining a steady stream of the right books to the right kids at the right time. BookSpring Originals is its newly-minted publishing imprint, offering bilingual English/Spanish children's books to supplement its gifting inventory and also sell with a buy one/give one model, supporting families who cannot afford books at home. Research overwhelmingly supports that growing up with access to books increases academic, social, and economic achievement in life. As co-founder and President of the National Book Access Association, she is helping to build capacity for the wide range of people and organizations who give away books at the local and regional levels. She has over 30 years of experience in the nonprofit and education sectors, including teaching, technology, product development, fundraising, and leadership roles. Her work comes from a strong interest in social justice for access to knowledge for all and a deep passion for language and stories. She is also an award winning playwright and screenwriter. As a lifelong learner with a BFA from DePaul University and MFA and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, she loves poetry, business, spirituality, and self-help books, and enjoys cooking, gardening, movies, and space-watching with her family.