Our People

Kate McDaniel

Senior Acquisitions Editor

Kate spends her days doing her dream job: reading manuscripts and getting to know authors. She loves helping authors find their niche in the publishing world so that they can see their words come to life in print. In her free time, you can find Kate cheering on the Virginia Tech Hokies—her alma mater. Outside of football season, she’s known to spend her days floating the James River or disappearing into the nearest trailhead for an early morning hike.

Ben Simpson

Acquisitions Editor

Ben enjoys helping aspiring authors achieve their dream of publishing their books and enjoys working with so many different projects and genres. He received his B.A. in Communications with a Concentration in Media Production & Criticism from George Mason University. He greatly enjoys film, television, and books, especially ones that make him chuckle. He is excited to join the Mascot team and show off his ping pong skills in the office!

Scott Parker

Acquisitions Editor

Scott’s been in the publishing world for over 12 years with experience in books, magazines, digital publishing, and new media. His expertise encompasses editorial, marketing, distribution, and sales. He also brings with him a unique background in business, public safety, life experience, and travel that helps drive his pursuit of acquiring new authors and exceptional content.

Jess Cohn

Acquisitions Editor

Working with books is Jess’s dream job. Ever since she was little, she knew her passion in life was to help authors publish their stories. As a creative writing student at University of North Carolina Wilmington, she experienced the writing lifestyle and adored working with her classmates to achieve their publishing dreams. Graduating with her B.F.A. and publishing certificate allowed her to pursue her goal of helping authors put their stories in front of readers. She loves spending her days reading manuscripts, chatting with authors about their work, and exploring the wonderful northern Virginia area.

Nina Spahn

Senior Production Editor

As a word-loving, detail-oriented, coffee-addicted reader and writer, Nina found her home as a senior production editor at Mascot Books. Prior to moving to the Washington, D.C., area, she worked in editorial at a New York publishing house. Her favorite part about her job is helping authors see their book dreams realized, from the very beginning conceptual stages to the final printing, and everything in between. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh (Hail to Pitt!) with a B.A. in Writing and a B.A. in Communications, and attended New York University’s Summer Publishing Institute before beginning her career in publishing. A reader of all things and a writer of some, Nina’s favorite books include The Kings and Queens of Roam by Daniel Wallace and Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. When she’s not lost in a book, you can find her doing yoga in her living room or cooking in her kitchen. Nina lives in the D.C. area with her husband and her incredibly vocal, smart, snuggly miniature pinscher, Teddy.

Susan Roberts

Senior Production Editor

Susan’s favorite part of her job as a senior production editor is helping each of her authors realize their story’s true potential. A creative writer at heart, Susan can often be found writing and editing scripts for a wide variety of children’s books, as well as pairing each story with its perfect illustrator. In true Susan fashion, she can also be found reenacting scenes from her children’s books in the office to make sure the illustrations match the text. Susan graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a B.A. in English and a concentration in Creative Writing. When she isn’t reading or writing, she can be found playing arena polo, narrating her life in song, and playing with her loyal beast (and Mascot’s mascot) Bowie.

Daniel Wheatley

Senior Production Editor

Daniel fell in love with books at an early age and never looked back. As a senior production editor, he is thrilled to help authors take their ideas and transform them into completed books. He loves helping all the parts—editing, illustration, design, and production—come together into something magnificent! Daniel graduated from Messiah College with a B.A. in English, with a Writing Concentration. He likes all kinds of stories, but his favorites to read—and write—are science fiction and fantasy. His debut middle-grade fantasy novel, The Zanna Function, was released in 2018 from Jolly Fish Press. When he’s not working on his own fiction projects, he teaches swing dancing and hunts for cheesy movies to add to his collection.

Rachel Sutton

Production Editor

A lifelong learner and compulsive reader, Rachel spent much of her time over the years in bookstores. Her experiences reading and working in these hallowed places taught her to understand the publishing field from all angles. As a production editor at Mascot, Rachel taps into her creativity and passion for storytelling in order to become her authors’ fairy godmother. At the end of the day, Rachel loves nothing more than to see stories come to life in print. When she’s not working, Rachel devours non-fiction works ranging from theoretical physics to the developing sociopolitical landscape, although she’s also been known to indulge in sci-fi, fantasy, and dystopian novels. Her library of books is matched only by her television and movie collection. Rachel attended Virginia Commonwealth University, earning dual degrees, graduating with a B.A. in English and a B.S. in Psychology, as well as earning minors in British Studies and Religious Studies.

Kiley Garrett

Production Editor

Kiley is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where she studied English literature and creative writing. A diverse reader, she loves sprawling novels and picture books alike! For much of her academic and professional career, she’s used her passion for language and storytelling to connect with people from all walks of life. Before joining the Mascot team, she was a tutor at a university writing center, where she helped students across disciplines improve their academic writing. As an AmeriCorps alumna, she has also taught fundamental reading skills to children in underserved schools. When she’s not catching up on her ever-expanding reading list, she is probably working on her own writing! She is interested in the relationship between culture and environment. Inspired by writers like Joan Didion and Robert Macfarlane, she explored social and natural landscapes of Ireland’s Ancient East on a travel grant. She also enjoys spending time with her cat Miles, who is twelve pounds of fluff, joy, and perfection.

Jasmine White

Graphic Designer

Jasmine considers herself a jack of all trades when it comes to creativity. Her pursuits include book cover and interior designs, digital painting, videos, and three-dimensional modeling. She also dabbles in fiction writing and is Mascot’s resident printer whisperer and solver of minor computer problems. In her free time, she fights hordes of evil in her Dungeons and Dragons group, reads Korean web comics, and binges TV shows full of swords, magic, and political intrigue. Jasmine earned a B.A. in New Media Design from Queens University of Charlotte, North Carolina. She moved to the D.C. area to study Game Design at George Mason University but soon found herself at Mascot Books!

Morgan Alessi

Graphic Designer

From a very young age, Morgan knew she wanted to pursue a career in the arts. She grew up finding beauty in hidden ways and now loves unearthing the potential in authors’ visual ideas. She earned a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from James Madison University. During her time there, she was fortunate enough to experience the art and culture of Austria and Poland, which she uses as a well of inspiration in her work today. Morgan is now happy and at home working for Mascot Books, creating exciting content and expanding her skillset every day. You might even see some of her original drawings featured in Mascot’s various books. She enjoys making the recipes from the many cookbooks she works on, and sometimes her dog, Tuck, sneaks a taste when she’s not looking.

Matthew Gonsalves

Graphic Designer

Matthew is an innovative graphic designer and digital painter, best known for his abstract covers and work in Photoshop. He graduated from the Art Institute of Washington with a B.A. in Graphic Design and began toying with personal design projects, which included laying out his neighbor’s book. He soon found he had a knack for it and went on a quest to find a job where he could put his talents to work. Thus, he joined Team Mascot! Now he creates unique designs catered to each individual book he comes across. Legends say he has many names: Matt, Matthew, Matty G, McFly, PBG, and Gonsalves. Matthew is also known for his preposterously high standards for food and critical analysis of French Fries, which are his favorite food.

Chris Baker

Marketing Manager

Chris has a passion for promotion and loves helping creators make their visions viable. He has gained extensive marketing experience through promoting and managing his band The Duskwhales over the past ten years. Chris also ran a successful social media campaign to get Star Wars: The Last Jedi streamed for kids in the hospital while he was battling cancer. He graduated from George Mason University with a B.A. in English and a Creative Writing concentration. When he’s not working, Chris is probably carrying a large amplifier up a flight of stairs or watching a Caps game.

Emily Evans-Miller

Content Marketing Manager

Originally from Granville, Ohio, Emily is a graduate of George Mason University with a B.A. in English Literature and Linguistics. She completed her honors research with a thesis on Young Adult Literature’s timeline of social progress (she is very proud of it). She also spent time studying at the University of Oxford and traveling throughout England, Ireland, and other European countries. Emily is often found scrolling endlessly on Twitter and Instagram. As part of the marketing team, she’s especially excited to manage Mascot’s social media outlets and assist authors with developing their own social presence. The opportunity to combine her love of books and social media marketing is Emily’s dream role. In her free time, Emily is typically seen watching hockey (Go Pens/Knights!) or college football (Go Bucks!), thinking about Marvel superheroes, and singing songs from Broadway musicals. She can also be seen rereading her favorite books, which include the Harry Potter series and The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Will Oney

Retail Account Manager

Will is an avid reader with a wide range of tastes; everything from fantasy to vintage textbooks is on his reading list.  He is a huge Bama fan (Roll Tide!) and his hobbies include video games, music, sports, cooking, and movies. An enthusiastic man with eclectic tastes, he is also a self-proclaimed Francophile with ambitions to one day move to Paris. With a background in sales and management, Will’s passion lies in tackling complex problems and accomplishing difficult goals.  Working in publishing allows these skills to shine. Will is currently pursuing a degree in Math and Physics. In his free time, he is either at the theater watching every new movie that comes out or at home with his beautiful wife and two cats, Bear and Al.  

Abby Simpson

Assistant Bookkeeper

A native of Northern Virginia, Abby is excited to work in her hometown of Herndon. She met her husband (Ben, who is a Mascot acquisitions editor!) at Herndon High School, and even attended college at nearby George Mason University. As an undergraduate student, she studied accounting, film, and anthropology. Both creative and organized, Abby loves combining her background in math with her passion for the arts here at Mascot. When she’s not connecting with authors at work, she is exploring different forms of storytelling. On the weekends, you can find her reading books—especially biographies—and examining how their narratives are translated into film and television series.