Who is on the Ballot?

It is time to elect (or re-elect) PANA’s Board of Directors for the 2025-26 year. We’re seeking a diverse, skilled, and passionate Board of Directors to help steer PANA’s future. Read the statements and bios from all the candidates and become an informed voter!

AhDream Smith

AhDream Smith is an award-winning New York–based narrator, actor, director, and collaborator who brings a storyteller’s heart and an actor’s precision to every project. Her recent narration of The Girls Who Grew Big by New York Times bestselling author Leila Mottely earned her an AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award in 2025, marking a milestone in her fast-rising audiobook career.

Born in Chicago and raised in Memphis, AhDream trained at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she received her MFA in Acting and performed as a resident company member of PlayMakers Repertory Company. She has embodied roles ranging from Shakespeare’s Rosalind in As You Like It to Taylor in Lydia Diamond’s Stick Fly, honing a deep versatility she now brings behind the mic.

Beyond narration, AhDream has cultivated a multi-faceted career across advertising, live events, and production. She began as a media planner in advertising, developing strategic campaigns and learning the language of brands. Later, she joined the production teams for live global events, supporting clients such as the United Nations and Samsung as a Product Assistant. She also contributes her creative eye and organizational expertise to her church’s visual production team, reinforcing her commitment to storytelling through multiple mediums.

AhDream’s professional journey reflects a rare blend of artistry, strategy, and service. Whether voicing an audiobook, producing live events, or directing collaborative projects, she thrives on building bridges between creators and audiences. She is passionate about elevating the craft of audiobook narration while strengthening community among narrators.

When she’s not in the studio or rehearsal room, she can be found producing original work with fellow artists—or catching up with her beloved nephews on FaceTime.

Statement of Purpose

I believe the strength of any community lies not just in its shared values, but in its ability to imagine new ways of connecting, creating, and thriving together. Throughout my personal and professional journey, building bridges and cultivating spaces where people feel seen and heard has been a consistent passion. It is this commitment that inspires me to seek a leadership role within the Professional Audiobook Narrators Association (PANA).

From an early age, I gravitated toward service and leadership. As a student, I represented my region on the state-level student council board, where I learned how vision, dialogue, and thoughtful planning can unify diverse voices into a collective effort. Later, during my time at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I helped organize a wellness summit for graduate students. What began as a response to an immediate need has since grown into a bi-yearly tradition that continues to foster care, connection, and sustainability for students long after my graduation. These experiences affirmed for me that leadership is less about authority and more about stewardship: looking at what’s before us, finding ways to use resources wisely, and ensuring that people feel valued in the process.

In my professional life, I have continued to merge creativity with strategic thinking. Whether as a narrator bringing an author’s world to life, as a media planner shaping campaigns, or as a production assistant supporting global events for clients such as the United Nations and Samsung, I have learned how to balance vision with execution. I thrive in examining systems, identifying gaps, and creating pathways to make them more effective—while keeping human connection at the center.

Joining PANA’s leadership is an opportunity to bring this perspective to a community that has given me so much. As narrators, we exist at the intersection of artistry and industry, and I believe there are countless non-traditional ways we can expand our reach, build visibility, and deepen engagement. I am excited by the possibility of contributing to initiatives that not only strengthen professional standards, but also uplift individual members—ensuring that each voice, both on and off the mic, has a place in the conversation.

I see my role on the Board as one of service: to listen deeply, to think creatively, and to help shape structures that make our community more connected, resilient, and future-ready. With a background that spans performance, advertising, and live event production, I bring both a collaborative spirit and a practical skill set that can help PANA continue to grow in meaningful ways.

It would be an honor to contribute my energy, ideas, and dedication to PANA’s leadership, working alongside my peers to elevate our profession and ensure that our community continues to flourish.

Amanda Stribling

Hi, I’m Amanda Stribling. I’m an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning, SOVAS and One Voice–nominated audiobook narrator based in Nashville, Tennessee. To date, I’ve recorded more than 275 audiobooks (give or take a chapter!) across genres like mystery, thriller, romance, YA, sci-fi/fantasy, and literary fiction. My goal in every project is to bring warmth, charisma, and authenticity to the story—qualities that have been recognized by listeners, peers, and publishers alike.

I’ve had the joy of working with both major publishing houses and independent authors, which has given me a broad perspective on the opportunities and challenges narrators face at every career stage. Before narration, I worked with the American Heart Association, where I managed statewide youth programs and large fundraising campaigns—experience that taught me organization, collaboration, and leadership skills I carry into my creative work today.

I grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, where I split my time between tennis courts, choir rehearsals, and theater productions. I graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Broadcasting, and I’ve always been passionate about performing. These days, I live in Nashville with my husband and our boy-girl twins, who are my greatest joy after a long journey through infertility.

Outside the booth, I love music, traveling, reading, cheering on my Tennessee Vols. I am also a self-proclaimed pop culture addict. I am always, ALWAYS listening to an audiobook.

My love for audiobooks started long before I became a narrator. I’ve listened to hundreds of titles over the years. Audiobooks were my constant companions. As a lifelong listener, I know how deeply these performances can touch people, and that experience continues to shape the way I approach storytelling in the booth. I always carry with me the listener’s perspective and the joy that first made me fall in love with this medium.

Above all, I believe in connection, collaboration, and lifting up diverse voices in our audiobook community.

I would be truly honored to serve on the PANA board and to help carry forward its mission of supporting and uplifting our diverse narrator community. Narration can often feel solitary, but the success of our work relies on connection—connection with authors, publishers, listeners, and, most importantly, each other. PANA has been such an important part of building those connections, and I would love the chance to give back by sharing my skills, energy, and experience.

When I first started narrating, I thought the hardest part would be the craft itself—finding voices, keeping characters consistent, capturing the right tone. But I quickly realized narration is also running a business: contracts, systems, relationships, marketing. It was exciting and overwhelming all at once. What made it possible were the generous narrators who offered advice, encouragement, and support when I needed it most. That shaped my philosophy: narrators thrive when we lift each other up.

That’s why I want to serve on the board. Our industry is stronger when we share knowledge, advocate for one another, and create opportunities to connect. Over the years, I’ve recorded more than 275 audiobooks with both large publishers and indie authors. Along the way, I’ve developed skills in organizational development, sponsorship, marketing, and event planning—all areas where I know I can contribute to PANA’s growth.

I also believe deeply in inclusion and accessibility. Audiobooks are for everyone, and our narrator community should reflect that same diversity. My goal is to help ensure that all narrators—at any stage, from any background—feel represented, welcomed, and supported.

Most of all, I care about this community. We may record in isolation, but at heart we’re collaborators and storytellers. Stories connect people, and I believe our professional community should do the same. If elected, I’d listen, advocate, and work hard to strengthen the organization that has given so much to all of us.

It would be an honor to serve on the PANA board and to help shape a future that continues to support, celebrate, and amplify the voices of our industry.

André Santana

André Santana has been a PANA volunteer since the fall of 2021–the same year his first audiobook was released–and he can’t wait to keep contributing to this organization. As PANA has grown, he stepped in as team lead for the DEI Team, and as a Board Member, where he’s been of service since 2024. He loves his colleagues, and believes that the leadership of PANA is well positioned to make this organization thrive.

In the past year, he’s led the DEI Team through establishing organizational values, creating a strategic DEI plan that became the basis of the board’s 2025 Strategic Plan, and further connecting PANA with new outside projects, like the landmark State of Audiobooks data from NAVA, the much-needed Intimate Content Protocols from Helen Laser, and the upcoming historical audiobook data project. He’s proud of the team and everything they’ve brought together in service of PANA members and audiobook narrators, and he can’t wait to take on more.

For the 2025-26 year, he’s a strong believer that PANA is in a position to fortify before it continues to expand. With the leadership of the current board and executive director, PANA has reached its healthiest financial and organizational state yet, and there’s much to do to ensure the longevity of the organization before we fly forward.

André believes that audiobooks are one of the most important pieces of art for this generation and wants to set narrators up to thrive as the industry continues to grow.

Caleb Summers

Caleb Summers has been performing on stage, on camera, and on a microphone for over 25 years (with a break to work in whale conservation and agro-ecological sustainability). He studied acting at NYU Tisch (at Lee Strasberg), the Boston Actors Workshop, and Skidmore College. Caleb has been narrating audiobooks for over four years from his home on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest. In our glorious industry he has received coaching from illustrious pros like Hillary Huber, Pj Ochlan, Vikas Adam, Elise Arsenault, Jennifer Jill Araya, and more.

Caleb has served on the PANA Board of Directors for one year, and looks forward to the opportunity to support the organization for another year to come. PANA has been a resource for Caleb in so many ways since his early days in audiobook narration, and he is overjoyed to be able to give back by supporting PANA with his time and energy. His areas of focus within the organization are in Narrator Advocacy (specifically in the promotion of protecting audiobooks as a human-only performed industry), organizational development, and in reinvigorating the Media and Marketing committee. He looks forward to a chance to continue to support PANA in all the ways he can.

Caleb Summers has been performing on stage, on camera, and on a microphone for over 25 years (with a break to work in whale conservation and agro-ecological sustainability). He studied acting at NYU Tisch (at Lee Strasberg), the Boston Actors Workshop, and Skidmore College. Caleb has been narrating audiobooks for over four years from his home on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest. In our glorious industry he has received coaching from illustrious pros like Hillary Huber, Pj Ochlan, Vikas Adam, Elise Arsenault, Jennifer Jill Araya, and more.

Christine Mascott

Christine Mascott has been honored to serve for the past two years on the PANA Board and is proud of the work the Board has done during that term. Serving on the Programming Committee, she took the lead on organizing PANA’s first Member Socials as well as leading the PANAcon Planning Team. PANAcon 2025 was a huge success and she hopes that you reelect her to another term to continue the work building these programs.

She has also helped obtaining sponsorships, initiated the creation of a Development Committee and served on the Programming Committee.

Christine is from the East Coast but is now based in LA. She has produced and narrated over 90 audiobooks including books for publishers like Hachette and Brilliance as well as for independent authors. Her self-published audiobook of classic short stories, “Marriage From the Feminine Perspective” was a 2023 Audie Award® Finalist, The anthology was also an Audiofile Magazine Earphones Award Winner. She is also a professional actor and SAG-AFTRA member with experince in Theater, Television, Film and Commercial Voiceover. She’s studying Improv at The Groundlings in LA. Christine’s experience in the non-profit sector includes producing hundreds of large live events.

David Swerdloff

I come to you with six years of experience in audiobook narration, following four decades of success using my voice in radio, VO, and journalism—mainly in the Washington DC media market, plus internationally as host of Voice of America programs that explained US society to a worldwide audience. I now narrate from my home studio in Pompano Beach, Florida, mostly under the pseudonym Dave Arlington.

In the year I’ve served on the PANA Board, I’ve found that my background diverges a bit from my colleagues. I was not steeped in acting—but had to learn to make the substantial adjustments necessary to transition into the intimate medium of narration. My specialty is nonfiction, a genre that often gets overlooked. My previous experience also required me to be an effective writer, editor, and audio producer…talents I have applied to my work with PANA.

So, I am a bit different—but also the same, as I share the Board’s commitment to serve the entire, diverse community of narrators: respecting every level of experience, every genre, every age, every identity. I am proud to have helped establish our new Media and Marketing Committee to make the audiobook world more aware of what PANA offers.

Before my time on the Board, I was among the leaders of the effort to organize, narrate, and market  A Word Is Not a Sparrow: A Benefit Anthology for Ukraine Relief, PANA’s project that is helping fellow artists in Ukraine.

In my spare moments, I create crossword puzzles, solve word puzzles, and play a mean game of trivia. Having promoted myself to casting directors with everything from video song parodies to Shakespearean sonnets, I believe I can find creative approaches to help make PANA the preeminent voice of the narrating community.

David Swerdloff – Statement

I have been a member of PANA since the beginning—and I still believe, more than ever, that we need a strong organization of our own with a singular focus on narrators.

I wasn’t involved in the hard work of starting PANA. But, as I volunteered early on for PANA committees, I recognized the significant challenges of sustaining and growing our organization. When I was recruited for the Board a year ago, I was happy to answer the call knowing that PANA had gone through some rough waters.

Wow! I was pleasantly surprised to discover how solid our organization had become. With the guidance of PANA’s Executive Director and the tireless work of a group of narrators for whom I have enormous respect, PANA (I discovered) had built an excellent foundation.

In my view, these should be the major undertakings in the coming year:

  • To build a framework to sustain the programming we offer without burning out our volunteers and paid staff. Our momentum is at risk if too much of the burden falls on a handful of people (who also need to make a living in the booth).
  • To make sure that PANA’s programs—and the expanding educational resources on our website—are well-known throughout the narrator community. No active narrator should be unaware of what we do.
  • To recognize that—despite the increasing numbers of audiobooks being produced and enjoyed—many narrators are finding it harder to find work. We need to target our programs so that they help all of us—from newbies to icons—make connections with publishers, producers, and authors more effectively.

Simply put, I’d like to stay on the Board to see these efforts through.

Dawn Harvey

Education and Experience

I’m a multi-disciplinary creative (actress, singer, voiceover artist, director, and writer) with extensive training in acting for film and stage, singing, and voiceover. Acting and singing for most of my life, I began narrating audiobooks in 2011. I enjoy both fiction and non-fiction titles, am an Audie Nominee and the recipient of multiple Earphone and SOVAS Awards. In addition other acting work, I regularly narrate audiobooks for a range of publishers and producers from my home in Vancouver, Canada.

I have a wide range of interests and an insatiable appetite for learning, likely as a result of being the proud owner of a neurodivergent (ADHD), equally balanced (creative and analytical) brain. Pairing my performance work and studies with a business and psychology undergrad, I later obtained two law degrees (Bachelors and Masters). Most of my adult life was spent working in law or oil and gas while simultaneously performing on stage and in film, television, and voiceover.

I began teaching law and oil & gas land management a few decades ago. In 2016, I started teaching voice acting and audiobook narration and began private coaching in 2018. Adding directing to my audiobook resume in 2020, I have since directed several titles.

In my youth, I acquired a solid foundation in accounting working in my father’s private accounting practise (confirmed by my A+ in Legal Accounting in law school!) I spent several years in the oil and gas industry in management and leading project teams. In my Masters of Law program, my main area of focus was e-Business Law with a mediation concentration. I excel at organization and possess exceptional Excel skills (see what I did there!). I have good people skills, an even temperament, a great sense of humor and love nothing more than lifting people up.

PANA Experience

I joined PANA at its inception and a few months later was asked to Co-Chair the Education Committee. I remained a member of the Education Committee for several years. During that time, along with rolling out many courses for our members, we produced a mountain of foundational documents defining PANAcademy’s goals and objectives, processes, procedures, and future plans. I’m very proud of the work we accomplished during that time.

I joined the board last year, assuming the role of Vice-Chair as well as Chairing the Governance and Nominating committee. With my legal background, I had been chomping at the bit to get my hands on the Bylaws, which were in need of a major overhaul. If you’ve reviewed the amendment being voted on this month, you’ll see I accomplished my mission!

However, I can’t leave yet: there remains much more work to be done by G&N and my legal and administrative management background makes me well suited to the task.

The new Bylaw amendments make G&N responsible for PANA contracts so precedents, processes and archiving systems need to be established during the next term. Additionally, work will continue on drafting and/or updating PANA’s policies and procedures. Alongside this work, G&N will be putting together an indexed document to house PANA’s constituting documents, bylaws, policies, processes and procedures for easy access by all of our members.

With so much yet to be done, I’d like to stick around a while longer to see it through.

Why Me?

I’ve pretty much answered the “Why Me?” question already. But for those not familiar with my background, here’s a slightly shortened version of my “why” from last year:

My extensive education, practical experience and varied skillsets make me a prime candidate for the board. I’m adept at reading and interpreting laws and regulations. I spent many years leading and working with teams, mediating and resolving conflicts, and mentoring team members.

Being with others who share the challenges of this mostly solitary profession is key to improving our skills, advancing our interests, and retaining our sanity. I want to help PANA develop more ways to provide our members with this support.

As a lifelong learner and champion of education, I want to continue to be part of advancing PANA member’s learning and growth. In my view, there is a direct link between the education PANAcademy can provide and the work available to PANA’s members.

Membership in PANA should help you on your path to success. When people in the audiobook industry learn you are a PANA member, they should know from PANA’s reputation, and their past experience with PANA members, that they are dealing with a pro. I would like to see authors, publishers and producers coming to PANA as their primary source for narrators.

PANA is young with many places to go and things to do. I’m excited to contribute the skills and experiences acquired over my lifetime to help make PANA the rising tide that lifts all boats.

Erin deWard

Erin deWard is a 2016 Audie Award winning audiobook narrator and a classically trained stage actor. She has recorded over 300 titles (including her pseudonyms). In addition, Erin has been working in the field of Audio Description (media accessibility for people who are blind) as a writer, voice talent, director, advocate, and trainer for over almost two decades. She also acts in and directs English Language dubs and is a member of The Strange Bedfellows Shakespeare Company. Erin is the co-host of a NSFW Shakespeare podcast and is a proud and grateful member of SAG/AFTRA.

Erin has served on the PANA board of directors for the past two terms and has advocated in Washington DC for AI protections for artists. Erin hopes to continue to work on behalf of all narrators at the PANA board level. Her past experience as an associate executive director for a nonprofit organization has served her well in her role on the board. She is passionate about collaborating on educational programming that meets the needs of narrators at all stages of their careers and about continuing to advocate for the human voice in narration work.

Indasa Butler

Indasa – Parrita, Costa Rica / King, North Carolina (seasonal)

Indasa is a creative mentor, curriculum designer, and audio drama architect who thrives at the intersection of imagination and structure. Based in Parrita, Costa Rica, with seasonal roots in King, North Carolina, she brings a spark of energy and a systemssavvy mindset to every project she touches. Her leadership style is equal parts clarity and creativity—always aiming to make the work feel purposeful, positive, and fun.

Her professional path has been as diverse as it is dynamic. At Morehouse College, she cultivated partnerships with corporations and foundations, connecting institutional goals with opportunities for future leaders. At Publix Supermarkets, she built bridges through community relations, learning firsthand how authentic engagement creates lasting trust. These experiences taught her how to design sponsorship campaigns that highlight mutual benefit and longterm growth.

In the voice industry, Indasa mentors through WAVES (Women’s Advocacy, Voice, Empowerment & Safety), where she is cocreating modular tracks that blend technical mastery with emotional depth. She is the creator of SpeakEasy Sessions, an asynchronous, participantcentered series produced through VO Town’s Discord server, and is currently architecting the Digital Sorcery showcase—a multiphase production pipeline that models scalable collaboration and creative empowerment. She has also designed crosspromotional campaigns between VO Town and Aria Drama & Voice Discord servers, centering voice acting education and community uplift.

Her systems background is equally strong: from developing a homeschool planner that supported single parents balancing work and education, to building marketing calendars and workflows that streamline production across creative teams. During the global shutdown, she adapted these tools to help families stretch resources and maintain stability, demonstrating foresight and care in crisis.

Indasa has also served in governancelike roles, including as vicepresident of an ecovillage in Costa Rica. Guided by values of inclusion, clarity, and winwin outcomes, she is committed to advancing PANA’s mission to elevate the human voice and foster sustainable creative ecosystems.

Leadership Statement – Indasa

I want to serve on the PANA Board of Directors because I believe in the power of community to elevate the human voice. Narration is not just a profession—it is a craft, a livelihood, and a way of connecting people through story. My work across development, community relations, and creative production has taught me that when we combine imagination with structure, we create spaces where people can thrive. That is the kind of leadership I want to bring to PANA.

My early career gave me a frontrow seat to how institutions and communities grow. At Morehouse College, I worked directly with corporations and foundations to align resources with educational vision. At Publix, I learned the art of community trust—how consistent presence and genuine listening can turn outreach into lasting partnership. Both roles taught me that sustainable growth depends on relationships built with care and clarity.

In the voice industry, I have dedicated myself to creating spaces that are both accessible and empowering. Through WAVES, I mentor participants in modular tracks that blend technical mastery with emotional depth and security. I created SpeakEasy Sessions to give narrators a place to practice, play, and learn in a supportive environment. With Digital Sorcery, I am responding to a question that echoes across industries: “How do I get experience when I can’t get the work to give me experience?” The showcase is designed to answer that challenge by producing a polished, creditable product that contributors can point to as proof of their skills. It is both a creative experiment and a practical bridge into opportunity.

I also bring a strong systems background. From designing planners for single parents balancing homeschooling and work, to building marketing calendars and workflows for creative teams, I have seen how the right tools can transform overwhelm into clarity. When the global shutdown disrupted daily life, I leaned into systems thinking as a form of care—adapting tools to help families stretch resources and maintain stability. That experience reinforced my belief that structure, when designed with empathy, can be a lifeline.

Finally, I understand governance. Serving as vicepresident of an ecovillage in Costa Rica deepened my understanding of leadership as stewardship. I learned that governance is less about control and more about holding space for diverse voices, finding common ground, and ensuring that decisions reflect shared values.

I want to serve on the PANA Board because I believe in building structures that empower narrators, creating programs that inspire, and cultivating partnerships that sustain. My leadership style is rooted in clarity, creativity, and care. I am ready to listen, collaborate, and contribute to PANA’s mission of advocacy, education, and community. Together, we can continue to strengthen the foundation of this profession and ensure that every narrator feels seen, supported, and celebrated.

Jennifer Pickens

Storytelling has been central to my life since childhood, when my mother read to me everyday and my family would get together to sing old hymns and folk songs. It was how we talked about the world and connected with each other. I was a bookworm, and that’s never changed. Books fueled my curiosity about the world around me and challenged me to think in new ways. I dabbled in community theater, but it was my love of books that eventually led me to voice acting. I started narrating in 2020 and have worked with indie authors, production houses, and publishers big and small. I live in Portland, Oregon. When not at the mic I can often be found playing the mountain dulcimer, creating with pen and ink, or sitting under a tree and daydreaming.

STATEMENT

I love being of service to people. I bring with me 20 years of experience managing front and back of house teams in restaurants and teahouses. Helping others and working as

a team always creates a little bit of magic. I served on PANA’s sponsorship team at it’s inception, and have served on the executive board as treasurer for two terms, as well as serving on the Governance/Nominating and Programming committees. It’s been educational and inspirational to work with other narrators as we’ve created this organization from the ground up, continuing to finetune, troubleshoot, and learn as we go. These experiences and continued desire to be of service are why I’m again submitting myself for candidacy for the PANA board of directors.

My years of managing diverse teams of people have taught me the importance of

listening, and asking the questions others might overlook. I bring a steadiness and consistency

to both my work and my relationships, and I would love to bring those qualities to the PANA

board.

This wonderful community has made me the narrator that I am, and provided me with a sense of connection and collaboration that I hope we can continue to foster in PANA and the wider audiobook community. The last two years we have done a lot of work to create a solid foundation for PANA, and I would love to help it continue to flourish. I’m excited to be a part of an organization that is advocating for diverse human stories and human storytellers.

Koren Paul

I am a former elementary school teacher and principal from Oxford, Connecticut who has enjoyed performing over the years. I’m an arts lover who has performed on school and community stages, danced, and I play several instruments. While in college, I studied acting and became interested in voiceover.

My love of books and learning led me to earning five degrees: AS in Computer Science, BS in Business, MS in Elementary Education, 6th Year Advanced Degree in Educational Leadership, and a Ph.D. in Leadership in Education. I am also a certified diversity and inclusion specialist. As a school leader, I led many committees within our school community for our students, staff, and the community.

I had the opportunity to serve on many district-level committees benefitting students, teachers, principals, the community, and even the planning for a new school building to replace the school I worked in at the time. I also helped write the district teacher professional development manual, redesign student report cards, and present DEI workshops to district staff.

I have extensive experience volunteering for nonprofit groups in educational, cultural, and community service sectors. Within these organizations, I have served as president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, financial secretary, historian, social media chair, and other committee chair and committee member positions. Examples of events I have planned include walk-a-thons, dinner dance fundraisers, wine tasting fundraisers, concerts, table festivals, paint and sips, health fairs, silent auctions, in-person and online conferences, and webinars. In many instances, I have often been the host or mistress of ceremonies for these events.

 I’m happy to be able to combine my love for learning, the arts, and reading in audiobook narration. When not narrating, I love playing instruments, reading, writing, photography, volunteering, researching genealogy, practicing Spanish & Portuguese, and of course, listening to audiobooks!

I would like to be a member of the PANA leadership because I believe that I have the skills to help advance PANA’s mission to advance education, recognition, and networking opportunities for a diverse community of professional audiobook narrators. It is so important for the needs and wants of audiobook narrators to be advocated for by a group of narrators, so we are very fortunate to have PANA to do so for us.

As a former educator, I know that advancing narrator education is an important part of what PANA does, and you can be sure that the quality of the education will be good because it is sponsored and presented by people in our business who are experienced and successful in their craft. Whether you are a new or seasoned narrator, there are always learning opportunities as our profession grows. For our profession to grow, our actions as an organization should grow as well. As a board member, I would always keep that in mind as we work to move the organization forward.

The hard work we do as narrators should be recognized at all levels. We are working to show the benefits of using a human voice in narration, and our emotion, human connection, and our advocacy will propel us forward in this area. As a PANA board member, I will help to spread the word through advocacy and with our needs moving forward in voiceover from the audiobook narrator perspective.

Because we spend so much time alone in our booths, networking opportunities are so important to our community, and PANA provides so many chances for socializing and feeling a part of something greater. I enjoy using my skills to help people and lead events that will benefit the community. I’ve planned many social events to bring people together for fun, conferences, education, business, and fundraising.

In closing, I would enjoy utilizing my leadership and organization skills to serve the narration community as a PANA board member. I am responsible, a hard worker, and I work cooperatively with others. While working as a school administrator, my teachers appreciated that I led the school by keeping in mind the teacher’s point of view along with the students’; it is important that we do the same as a PANA board by leading with the narrator’s point of view. We as narrators know what we need most, and I would be happy to work with others in making sure we are heard and accomplish the goals that PANA sets for us to achieve our mission.

Linda Jones

Linda Jones is an award-winning audiobook narrator in both fiction and non-fiction, recording from her home studio in the wilds of Brooklyn, NYC. She is also an award-winning actor, an accomplished coach and ‘Voiceographer,’ with a background in theatre—from Shakespeare and restoration comedy to a host of premieres (NYC, West Coast, US & World). She loves nothing more than to dig into new work by exceptional writers. Still and always a voracious reader, she has narrated more than 150 titles for publishers including Penguin Random House, Harper Audio, Recorded Books, Audible Studios, Blackstone, Brilliance, Dreamscape and Tantor, as well as a variety of independent authors and publishers. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA, AEA, PANA, NAVA and the APA. She has a BFA in Acting from Ithaca College.

She and her husband, noted horror writer John C. Foster, and their rescue dog Coraline—a Dutch Shepherd/Pitbull mix—live in an apartment filled-to-bursting, floor-to-ceiling, corner-to-absolute-corner with books.

Statement

I have been a member of PANA since its inception, and I love the idea of being able to give back to our wonderful community.

I bring a wealth of experience in organization and information management. In addition to being an actor and a coach for more than 30 years, I also spent 25 of those years managing small creative firms—designing and implementing both physical and digital systems that afforded everyone easy access to tools and information, consolidating and streamlining processes and simplifying administrative workloads, and ultimately freeing the designers (and me) to focus on creative work. My brain runs on a fetching balance of left and right brain witchery that baffles my author husband.

As a board member, I look forward to working with my colleagues to discover how we can streamline systems and operations so that PANA can remain nimble and responsive to its membership as well as to the ever changing cultural and political landscape. Streamlining and strengthening the infrastructure and foundations of PANA becomes ever more important as we grow, giving us stability and flexibility.

And growth is essential, not only in terms of membership but in our influence and public profile. I believe as we advocate for the human voice, we serve as ambassadors for the craft as well as the audiobook publishing industry as a whole. I believe in outreach and strategic relationships. I believe in being part of not only actor and voice communities, but also active participants in author communities and conferences. Strategic alliances make us stronger. Partnerships help us and our allies grow together. I attend several author conferences each year, sit on audiobook panels, and I love being available to talk about audiobooks with authors who may or may not know where to begin. I would love to go further in building organizational partnerships.

I look forward to the opportunity to give back to my audiobook community, to collaborate with fellow narrators to help strengthen our industry, and to be part of a growing team of intrepid and indefatigable artists.

Paige Reisenfeld

Paige Reisenfeld is a classically trained soprano and stage actor turned SAG-AFTRA audiobook narrator. She enjoys learning foreign languages, and has studied nine of them to varying degrees of proficiency. Her first degree was in Apparel Design – pattern-making was her favorite-, with a Russian minor. Once she graduated, she obtained her FINRA Series 6 license, then worked in administration for the Hematology/Oncology department at Virginia Commonwealth University, before singing in an auditioned chorus at Carnegie Hall magical enough to send her back to school for a vocal performance degree. Since beginning narration in June 2021, she has narrated over 175 titles in a variety of genres. She runs on black coffee and wherever she is, the Cat Distribution System finds her.

STATEMENT

I feel pretty passionately about education in and about our industry, especially with the plethora of bad or misinformation out there. Indie production is growing and the more we can educate authors on production, behavior, budgeting options, platform options, etc, the better, especially in light of Audible pushing AI and diminishing royalties while holding such a huge market share.

My platform on social media is predominantly centered on this, as well as collaboration and building relationships with both authors AND readers, and this is a huge point against AI. Technical and performance aspects aside, AI cannot bridge this gap of human connection. Pulling back the curtain, as it were, on what goes into this drives appreciation as well as contracts, and I think it’s incredibly important that we continue to bring indie authors and newer “TikTok narrators” into the fold in a welcoming manner.

I believe it is important for PANA to be a part of bringing more transparency to the industry, to authors who don’t even know where to begin – my work on the board this past year has largely been with retooling PANAmbassador and more recently, participating on the PANAcademy team, and I would like to continue to push a front-facing endeavor. The more available narrators and PANA make ourselves and the information, the more we position ourselves as collaborators and team members, the less likely authors are going to choose a machine. I attend a fair amount of book conferences, many of which are beginning to engage more with narrators, and I always advocate for educational panels on audiobook narration.

I am still “new” in the industry; I have only been doing this for four years. In that vein, I think I represent a fair amount of narrators – we aren’t beginners, but we aren’t veterans. Similarly, while I trained “traditionally”, my career has grown because of my work on social media, rather than waiting for pubs or production companies, which is another different viewpoint I can bring to a discussion. I deep dive into contracts as best I can, and I do my

best to keep up with developments in the industry, doing research before I bring my opinion or interpretation/explanation to a wider audience.

Thank you for considering me!

Sara Hannan

The year PANA was formed, I joined as soon as I was able and volunteered for the Membership Committee. I spent a year on the committee, and when our Committee Chair accepted a board seat I stepped up, along with my friend and colleague Anna, to lead us through the next year. Under our leadership, we brought the committee closer together, came up with new ideas, and brought PANA to APAC. In 2023 I ran for and was elected to the Board of Directors, and have been working hard to help build and support PANA’s programming, membership, social media presence.

The last two years have seen a lot of movement and change, and although that can be scary and confusing, I know that the founding tenets of PANA have remained the same. We are made up of narrators, led by narrators, advocating for narrators, and supporting narrators. I want to see PANA continue to grow, succeed, and become what its founders and leadership have envisioned and worked so hard to build. If you’ll give me the chance, it would be my honor to serve on the Board of Directors for a third year.

My personal goals as a member of the Board of Directors is to increase our member confidence, grow our opportunities for community connections, and continue to support our fantastic community. Internally, I want to build a working document that outlines PANA’s structure and processes so they can evolve as PANA evolves, and to support our volunteers by giving them the guidance they need to be as efficient as possible.

I have some experience in an office setting, on a non-profit (and I’ve even filed for and been awarded a 501(c)(3)!) I am dedicated to the narrator community and would love to see PANA through this transition and into the future.