Team — The Big Thing Book

Alexander Friedman

Alex lives in Wyoming with his brilliant wife Monika, their laughing baby Ava, and Babu the red Labrador. Alex is the co-founder of Jackson Hole Economics, served as Chief Executive and Chief Investment Officer of a number of public financial services companies, CFO of the Gates Foundation and was a White House Fellow. Alex is the author of Babu’s Bindi. He loves to ski and climb in the Tetons.

Freddy Leiva

Freddy is a Nicaraguan-American artist based in NYC. He attended New York University’s Gallatin School where he focused on visual art, philosophy, and marketing. Freddy is inspired by the native art, and religious imagery of civilizations from around the world, global millennial Internet culture and prehistoric origin myths. Freddy is currently working as Donald Baechler's Studio Manager.

Carole Ratsimandresy

Carole grew up in a loving and multi-cultural family; and lives in Switzerland, together with a supportive partner. She is an experienced finance professional, a contemporary art enthusiast and an avid book reader. One day, she will save Madagascar's fauna and flora. Meanwhile, she shares her good stories with her three nephews Axel, Henri and Octave.

Danna Heller

Danna is an American-Israeli living in London, where she advises on Smart City projects and urban innovation. Previously, she held Executive Director positions in the Arts and Cultural sector, founded Spin Live Art Presence, and has curated numerous international art exhibitions. She has been reading children's books for two decades, spanning the ages of her children, Segev (of Gen Z) and Mona (of Gen Alpha). She loves ice coffee, dancing, and sunshine.

Angela Meng

Angela is a writer living in Los Angeles. Previously, she held positions as an investment banker at Lazard New York, as a journalist covering Politics & Society at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong and Reuters in Beijing, and as model with Elite Model Management and LA Models. She has a honeypot ant colony on her desk and prefers Jordanian knafeh

Jill Peng

Jill works in Public Relations and lives in London. She helps Chinese companies with global ambitions tell their stories to the world. She also brings more than 10 years of experience in government & public affairs in China and solid experience in strategic communications and crisis management. Jill goes to the theatre religiously. Ask her anything about plays and musicals.

Thaisa Burani

Thaisa is a Brazilian children’s book publisher based in São Paulo. An enthusiast of emerging narrative forms and imaginary formation studies, she's currently working on the launch of Cai-Cai, an independent publishing house specialized in contemporary Chinese children's literature and bilingual Chinese-Portuguese picture books. She's also a publishing consultant at Supernova.

Alvaro Gonzalez

Alvaro is an Uruguayan designer with years of experience in the entertainment industry. During his creative journey he worked as a game designer, product designer, UX designer, artist, inventor, and beyond. He founded One Tango Studio, where he provides design consultancy catering to a wide range of products to companies worldwide and as a place to knit his own personal dreams.

Gimena Varela

Gimena is a Uruguayan teacher who also moonlights as an artist. She loves writing, reading, traveling, and learning about, different cultures. Her favorite country is Italy and she learned Italian at the age of 8 so she could embrace it fully.

Marz McNamer

Marz was raised in communist Poland and lived in several countries before settling in the US, currently in Chicago. Trained in comparative literature, she has translated books, interviews, and other resources for a documentary about WW2, and worked in a number of non-profits (most recently at an advocacy organization that helps the U.S. veterans through legal hurdles at the VA). She is the happiest around books and her husband Bruce and son Henry.