Mac Slocum is the Online Managing Editor for O’Reilly. He frequently writes about the intersection of publishing, technology and the digital transition. He’s worked as an online editor/producer/writer at a variety of outlets and he’s taught Web journalism and technology courses at Emerson College in Boston. His fascination with publishing and technology started in college when he put the student newspaper online (fortunately, that early effort has been expunged from the Internet record). Mac holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Richmond and a master’s in journalism from Emerson.

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Kassia Krozser, publisher of Booksquare.com, covers the intersection of technology and publishing. She serves on advisory boards for several publishing start-ups, presents at conferences such as Tools of Change for Publishing, Digital Book World, and South by Southwest, has appeared on NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and contributes to various industry publications.

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Kirk is a seasoned digital media professional specializing in web publishing systems, SEO strategies, and user experience. As principal of Oxford Media Works Kirk consults with clients on a range of issues related to web publishing and new media strategies. Kirk also contributes regular commentary on new media to Medialoper.com where he has written extensively about digital media technology and the consumer experience.

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Brian O’Leary is founder and principal of Magellan Media, a management consulting firm that works with publishers seeking support in content operations, benchmarking and financial analysis.

O’Leary writes extensively about issues affecting the publishing industry. With Hugh McGuire, he is editing “Book: A Futurist’s Manifesto”, a collection of forward-looking essays on publishing that is being published in three parts by O’Reilly Media.

O’Leary is also the author of a research report on the impact of free content and digital piracy on paid book sales, as well as the editor and primary contributor for a study of the use of XML in book publishing. Both reports were published by O’Reilly Media in 2009.

Before becoming a consultant, O’Leary served as senior VP and associate publisher with Hammond Inc., an internationally recognized geographic reference publisher. Responsible for database development, editorial content, production, and operations, he restructured editorial operations to benefit from the firm’s prior technology investments.

O’Leary came to Hammond after a 12-year career overseeing production and distribution operations at several of Time Inc.’s weekly magazines. He earned an A.B. in chemistry from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

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Kat Meyer is a long time veteran of the book publishing industry whose background includes both editorial and marketing experience working a diverse array of regional and national trade and academic publishers, including: Harcourt Brace, Communication Skill Builders, the University of Arizona Press, Rio Nuevo Publishers, and the RGU Group.

Prior to joining O’Reilly as co-chair for the Tools of Change conference, Kat was Chief Content Wrangler of Next Chapter Communications, where she reveled in two of her favorite past times: all things bookish and all things social media!

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