Andrea Davis Pinkney is a gifted and charismatic speaker who inspires audiences through her leadership and creativity. She has been hailed for her versatile and far-reaching contributions as a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, editor, publishing executive, opera librettist, and a leading authority on children’s literature.

Davis Pinkney is the award-winning author of nearly 50 books for children and adults. She has been recognized as one of “The 25 Most Influential People in Our Children’s Lives” (Children’s Health) and is among “The 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business” (The Network Journal). A seasoned publishing executive and board director with over 30 years of leadership experience, she brings valued expertise as a strategic visionary who has built successful partnerships among numerous publishing entities and global media properties. Running through her work is a deep commitment to improving the quality of children’s and women’s lives by increasing the breadth of culturally relevant stories in literature and art.

“Women have always been the powerbrokers of change. Our histories and triumphs tell this story.”

– Andrea Davis Pinkney

Her books and contributions have earned significant prizes in literature and publishing. An inductee of the New York State Writers Hall of Fame and the subject of the Emmy-nominated short film, Andrea Davis Pinkney: National Author Engagement, Davis Pinkney is a four-time NAACP Image Award nominee and a recipient of the Regina Medal and the American Library Association Children’s Literature Lecture Award, for her singular body of work and distinguished contribution to the field of literature.

Her published works have garnered multiple Coretta Scott King Book Awards, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor, and the Parenting Publications Gold Medal. Her award-winning titles include the Caldecott Honor Book Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra; Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America, Martin Rising: Requiem for a King; as well as the novels The Red Pencil and Bird in a Box, among numerous others.

“Reading is a birthright – a sacred act of empowerment.”

– Andrea Davis Pinkney

Her recent work includes And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison’s Life in Stories, honoring her mentor Toni Morrison in a children’s picture book and educating the younger generation about the literary legend’s life. As a former editor of Morrison’s children’s books, Davis Pinkney sees Morrison’s work as more crucial than ever today. Davis Pinkney is also the librettist for the Houston Grand Opera’s The Snowy Day, with composer Joel Thompson, a theatrical work based on the beloved bestselling children’s classic by Ezra Jack Keats. The Snowy Day opera has been produced by companies nationwide.

Currently Vice President and Executive Editor at Scholastic, Inc, the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, Davis Pinkney has served in leadership and executive roles at the Walt Disney Company, Houghton Mifflin Company, Essence, the CBS Magazines Group, and Simon & Schuster. As a publisher and editor, she has launched and developed numerous high-profile entertainment, media, and publishing properties. Among them, she was the chief architect and strategic visionary for Disney Publishing Worldwide’s Jump at the Sun imprint; the creator of The Cheetah Girls mega-series; the primary editor for Serving from the Hip by world-class tennis pros Venus and Serena Williams; and editor for the National Book Award-winning King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender.

“When we invest in children today, we prioritize the hopes and dreams of tomorrow.”

– Andrea Davis Pinkney

Davis Pinkney is a journalist and alumna of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Harvard Business School Summer Venture in Management. She is the on-air host of KidLit-TV’s Big Picture Live!. Her commentary and writing have been featured on NPR, the Today show, Good Morning America, and in The New York Times, Huffington Post, The Guardian, Essence, and Bustle.

Davis Pinkney has worked with the country’s most artistic storytellers at campuses, nonprofits, corporate events, and literacy organizations around the world.

For more information on Andrea Davis Pinkney, please visit her on Instagram and andreadavispinkney.net.