Meet Our Judges

Our Selection Committee members consist of jurors with impressive writing backgrounds in a variety of fields.

They are both professional writers – journalists, authors – but also those who use writing extensively in their careers

that range from the fields of finance, education and entertainment to the environment and the non-profit world.

Richard Anderson

(2015 - 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025)

Richard Anderson is a communications expert specializing in financial services. Through his own firm, R.L. Anderson, he represents a broad range of organizations from multinationals to non-profits...

Askia Egashira

(2012, 2013)

Askia Egashira is a dedicated teacher of English at Benjamin Banneker Academy, a public high school in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Prior to returning to teach high school English at Banneker, he taught...

James Houtrides

(2013)

James Houtrides who passed away April 19,2024, had retired from a distinguished career in print and broadcast journalism. Starting out as a reporter for a daily newspaper in Louisiana, he moved into...

Malcolm MacKay

(2019)

Malcolm MacKay is a lawyer and businessman who has authored and co-authored multiple books including Impeccable Connections: The Rise and Fall of Richard Whitney. Whitney was a five-time president...

Jo Anne Simon

(2014)

Jo Anne Simon is the Assemblywoman for the 52nd Congressional District in Brooklyn. Besides being a lawyer specializing in disabilities rights, she has spearheaded many local causes...

Dolores Barclay

(2013, 2014)

Dolores Barclay has had a distinguished career in journalism, primarily with the Associated Press where she worked as a feature and national writer, serving as editor of its Arts and Entertainment page...

Marilyn Gelber

(2015, 2016)

Marilyn Gelber was the founding president of the Brooklyn Community Foundation where she led a major investment initiative in support of exceptional and promising not for profit organizations...

Nancy Kirk

(2015, 2018, 2019)

Nancy Kirk is an experienced editor with a long and distinguished career editing the works of significant figures in the fields of health and higher education. Robert Fogelson, professor of history at MIT...

Mitchell Pacelle

(2013 - 2019, 2022, 2024)

Mitchell Pacelle is an award-winning journalist with a long career as a reporter and staff writer for the Wall Street Journal. In that role, his writing has covered a broad range of subject areas, including...

Patti Sullivan

(2015)

Patti Sullivan who passed away on May 6, 2025, was a screenwriter in the Hollywood film world for 26 years. She wrote, pitched and sold mostly original content, adapted works by well-known authors...

Marcia Y. Cantarella

(2012 - 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025)

Marcia Y. Cantarella has an extensive writing background both professionally and as a published writer and in teaching. Her career as an educator, which includes serving as a Dean at Princeton...

Thomas Giovanni

(2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024)

Thomas Giovanni as Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel for Government Policy for the NYC Law Department and Chief of Staff he was also responsible for the Law Department’s Family Court Practice...

Henrik Krogius

(2012, 2013)

Henrik Krogius who passed away on October 14, 2016, was an Emmy award winning news producer. He was editor of the Heights Press, an old and venerable weekly newspaper focused on news about...

Matt Schudel

(2015, 2016)

Matt Schudel has had a long career as a journalist at The Washington Post. He has been serving on the obituary desk of the Post since 2004. Among his many and notable obits are those on Robert Bork, Ben E. King...

Joanna Underwood

(2012 - 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025)

Joanna Underwood is a noted environmental writer and head of the environment research group Energy Vision. Over the last three decades, she has written and edited numerous books and articles...