our team
Our staff comes from all corners of the publishing industry, with experience in traditional and indie publishing. With backgrounds in marketing, publicity, bookselling, writing, editing, and design, our team knows what it takes to produce award-winning books and stellar content. We’re passionate about storytelling, social justice, and supporting changemakers.
For recent press and events featuring the Wise Ink team, visit our press page.
DARA BEEVAS
COFOUNDER & CHIEF STRATEGIC OFFICER
Amy Quale (she/her) has been in the publishing industry for fifteen years and has worked with large and small presses and coached hundreds of authors. She co-founded Wise Ink Creative Publishing in 2012 as a boutique independent publisher with a focus on publishing books to make a difference. She has an MA in English, is a 2017 graduate of Yale School of Management's Leadership Strategies in Book Publishing, and was a 40 under 40 honoree in 2022 through the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. She lives in the Twin Cities with her family.
AMY QUALE
COFOUNDER & CHIEF PUBLISHING OFFICER
Hanna Kjeldbjerg (she/her) was raised to be a polka dancer but works in publishing instead. With over a decade of experience in publishing, she has helped almost two hundred authors bring their sizable stories to life. Hanna is the cofounder of Err Artist Collective, which curated monthly variety shows and zines for over six years. Her installation art has been a part of the Art Shanty Projects, and her writing has been featured in Publishers Weekly and Paper Darts.
Hanna Kjeldbjerg
VICE PRESIDENT
Victoria Petelin (she/her) is a creative director and project manager. She’s managed award-winning projects for Fortune 500 executives, scientists, educators, and nonprofit leaders. She is the treasurer of the Minnesota Book Publishers’ Roundtable, where she organizes events and resources for the local publishing community. She is also on the board of the Nucleus Clinic, a nonprofit reproductive healthcare clinic. Prior to her work at Wise Ink, she worked in communications at the nonprofit Frogtown Park and Farm, helping plan and host their grand opening. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, where she majored in Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature and minored in French. Her writing has appeared in the Minnesota Women’s Press and the Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal. Victoria’s favorite book genres are investigative nonfiction and self-help.
Victoria Petelin
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Crown Shepherd (she/her) is an author and reading advocate. Shepherd is the owner of Liberate Your Bookshelf, a mobile bookstore that specializes in diverse books from independent authors. Shepherd is also the author of Crown Comics and the What Do You See? children’s book series (Black Boy, Black Boy and Black Girl, Black Girl). Shepherd has dedicated her life to closing the illiteracy rate within the Black community. Shepherd believes if you can read, you can learn, if you can learn, you can grow, and if you can grow, you can be anything!
Crown Shepherd
MARKETING MANAGER
Ngân Huynh (she/they) is a Vietnamese illustrator based in Minneapolis. They recently graduated from MCAD with a BFA degree in illustration and an advertising minor. Ngân was awarded the Van Derlip Award by MCAD due to their outstanding creative ability along with multiple merit-based scholarships. They have also participated in many community art events and local gallery exhibitions.
Ngân has skills in narrative illustration, concept design, creative ideation, and a passion for whimsical and colorful drawings with hidden narratives. The world is enriched with beautiful messages and stories and Ngân enjoys decoding them through their unique lens of hues and symbols.
When not working away on their tablet or sketchbook, you can find Ngân walking around discovering a new favorite coffee shop or vintage store.
Ngân Huynh
DESIGN ASSISTANT
Jill Stebelton (she/her) is the marketing assistant for Wise Ink and an Instagram content creator with over 130,000 followers and nine years of experience in content creation, copywriting, social media strategy, and personal branding. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2023 with a major in English literature, minor in creative writing, and a certificate in Communications. Jill believes that marketing is a form of visual storytelling and wants to help bring authors’ stories to the surface—to play an instrumental role in why other people will love their books too. She currently lives in Youngstown, Ohio with her family and their dog Ruby.
Jill Stebelton
MARKETING ASSISTANT
Kari Kasel (she/her) brings a variety of professional experience to the team including sales and marketing, office and project management, and accounting and payroll processing. She excels at providing attention to detail, and works diligently to follow through on every project. As the go-to person for those detailed, difficult projects, Kari enjoys a challenge. She has managed multi-million dollar accounts, worked closely with clients and co-workers at all levels of management, and utilizes her organizational skills to get each project done in a timely manner.
Kari is extremely diligent and focused, and doesn't give up until there is an answer for every issue. She wants each client to be assured that their project will always receive her full attention, and will be completed in the most timely, efficient manner possible. Client satisfaction is her ultimate goal.
kari kasel
BOOKKEEPER
Vivian Steckline (she/her) is a graphic designer and illustrator with a love for visual storytelling. She graduated from Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2021 with a BFA in illustration and two minors—one in art history and the other in print, paper, and book techniques. During her education, she was awarded multiple merit scholarships in both design and liberal arts as well as dedicating two years to the Student Union as the Design Department's representative.
Vivian works in a variety of medias and subjects—specializing in typesetting, narrative illustration, website development and design, brand identity design, marketing collateral, and product design. Her sturdy foundations in research, writing, and trend forecasting help bolster her creative work to best help her authors tell their stories and reach their audiences. Learn more about Vivian and her portfolio of work here.
VIVIAN STECKLINE
LEAD DESIGNER
Kprecia Ambers (she/her) is not just an artist, but a beacon of love and inspiration as the owner of Kp Inspires. Her brand defies stereotypes, celebrates diversity, and promotes wellness through her vibrant figurative illustrations that beautifully capture the essence of each individual, sparking feelings of joy and confidence. Graduating with a BFA in graphic design from Concordia University St. Paul in 2015, Kprecia's creative journey has led her to establish partnerships with renowned entities like The Minnesota Vikings, Target Room Home Essentials, and Alina Mother Baby Center, with aspirations for even greater collaborations. With a mission to touch hearts worldwide, Kprecia believes in the limitless power of illustration to amplify messages and empower communities. Her passion truly shines when she sees her art come to life in various forms such as billboards, packaging, commercial licensing, videography, and more. Viewing the world as her canvas, Kprecia takes joy in sharing stories, uplifting individuals, and spreading love through her art.
Kprecia Ambers
DESIGN PUBLISHING FELLOW
Jasmine Lee-Holt (they/them) is a queer Korean American based in St. Paul, currently completing their Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies and Art at Pomona College. Their research focuses on critiquing the commodification and appropriation of traditional craft practices in mass media and colonial institutions. On campus, they are dedicated to creating safe spaces for students of marginalized backgrounds as the Head Coordinator of Pomona College’s Womxn’s Union and a steward at Harvey Mudd’s Makerspace.
Whether through publishing, design, education, or any other means of production and outreach, they are passionate about uplifting individual voices and underrepresented communities, with a focus on empathetic design and unconventional storytelling. They have organized gallery exhibitions and developed educational content with an intersectional approach for various community-oriented spaces, such as the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and Loft Literary Center.
In their personal work, they draw inspiration from Korean folk art (Minhwa) and queer analog histories. They aim to continue developing their artistic practice as a means of investing in community care, whether through tattooing, bookmaking, or other undefinable mediums.
To view more of their personal work click here to find out more.
(link: https://leesomi.ink/about/)
Jasmine Holt
EDITORIAL INTERN
Lindsay Bohls (she/her) is a publishing project manager that has guided over one hundred books from manuscript to publication, including Amazon, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestsellers. Coming to Wise Ink with experience in both hybrid and textbook publishing, Lindsay has mentored authors across genres and backgrounds, providing expertise and insight to bring their stories and ideas to the right audience in a way that feels authentic to both writer and reader. With a BA in English Literature from Gustavus Adolphus College, Lindsay is passionate about helping books reach their full potential to make a lasting impact. She currently resides in Austin, TX with her family.
lindsay bohls
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
Ariana Benson was born in Norfolk, Virginia. She received the 2020 Graybeal-Gowen Poetry Prize and the 2021 Porter House Review Poetry Prize. Her poems appear or are forthcoming in Copper Nickel, Colorado Review, Indiana Review, Black Warrior Review, World Literature Today, Tinderbox, Shenandoah, Great River Review, Auburn Avenue, where she serves as the nonfiction editor, and elsewhere. Ariana is completing an MA in Scriptwriting in London, England as a Marshall Scholar, and is a Prestigious Fellowships Advisor at her alma mater, Spelman College. She is the 2022 Eliza Moore Fellow for Artistic Excellence at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation. Through her writing and editing, she strives to fashion vignettes of Blackness that speak to its infinite depth and richness.
ARIANA BENSON
PUBLISHING FELLOW
Interested in joining our team? Check out the current openings at Wise Ink.