Beyond Words Staff
Cynthia Black
President & Editor in Chief
Cynthia is the President and Editor in Chief of Beyond Words Publishing, Inc., a pioneer in Mind, Body & Spirit books, active in developing and promoting the importance of spiritual lifestyles and global wisdom for over 25 years. Cynthia is responsible for sourcing new book projects and the editorial and publicity aspects of the company. She is also a partner in a new venture, Beyond Distribution LLC which produces and distributes movies and other spirit-based products. She is the recipient of Advertising Age Magazine's 2007 Entertainment Marketer of the Year award as well as one of Independent Publisher's Ten Outstanding Women of Independent Publishing awards in 2006.
A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Cynthia is a graduate of Mills College and The Burklyn Business School, based on cooperative business. She is the co-author of Spiritual Writing: From Inspiration to Publication, and editor of two anthologies by mature women writers, Our Turn, Our Time and Mid-Life Clarity. Her perspectives on publishing have been featured in Publishers Weekly, The New York Times, The Oregonian and The Costco Connection.
Cynthia loves to travel and has trekked to Mount Everest in Nepal, been to Japanese sacred sites, traveled to Brazil to see healer John of God, sailed the Greek Isles and swam with wild dolphins in Hawaii. She has spent time with Buckminster Fuller, Masaru Emoto and the Dalai Lama and is inspired by them. She loves to discover new trends, attend spiritual retreats and spas, travel, eat organic food, water-ski, read for pleasure, garden, and walk the beach.
Favorite Book: Too many Beyond Words titles to choose from—they are all my children!
- I've walked on fire and broken glass in order to stretch myself.
- I have built two homes as owner-contractor.
Richard Cohn
Publisher
Richard Cohn founded Beyond Words Publishing in 1983 and serves as the Publisher, overseeing Marketing, Finance, Editorial and Special Sales. Having worked with many first-time authors and projects like The Secret and Hidden Messages in Water, he has established a reputation for producing inspiring, high-quality books that can help make a difference in the lives of millions of readers. He has helped Beyond Words expand as an information and media company, providing DVD, audio and product distribution.
A fifth generation Oregonian, Richard is a graduate of Stanford University and received his Masters from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Richard is a motivational and inspirational speaker with a number of movie credits. He has co-produced several films and looks forward to delivering inspirational and spiritual content in innovative ways.
Richard is a treasure hunter, whether looking for the next best selling book and movie, or finding a gem at an estate sale. He enjoys an active lifestyle and spending time with his family and six grandchildren. He has traveled and lived abroad and is fluent in four languages. He is immensely proud of the company that Beyond Words has become and the recent co-publishing agreement with Atria Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, giving the company strong domestic and international distribution, as well as strong foreign rights sales.
Favorite book: any Vince Flynn novel.
Philosophy: I encourage everyone to stand in possibility. Opportunities are like garage sales. There is one around every corner. You just have to look for the signs.
Lindsay Brown
Managing Editor
With a BA in Communication/Broadcast News from WSU, the only good thing that came from Lindsay's short stint in the news industry was meeting her husband Kevin. Shortly after moving to Portland, Lindsay began her career in book publishing. With a bit of a side-track one summer at NYU's Publishing Institute, she came home to Portland to take up the job of managing editor at Collectors Press, learning the joys of cookbook editing and learning way to much about retro pin-ups. Lindsay came on board at Beyond Words just before The Secret mania hit and has been crazy-busy ever since.
Favorite Quote: Nature and books belong to the eyes that see them. —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Favorite Books: Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell; The Seeds of Singing, by Kay McGrath (why on earth is this out of print!)
- Places I’ve Been: I’ve traveled throughout 5 of the 7 continents. Australia and Antarctica here I come!
- If I were a condiment: I would be Balsamic Vinegar
- If I were an animal: I would be (according to my husband) a badger. Beware! Could attack suddenly!
Rachel Hayward
Project and Events Manager
Rachel Hayward, MDiv, travels from Newberg to work on our multi-media projects and assist with a variety of important tasks in the office. She received her Masters in Divinity and Interfaith Studies in 2006 and was initiated into the Hungarian Basci shamanic tradition in 2005. She also founded a shamanic sound healing troupe named Shemaya. This gives her a unique understanding of the mind-body-spirit genre. Rachel enjoys reading books about the shamanic traditions and how it is converging with science today, and she is also a huge Harry Potter fan. She even owns her own robe and has a wand her father made. Rachel enjoys hiking in the wilds, learning the traditional acoustic drum set and other funky instruments, and being a mom.
Favorite Books: The Education of Little Tree, by Forrest Carter; The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint Exupéry
- I love standing out in thunderstorms.
- If I were a car I'd be a convertible Thunderbird painted in bright yellow-orange.
- I harbor a secret love for Don Juan.
Karen Preston
Account Representative
Karen grew up in the Midwest and has a grown daughter living on the east coast. She moved here 20 years ago after falling in love with Portland on vacation. She gets a real kick out of chatting with people and worked as a Customer Service Specialist at a jewelry wholesale house before coming to Beyond Words. Since she's addicted to both jewelry and books, she feels exceptionally blessed!
Favorite Book: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. It's a fascinating study of how we make snap decisions. Although it's filled with scientific studies the author does a smashing job of making it entertaining and an extremely good read.
- When I moved here from Chicago I gave away over a thousand books.
- I once nabbed a thief in a record store (this really dates me) with a wire hanger.
- I've vacationed in all 50 of the United States.
- Back in the 70’s I climbed on the Parachute Jump ride at Knott's Berry Farm and got stuck 20 stories up in the air with my best friend's restless three-year-old as my only companion. Ever since then I've been afraid of heights, but amazingly still enjoy three-year-olds.
Tim Schroeder
Chief Operations Officer
Tim brings twenty-plus years of experience in operations management in fields as varied as farm equipment, apparel manufacturing, and medical diagnostic devices. Tim is a Chicago native with a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois as well as an MBA from the University of Chicago. He enjoys travel and the study of languages at a ‘hobbyist’ level. Tim has traveled to Jamaica, Italy, Germany, and many other places with his wife and son; he actively follows his son’s musical and athletic pursuits, and is a twelve-year Meals-on-Wheels volunteer driver.
Favorite Books: Pompeii by Robert Harris; A True History of Paradise by Margaret Cezair-Thompson
- I met my wife at a group fitness class—she was the instructor, and I was the beginner.
- If you wear something with writing on it, I will stop you so I can read it.
- I have a 3,500 gallon koi pond with lots of fish, and so far I have resisted going swimming with them.
Devon Smith
Graphic Designer
Devon joined Beyond Words in July, 2008. He left a career in sports marketing to pursue an education in his other professional passion, graphic design. A graduate of the Art Institute of Portland, Devon designs our book covers and interiors, as well as handling other design projects. Devon also holds a degree in marketing from the Charles H. Lundquist School of Business at the University of Oregon.
Favorite Books: Mythology, by Edith Hamilton; The Bike Lesson, by Stan and Jan Berenstain; The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler
- I am an avid photographer.
- I am a rabid University of Oregon Ducks athletics fan.
- I enjoy outdoor pursuits, such as kayaking, hiking and snowshoeing.
Georgie Lewis
Marketing Manager
Georgie has worked in bookselling and publishing for the last 13 years, both here in Portland Oregon for the legendary US bookstore, Powell's Books, and the exceptional literary journal Tin House, as well as the fine Aussie bookseller, Readings, and Scribe Publications in her home town of Melbourne. Georgie enjoys playing on Photoshop, lurking on Twitter, and finessing the website during her days at Beyond Words. At night the red wine and le creuset pots emerge and friends come round to play. Life is not complete for Georgie without her ipod and a vast array of podcasts, an overworked a multi-region DVD player, and Bravo on cable.
Favorite Books: Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson; The House of Sleep by Jonathan Coe; Martin Sloane by Michael Redhill.
- I swear I don't have an accent, but friends will beg to differ (both here in the US and back in Oz).
- Nothing is better on a rainy day than spending it on the couch in front of an open fire with a cup of tea and a P.D. James mystery.
- There are very few perfect films but I think Ang Lee might have made more than his fair share of them.