The Carle Announces Four New Trustees

The board of trustees of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, in Amherst, MA, announces four new trustees: Sophie Blackall, Drew Ellis, Juana Martinez-Neal, and Karin Stamy. With these four appointments, the Museum now has a board made up of 19 trustees from around the country. 

“Our newest trustees reflect the heart and vision of The Carle. By welcoming two well-regarded picture book artists, we maintain our strong relationship to the picture book community. We strengthen the Board’s consideration of its financial and business activities with two individuals who have outstanding professional experience. The Board’s new members will enhance the dynamic and thoughtful characteristics of the Museum,” said William Gorth, chairman of The Carle’s board of trustees. 

Sophie Blackall, AM

Sophie Blackall, AM is an award-winning illustrator of over 50 books for children, including the New York Times best-selling Ivy and Bean series, the 2016 Caldecott Medal winner, Finding Winnie, and the 2019 Caldecott Medal winner, Hello Lighthouse, which she also wrote. She is the five-time recipient of The New York Times Best Illustrated Picture Book Award and has worked with UNICEF and Save the Children, UK on global health and literacy initiatives. Originally from Australia, she now splits her time between Brooklyn, New York, and the Catskill Mountains, where she and her husband run a retreat for the children’s book community called Milkwood Farm.  

Drew Ellis

Drew Ellis works as Head of Institutional Partnerships for Mercer Advisors, one of the nation’s leading Registered Investment Advisors. Drew works with nonprofit organizations and corporate partners to deliver integrated financial solutions for foundations, endowments, and employee benefit plans. Drew is passionate about helping nonprofits maximize the impact of their mission in both his professional and personal life. Prior to joining Mercer Advisors, Drew spent 9 years at BlackRock in New York, where he held several leadership roles across their technology business, served as Chief of Staff to the Chief Operating Officer, and led cross-functional strategic projects in support of BlackRock’s organic growth objectives. Drew graduated with an A.B. in History from Princeton University, where he played 4 years on the varsity football team and wrote his senior thesis on the centennial celebration of the Civil War, which kicked off in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. His favorite class at Princeton was an English course on Children’s Literature, which revisited picture books and classic young adult fiction from a more academic perspective. He lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with his wife, Sam, and his young son, Max, who is a proud owner and voracious consumer of 20+ Eric Carle books.   

Juana Martinez-Neal 

Juana Martinez-Neal is the recipient of the 2019 Caldecott Honor for Alma and How She Got Her Name (Candlewick Press), her debut picture book as author-illustrator. She is also a New York Times bestselling illustrator recipient of the 2020 Robert F. Sibert Medal for Fry Bread: A Native American Story (Roaring Brook) and the 2018 Pura Belpré Medal for Illustration for La Princesa and the Pea (Putnam). Juana was named to the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honor list in 2014, and was awarded the SCBWI Portfolio Showcase Grand Prize in 2012. She was born in Lima, the capital of Peru, and now lives in Connecticut, with her husband and three children.  

Karin Stamy 

Karin Stamy is a seasoned legal executive known for her immersive approach to business. She is a rare, operationalized attorney, who spent time in the field to learn business culture, operations, risk management, and P&L. Karin excels at blending legal expertise with her operations experience, advising CEOs and Boards on high consequence matters. Currently the General Counsel for the North Carolina Railroad, she leans on her many talents to launch right-sized enterprise risk and records management programs and to manage the complex legal issues of a state-owned private company. Her prior positions include being the CLO and Corporate Secretary at Vermont Electric Power Company and over 20 years in a variety of roles, from lawyer to trainmaster, at Norfolk Southern Corporation. For a period of time, she ran her own fractional general counsel firm, called Power & Rail. Karin’s experience and responsibility spans $30B in company assets earning revenues of $50M to several billion dollars. Karin holds a J.D. from State University of NY at Buffalo School of Law and a B.A in Biochemistry from Cornell University. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. 

About The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art 

Founded by Eric and Barbara Carle in 2002, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is the international champion of picture book art. Situated on 7.5 acres in Amherst, Massachusetts, The Carle houses a rich and deep collection of art of more than 300 picture book artists, including Eric Carle (author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar), and illuminates its collection through exhibitions, education, programming, and art-making—making it a critical resource for picture book artists and authors, and art-loving communities locally, nationally, and abroad. The Carle’s mission is to elevate picture book art and inspire a love of art and art creation. Since opening its doors more than 20 years ago, The Carle has welcomed more than one million visitors—plus more than four million additional museumgoers who have enjoyed its touring exhibitions around the world.    

For further information, please contact: Amanda Domizio, Amanda Domizio Communications, 347-229-2877 / amanda@domiziopr.com