Staff

Find out who does what here at Mountaineers Books.

Mountaineers Books is home to a world-class staff that publishes your favorite guidebooks, narratives, photo books, and more! Meet our staff below and view our employment opportunities to join the team.


DarrylB.pngDARRYL BOOKER

Director of Sales and Marketing

Joined Staff: 2005

Phone: 206-521-6054

As the Director of Sales and Marketing, Darryl manages all aspects of Mountaineers Books sales and fulfillment, making sure customers get the service they deserve.  He also manages Mountaineers Books publicity and marketing team, and handles foreign rights.

Background: Born and raised in the Midwest, Darryl now calls Washington home, as the state is the ideal destination for his outdoor pursuits, and Mountaineers Books is the perfect organization for him to embrace his passion for the outdoors, his love of books, and his dedication to conservation of our wild spaces.

Outdoor Activities: Backpacking, mountain biking, snowboarding, sea kayaking, and fly-fishing. 


Helen Cherullo

Executive Director of Conservation and Advancement

Joined Staff: 1992 

Phone: 206-521-6058

Helen serves as executive director of Braided River, the conservation imprint of Mountaineers Books. Braided River partners with well-known conservation organizations to create awareness around environmental issues  through the emotive power of books, and the media outreach, public events, traveling museum exhibits, and support for photographers' fieldwork that flow from those published works. Through images and stories that showcase the beauty and awe of the natural world, Braided River works to preserve endangered places and wildlife. Helen also works to sustain and support Mountaineers Books’ growing culture of philanthropy as a mission-driven nonprofit. Helen previously served as publisher of Mountaineers Books for 20 years.

Background: BA in Journalism, with a major in Fine Arts. Previous professional experience includes graphic design and advertising production, and being sole proprietor of a graphic design and printing management company. Helen's passion is in the nonprofit sector. She believes that supporting the health and well-being of society and future generations is paramount. 

Outdoor Activities: Hiking, canoeing, photography, gardening.  


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ALISON CRABB

CUSTOMER SERVICE & Metadata MANAGER

Joined Staff: 2018

Phone: 206-521-6053
Email Alison

Alison solves problems for customers and makes sure the customer experience with Mountaineers Books is the best it can be. She manages the ordering process as well as the distribution of book data across platforms.

Outdoor Activities: Hiking, camping, backpacking, skiing, running, swimming, and spotting wildlife.


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ellie dugan

sales representative

Joined Staff: 2021

Phone: 206-521-6070
Email Ellie

Ellie maintains relationships with our outdoor retailer and public lands partners, making sure everyone is up to date on our newest titles and products. 

Background: Ellie grew up on the east coast in Maryland, New England and Philadelphia. Pulled by the call of the West, moved to the bay area in 2014 to learn about urban farming and resolved never to move anywhere with less sun. Moved to Seattle a year later (logically) and has been here since, too in love with the north cascades to leave. Equal parts enamored by good books- you can often find her exploring the reading nooks of the great indoors. Has recently worked in the outdoor retail industry, habitat restoration, and many a pizza place. She is wildly excited to rep Mountaineers Books–the vanilla-chocolate swirl equivalent of her interests. 

Outdoor Activities: Backpacking, climbing, trail running, biking (when it’s downhill), finding the perfect spot to make coffee on a mountain, skiing the easy stuff, growing food.


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JEN GRABLE

Creative Director

Joined Staff: 2013

Phone: 206-521-6060

Jen judges books by their cover. She works on many of the cover and interior designs for Mountaineers Books, and also works closely with freelancers and printers to achieve the end result of a beautifully designed and printed book. 

Background: After graduating with a degree in Graphic Design, Jen tried the agency life for a while and found it lacking. While living in Boise, she made the jump to publication design, and realized it was the perfect fit. After living almost everywhere else in the West, Jen finally found her way to Seattle where her love for gray skies, adventure, coffee, beer, design, and books can thrive.

Outdoor Activities: Jen has always enjoyed being outdoors, and grew up camping, skiing, and hiking. In the last few years she has discovered that bikes are life, and takes every opportunity to get out for a ride, even if it means braving Seattle traffic daily to ride to work. Bike touring & camping are her favorite ways to see new places. She also loves nothing more than traveling to a new country, and spending her days there wandering and eating.


IMG_7886.pngLaura grange

Marketing Manager

Joined Staff: 2020

Phone: 206-521-6063
Email Laura

Laura manages all the marketing and social media for Mountaineers Books.

Background: Slowly making her way up the West Coast, Laura grew up in California, went to college in Oregon, and has called Seattle home since 2010. She holds a BA in English from Portland State University and completed New York University’s intensive Summer Publishing Institute program. She’s worked on literary magazines (including founding one in college, still going strong today!), newspapers, an e-commerce startup, and was the Marketing & Communications Manager for a  green builder for six years before joining Mountaineers Books. She really, really loves dogs – she has two of her own (yes, they have their own Instagram account) and fosters rescue dogs through Dog Gone Seattle.

Outdoor Activities: Hiking, camping, backpacking, and gardening.


GrythingSail2022.jpgGayle Grything

Accounting Manager and Human Resources

Joined Staff: 2002

Phone: 206-521-6057

Gayle facilitates best accounting practices for Mountaineers Books, as well as Braided River. She oversees accounts payables and receivables, manages author royalties, and supports human resources and payroll.

Background: Gayle is a Northwest native and grew up in Seattle's   Capitol Hill neighborhood. Saltwater and moss are home. She came to Mountaineers Books in 2002 with accounting experience from positions at Outdoor Research. Working at Mountaineers Books allows her to combine her lifelong love of the natural world and her desire to contribute to an organization that is a catalyst for environmental education, conservation and exploration.

Outdoor Activities: Sailing, backpacking, XC skiing, sea kayaking, SUP, naturalist studies and bird-nerding, travel, mountain biking and occasionally commuting by bike.

Other: Life goals are to become a better sailor, do more long distance hikes, travel to South America, see a blue whale and READ more!


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Tom Helleberg

Publisher 

Joined Staff: 2018

Phone: 206-521-6069
Email Tom

Tom manages and provides support to all areas of the company, working to achieve a balance between serving Mountaineers Books' inspiring mission and keeping the business running in a sustainable manner. Integrating our work with The Mountaineers' educational and programming goals and supporting the overall goals of The Mountaineers is core to our enterprise. Tom also manages finance and operations at Mountaineers Books. Mostly, Tom attends a lot of meetings.

Background: Tom has held a range of positions at university presses and think-tank publishing over the past twenty years. In addition to his work in finance, he has been a CFO, an editorial assistant, a production manager, a designer, and the proprietor of a pre-press services company; this range of experience has resulted in a broad view of the business of publishing. He holds an MFA in Fiction Writing from the University of Alaska and an MBA in Corporate Finance and Strategy from the Stern School of Business at NYU.

Outdoor Activities: Tom has always embraced the activities of his region. Growing up in New England, he was a sailor; in Alaska, he worked as a guide in the Brooks Range; in New York, he was a Road Runner. Currently, the most prominent features in his immediate environment are two toddlers. His next great adventure is teaching them to survive an arduous night of backyard camping in the wilds of Maple Leaf.


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kate jay

publicist

Joined Staff: 2021

Phone: 206-521-6068
Email Kate

As one of our publicists, Kate works directly with authors and the media to spread the news about Mountaineers Books. Through events and press, Kate’s goal is to get the right book into the hands of the right person.

Background: Growing up in Oregon, Kate spent endless hours on the coast, in the mountains, and anywhere else Doug firs grow. After graduating from Portland State University with a BA in English and Marketing, Kate’s love of all things books led her to publishing and the wild world of book publicity. After a stint in the comics industry, Kate found the perfect place to combine her love of books and passion for conservation at Mountaineers Books. 

Outdoor Activities: Kate loves camping, hiking, paddleboarding, and foraging for all the tasty things that can be found in the woods.


Publishing Staff Janet

JANET KIMBALL

MANAGING EDITOR

Joined Staff: 1997 to 2002, marketing; 2007 to 2008, project editing; 2016 joined full time again in her current role.

Phone: 206-521-6059
Email Janet

Janet originally joined the staff at Mountaineers Books in 1997, rejoined in 2007, and, as the living embodiment of recycling, happily returned again in 2016. In her role as managing editor, she oversees the editorial process from manuscript to bound books.

Background: With a BA in journalism, Janet has worked in all corners of publishing for houses both large and small, including Little, Brown, Harvard Business School Press, and Graphic Arts Center Publishing. She worked in international sales, production, publicity, sales, and marketing before returning to her first love, editorial. In between stints at Mountaineers, she worked as a freelance editor, focusing on developmental, line, and project editing.

Outdoor Activities: A fourth-generation Oregonian and lover of the Puget Sound region, Janet loves to get outside anywhere in the Pacific Northwest for hiking, camping, skiing, cycling, paddleboarding, and huckleberry picking.

Other: Janet also enjoys volunteering at a therapeutic riding center, traveling with her family (leaning toward any place with cobblestones and good gelato), gardening, and, of course, reading.


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MARISSA LITAK

PUBLICIST

Joined Staff: 2018

Phone: 206-521-6065

Marissa gets the word out about new Mountaineers Books titles, whether that means contacting press, scheduling events, or breaking out the good ol’ megaphone and soapbox combo. She works closely with authors and media to get new titles in front of readers who are looking for their next great adventure.

Background: Marissa is a Pacific Northwesterner through and through. She grew up in Oregon and attended college at the University of Puget Sound, where she picked up a degree in English Literature. She has worked at a number of independent book publishers across the country, but inevitably found her way home to her much-beloved cloudy Seattle skies. 

Outdoor Activities: Marissa loves hiking, camping, swimming, picnicking, and general exploring, especially with a canine companion at her side.


Erika Lundahl bio pic_narrow.jpgErika Lundahl

Conservation Impact Manager

Joined Staff: 2018, previously served as Mountaineers Books publicist in 2016/2017.

Phone: 206-521-6056
Email Erika

Erika manages Mountaineers Books conservation imprint, Braided River, overseeing day-to-day Braided River operations and communication, building positive relationships with our authors, photographers and nonprofit partners to maximize the potential reach and impact of our conservation campaigns.

Background: Erika grew up hiking Oregon's old growth forests in the Willamette Valley. She has a deep commitment to environmental and climate justice storytelling and artful advocacy. She has spent her career collaborating with grassroots communities to create unique engagement opportunities, multimedia events, and robust media campaigns to reach beyond the traditional conservation community. Her passion for impactful conservation storytelling and outdoor adventure led her to bike the length of the Trans Mountain pipeline from Anacortes, Washington to Fort McMurray, Alberta in 2015 collecting interviews with First Nations leaders, pipeline workers, biologists, and everyone in between. She has a B.A. in Writing from Ithaca College, and can often be found playing music and singing with The People's Echo--a climate justice choral group in Seattle.

Outdoor Activities: Hiking, camping, climbing, running, jam sessions in the park.


Elizabeth Penning

Liz Penning

Accounting and Office Coordinator

Joined Staff: 2021

Phone: 206-521-6061
Email Liz

Background: Liz was born and raised in Minneapolis. After years of exploring the land of 10,000 lakes, she ventured onto bigger, better, and taller things-the mountains of the PNW. Since moving to Seattle, she has become involved in even more outdoor activities and now feels right at home surrounded by hundreds of Mountaineers Books guidebooks.

Outdoor Activities: Sport climbing and bouldering, skiing, backpacking, hiking, camping, paddleboarding, mountaineering, photography, and urban exploring with her dog, Basil.


Publishing Staff Sharief Rodriquez

SHARIEF RODRIQUEZ

DISTRIBUTION CENTER ASSOCIATE

Joined Staff: 2009

Phone: 206-521-6052

Sharief is a steady influence in Mountaineers Books distribution effort, making sure that orders move swiftly out of our distribution center.

Outdoor Activities: Sharief loves to take his son out on walks on small trails whenever he gets the opportunity to do so. He says he's also a huge outdoor sports guy, so if it can be done outside, chances are Sharief will be out there trying it.


KateR.jpegKATE ROGERS

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Joined Staff: 2006

Phone: 206-521-6062

Kate acquires and develops all the books that we publish and oversees all of our editorial and production processes.

Background: Kate's publishing career has spanned more than twenty years, including positions at Waldenbooks, Bantam Doubleday Dell, and Sasquatch Books, and as founder–principle of her own book packaging firm, Unleashed Book Development. A graduate of the Denver Publishing Institute, she also has been a part-time lecturer on editing, publishing, and general media at the University of Washington and Seattle's community colleges.

Outdoor Activities: Hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sailing, gardening.

More: Kate loves to eat and gather friends and family around her table for delicious homemade meals. She's an avid traveler, museum goer, reader, and walker. Next on her to-go list? Bolivia, Croatia, and yet another trip to Alaska. She and her husband live in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood with their very spoiled Shepard mix, Kevin.


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LAURA SHAUGER

SENIOR EDITOR

Joined Staff: 2014

Phone: 206-521-6064

Laura manages about a dozen titles through copy editing and production each year, including how-to and where-to books under the Mountaineers Books imprint, sustainable lifestyle titles under the Skipstone imprint, and conservation titles under the Braided River imprint. She has served as the project editor for Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, collaborating with a few dozen volunteer contributors, for both the ninth and tenth editions. Laura loves to contemplate the stars from her sleeping bag, practice yoga, cook for her family, read a well-crafted story, and spend quality time with family and friends.

Background: Raised in the southern US, Laura studied English literature in college and graduated from NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute. Before joining Mountaineers Books, she worked at Facts On File in NYC and Wilderness Press in Berkeley and served as a freelance editor and project manager with nonprofits and publishers for several years. 

Outdoor Activities: Rock climbing, mountaineering, hiking, backpacking, trail running, scrambling, paddling, and whatever else sparks her interest.


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JOLEEN SIMMONS

DISTRIBUTION CENTER SUPERVISOR

Joined Staff: 2016

Phone: 206-521-6052
Email Joleen

Joleen is our Distribution Center Supervisor. Our warehouse is filled with thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands of books, and Joleen somehow manages to keep everything running smoothly and under control. 

Background: Joleen came to Mountaineers Books experienced in distribution services. She is also looking for suggestions for songs about "Joleen" -- she already knows the Dolly Parton one -- so if you have any suggestions, let her know!


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steve tremble

associate director of development

Joined Staff: 2022

Phone: 206-521-6071
Email Steve

Steve oversees Mountaineers Books’ institutional giving initiatives, securing funds to support both specific titles and the publishing endeavor in general, while working in concert with The Mountaineers’ development and programs staff to align the organization’s philanthropic vision and goals.

Background: Steve studied English and poetry in college and spent many years as a poet in purgatory until Cornell hired him to run their film program. This led to a varied career in nonprofits including stints at Poets House and Eyebeam Center for Art and Technology in Manhattan, The Nature Conservancy in Boston, and locally at ArtsFund and Bainbridge Schools Foundation. He has had the privilege of living in some of the world’s grandest landscapes, including Iceland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Outdoor Activities: After having children, Steve slowed the pace down a bit with shorter, smaller-scale adventures. That gave him a new perspective on wild places or reacquainted him with an older one. Now that his children are teenagers he has picked up the pace again. His wife and son like the forest and Steve and his daughter (a climber) favor timberline on up. But, as they live on Bainbridge, the water is next for all of them.


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Emily WHITE

Acquisitions Editor

Joined Staff: 2016

Email Emily

Emily White has over twelve years of experience in book publishing, writing, and nonprofit programs, starting with California’s Heyday Books and News from Native California magazine. As the former senior publicist for Mountaineers Books, she produced author events from Everglades National Park to Town Hall Seattle to the Museum of the North in Fairbanks, Alaska, and coordinated media campaigns with World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Alaska Wilderness League, and National Geographic, among others. With some of her favorite writers, she helped create Adventure Journal’s print quarterly, where she remains as senior editor. She also volunteers as board co-chair for Slow Food Seattle, creating educational events and partnerships that celebrate food culture. Emily has backpacked throughout the Sierra, worked as a kayak guide in Alaska, and walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain, but her favorite adventure of all was growing up and working on a small dairy farm with three generations of family, a few of the world’s smartest border collies, and several thousand bees, butterflies, and red-winged blackbirds. She is passionate about Mountaineers Books titles because they are steeped in a sense of place and the art of paying attention, from wild alpine peaks to urban riverbanks. The international community of Mountaineers authors and readers, as well as the big hearts and dedication of her colleagues, constantly inspires her.