Book Prize Judges

Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice

Doug Bauer

Doug Bauer is the executive director of The Clark Foundation, an organization that focuses on helping people out of poverty. He is also executive director of The Scriven and Fernleigh Foundations and Senior Vice President with The Clark Estates, Inc.He has been featured in numerous publications and broadcast media. He co-authored, with Steven Godeke, Philanthropy’s New Passing Gear: Mission Related Investing, A Policy and Implementation Guide for Foundation Trustees. He also is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania and the Columbia Business School where he teaches about philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. Doug is a graduate of Michigan State University.

Marcia Canterella

Marcia Cantarella is the daughter of Civil Rights leader Whitney M. Young, Jr. Formerly a corporate executive, she is the author of I CAN Finish College: The Overcome Any Obstacle and Get Your Degree Guide, has been a Dean at Hunter College, and at Princeton University and on the Dean’s staff at NYU’s College of Arts and Science. She co-directs the CUNY Hunter College Black Male Initiative. She works with students, schools and programs around the issue of college success and serves on several boards of directors including READ Alliance and the College of Saint Elizabeth.

Annie E. Minguez Garcia

Annie E. Minguez Garcia serves as the Director of Government and Community Relations at Good Shepherd Services, a leading city-wide youth and family development agency in New York City that partners with communities in the Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn providing supports to over 30,000 children and families.  As the Director, Annie is responsible for collaborating with staff on advocacy efforts and mobilizing around efforts impacting the human services sector throughout the City as well as State. Annie is a lead advocate of the Human Services Council, a steering committee member of the Campaign for Children, the Fostering Youth Success Alliance and the Coalition for Community Schools Excellence and, the coordinator of the Learning to Work Coalition.

Nancy Wackstein

Nancy Wackstein started as Director of Community Engagement and Partnerships at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service in February 2016 following a long career in the New York City nonprofit sector. Ms. Wackstein served from 2002 to 2015 as Executive Director of United Neighborhood Houses of New York, the federation of New York City’s settlement houses and community centers. Prior to UNH, she was the Executive Director of Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, a Manhattan settlement house, for 11 years. Ms. Wackstein served as Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office on Homelessness and SRO Housing from l990-91 under Mayor David N. Dinkins and was Senior Policy Advisor for Human Services in Manhattan Borough President David Dinkins’ Office from l986-l989

Chris Watler

Christopher Watler serves as Executive Vice President for the Center for Employment Opportunities(CEO), a national nonprofit that helps people leaving incarceration advance their careers in 30 cities. In this role, Chris is responsible for overseeing CEO’s national fund development operations, communications initiatives, and various special projects dedicated to advancing CEO’s mission. He previously served as Executive Director of CEO’s New York State program overseeing CEO’s flagship New York City program and Upstate New York Offices. Prior to joining CEO, Chris worked for the Center for Justice Innovation for 20 years in several key roles. He served as the project director for the Harlem Community Justice Center, where he developed nationally-recognized, evidence-based reentry programs for youth and adults, diversion programs for juveniles, and eviction-prevention programs for housing court litigants. Chris holds a BS in political science from the State University of New York at Purchase and an MPA from John Jay College. A native New Yorker and avid reader of books, Chris and his wife Nancy live in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

Goddard Riverside CBC Youth Book Prize for Social Justice

Tiffany Coelho

Tiffany became a book lover the first time she stepped into her small town public library. Since then, she has gone on to receive her BA in English Literature and Women’s Studies at Flagler College and an MA in Publishing and Writing at Emerson College. Now living in Brooklyn, Tiffany spends most of her time either at the post office or reading on the train. Some non-book related things she loves are sending letters to her friends, sweet tea, and ABBA.

Katura Hudson

Katura J. Hudson is a children’s book author and a communication strategist. A graduate of Rutgers University, she got her start in publishing as a kid working for Just Us Books, the publishing company her parents founded and has since edited and led marketing campaigns for dozens of children’s books. Katura’s books include I’m A Big Sister Now, illustrated by Sylvia Walker, which won a Benjamin Franklin Award. 

Beth Puffer

Though trained as a teacher, Beth Puffer fell into bookselling with a holiday job at Brentano’s in 1973 and stayed. Her career of working in and managing bookstores included stints at  Eeyore’s, Brookline Booksmith and Bank Street Bookstore, from which she retired after 25 years. Children’s books continue to be her passion even if they’re no longer her profession.

Nick Rodriguez

Nick Rodriguez is Brookyn-born and raised, and a graduate of the Manhattan High School of Science and SUNY Plattsburgh. He is the CBC’s marketing assistant as well as a poet, reader, indie coffee shop manager, and aspiring public school teacher.