Kim Castro of US News & World Report Will Moderate a Discussion with Leading Industry Alums
October 27, 2022
NYU School of Professional Studies Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts Will Celebrate 25 Years of Excellence in Publishing Education on November 17
NEW YORK, October 27, 2022—The NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts (PALA), in conjunction with the NYU Office of Alumni Relations, will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the MS in Publishing program at NYU SPS. The event will take place on Thursday, November 17, from 6:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
The evening will begin with a one-hour panel discussion on publishing’s past and present, examining the key media milestones from 1996 to the present, their significance, and how they have impacted business practices and culture. The conversation will also explore the future of publishing and media and what those in the industry predict as major disruptions and influences in the years ahead.
This will be followed by a gala reception to celebrate this significant milestone in the School’s education of hundreds of publishing and media leaders. Kimberly Castro ’08, editor and chief content officer at US News & World Report, will moderate a panel of alums from the program’s early days to the present.
“For a quarter of a century, we have helped aspiring publishing professionals achieve their dreams, serving diverse students, many of whom have gone on to illustrious careers in the industry,” said Andrea Chambers, associate dean of PALA. “I am delighted that so many of our MS in Publishing alums have come back to celebrate this milestone event with us and share memories of their time in the program.”
Panel Moderator
- Kim Castro ’08, Editor and Chief Content Officer, US News & World Report. In this role, she has day-to-day oversight of all US News content, working with editorial teams to produce journalism for the Education, Money, Health, News, Travel, Autos, and 360 Product Reviews channels. Previously, she was a managing editor at Standard & Poor’s, managing content creation and production of equity research products. In 2019, she received the NYU SPS Bart Lawson Distinguished Alumna Award.
Panelists
- Lavinel Savu ’99, Head of Content and Editorial, Amazon Fashion. Savu oversees omnichannel content and editorial strategy across Amazon Fashion customer touchpoints and marketing programs. Previously, he held executive management and leadership roles at Dotdash Meredith, Meredith, Time, and Hearst—launching, directing, and scaling media brands, including InStyle, Real Simple, Cosmopolitan, and O, The Oprah Magazine. He has taught management, finance, and leadership courses in the MS in Publishing program since 2002.
- Laura Ross ’10, Senior Manager of Commercial Strategy, Barnes & Noble. Ross oversees email marketing and works to ensure that great books get into the hands of readers. Prior to Barnes & Noble, she worked in marketing at Open Road Integrated Media, where she brought new audiences to the work of authors such as William Styron, Alice Walker, Michael Chabon, and more.
- Monica Odom ’14, Founder and Literary Agent, Odom Media Management. Odom founded her agency in 2019 after working in publishing for nearly a decade, including as agent at Liza Dawson Associates and Bradford Literary Agency. She worked in bookselling and event coordinating at Watchung Booksellers. Odom is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents, where she serves on the board and on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. She is president of the DEI nonprofit Literary Agents of Change.
- Liz Sellers ’20, Assistant Editor, Berkley Publishing Group. Sellers’ upcoming and recent projects at Berkley include Cold-Blooded Liar by New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose, and Danielle Jackson’s debut romance, The Accidental Pinup. While a student in the MS in Publishing program, Sellers was vice president of the Publishing Student Association, volunteered at the 2019 London Book Fair, and held an editorial internship at ABRAMS.
For media inquiries, please contact Alka Gupta at aag13@nyu.edu or Michael DeMeo at michael.demeo@nyu.edu.
About the NYU SPS Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts (PALA)
The NYU SPS Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts (PALA) offers a range of innovative programs in publishing and digital media, including the MS in Publishing 36-credit graduate program that prepares students for careers in books, digital, and magazine media; the Summer Publishing Institute (SPI), a four-week intensive for recent college graduates, rising college seniors, and young professionals who are interested in entry-level careers in media; and executive education programs, both in New York and abroad. PALA also offers two fully online degrees, the MS in Professional Writing and the MS in Translation and Interpreting, as well as certificate and continuing education courses and the Academy of Lifelong Learning. For more information, visit the Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts (PALA).
About the NYU School of Professional Studies
For more than 87 years, the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) has been a deeply respected institution of higher education that is grounded in applied learning. From its early years, training returning World War II veterans to fulfill the nation’s urgent need for skilled technical workers, it has evolved into a professional education powerhouse that offers 22 graduate degrees, 13 bachelor’s degrees for traditional and degree completion students, four associate degrees, and a plethora of continuing education courses and credentials.
NYU SPS is a thought leader, and serves as an incubator for new ideas in industries that are constantly changing, including real estate, real estate development, and construction management; hospitality, tourism, travel, and event management; financial planning; global affairs and global security, conflict, and cybercrime; global sport and sports business; publishing; executive marketing and strategic communications, integrated marketing; public relations; project management; executive coaching and organizational consulting, human resource management and development, and human capital analytics and technology; management and systems; translation; and professional writing. It is focused on building skills that open doors to opportunities in emerging fields and global markets. NYU SPS faculty members are leading experts in their areas of discipline, with a hands-on approach that encourages students to push beyond their limits and to break new ground.
Home to some of the largest and most prestigious industry conferences in the world, including the Schack Institute of Real Estate’s Capital Markets Conference, REIT Symposium, and National Symposium of Women in Real Estate; and the Jonathan M. Tisch Center’s International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference, the School’s invaluable connections to industry leaders is a truly distinguishing factor in the education that it provides. Through career development services and resources provided by the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development at NYU SPS, guest lecturers, site visits, participation in numerous conferences and events, and Global Field Intensives, students benefit from an NYU education that will set them apart. In addition, they have the opportunity to learn from and network with more than 39,000 NYU SPS alumni who live, work, and contribute to innovation in industry around the world. Learn more about NYU SPS.