At Dutton, Stephanie Kelly has been promoted to editor and Katie Zaborsky moves up to associate editor.
Jennifer Wattley has joined Simon & Schuster Children’s as associate digital & social marketing manager. She was most recently production associate at St. Martin’s Press.
Jordan Hamessley has joined New Leaf Literary & Media as literary agent, focusing on children’s picture books, middle grade, young adult, and adult genre fiction.
Mark Glesne has joined Thomas Nelson as marketing director. Previously, he was director of marketing and digital commerce at TOL.
Harassment Files
PBS suspended talk show host Tavis Smiley after allegations came out that Smiley “had engaged in sexual relationships with multiple subordinates.” The suspension followed an investigation by an outside law firm. Smiley has hosted interview show “Tavis Smiley” since 2004, in addition to authoring multiple books including Death of a King and Before You Judge Me (both with David Ritz), and editing the anthology The Covenant with Black America. He has a forthcoming book, Leading by Listening: Connecting Through Conversation to Transform Your Relationships and Your Business, listed some places for September 2018 publication.
In a statement on Facebook, Smiley said, “I have the utmost respect for women and celebrate the courage of those who have come forth to tell their truth. To be clear, I have never groped, coerced, or exposed myself inappropriately to any workplace colleague in my entire broadcast career, covering six networks over 30 years…. PBS overreacted and conducted a biased and sloppy investigation, which led to a rush to judgment, and trampling on a reputation that I have spent an entire lifetime trying to establish.”
Mario Batali, celebrity chef and author of multiple cookbooks, is stepping away from his restaurants and co-hosting role on ABC’s “The Chew” after four women alleged he “touched them inappropriately in a pattern of behavior that appeared to span at least two decades.”
Batali’s most recent book, Big American Cookbook: 250 Favorite Recipes from Across the USA, was released in 2016. He said in a statement, “Although the identities of most of the individuals mentioned in these stories have not been revealed to me, much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted. That behavior was wrong and there are no excuses.”