Samira Nasr, Editor in Chief, Harper’s BAZAAR; Jon Yaged, Chief Executive Officer, Macmillan Publishers; and Charles Yu, author and screenwriter, will begin their first terms on the Foundation’s Board of Directors
The National Book Foundation today announced that it has elected three new members to its Board of Directors: Samira Nasr, Editor in Chief, Harper’s BAZAAR; Jon Yaged, Chief Executive Officer, Macmillan Publishers; and Charles Yu, author, screenwriter, and Winner of the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. The addition of these new members brings the Foundation’s Board to 20 governing members.
“As we continue to expand access to exceptional literature through the Awards and programming for readers of all ages, we are pleased to add new talent to our Board of Directors,” said David Steinberger, Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Book Foundation. “Samira Nasr, Jon Yaged, and Charles Yu bring new perspectives, leadership experience, and a deep commitment to the Foundation’s mission, and we look forward to benefiting from their wide-ranging expertise.”
“It is our great honor to welcome three new board members as we approach a pivotal moment in the Foundation’s history: the landmark 75th National Book Awards in November 2024,” said Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. “We are confident that their leadership will help amplify the Foundation’s presence across the country, allowing us to reach even more readers and continue our legacy of honoring extraordinary literature.”
More information on each of the new members of the National Book Foundation’s Board of Directors can be found below.
Samira Nasr was named Editor in Chief of Harper’s BAZAAR in July 2020, overseeing content strategy and development across the brand’s print and digital platforms. Prior to BAZAAR, Nasr was the Executive Fashion Director at Vanity Fair, where she managed and directed the magazine’s fashion department and all fashion content, including styling iconic covers such as the 25th annual Hollywood issue, the spring style issue featuring cover star Lupita Nyong’o, the May 2019 issue with Nicole Kidman, and more. This role serves as a homecoming to Hearst Magazines as she was the fashion director at ELLE from January 2013 to May 2018, and before that served as style director for InStyle. In addition to working with top fashion magazines in publishing, she has also styled campaigns for fashion and beauty brands, including Laura Mercier, Tiffany & Co., Tory Burch, Estée Lauder, L’Oréal, Clarins, and more. Nasr began her career in fashion working as an assistant to Grace Coddington, former creative director of Vogue, after earning a graduate degree in journalism at New York University. She is currently a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Black Advisory Board, which is responsible for all of the organization’s efforts on inclusivity, diversity, and equality. Born in Montreal, Canada, Nasr currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, with her son. (Photo credit: Jody Rogac)
Jon Yaged is Chief Executive Officer of Macmillan Publishers. Jon previously served as President, Macmillan Publishers, and President & Publisher, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. During his tenure as CEO and President, the company has recorded the highest revenue and operating income in its history. Over the course of his 20-year career in children’s publishing, Yaged oversaw the publication of many bestselling books and series while working with critically acclaimed, award-winning authors and illustrators, including Katherine Applegate, Leigh Bardugo, Angeline Boulley, Eoin Colfer, Taye Diggs, Shane W. Evans, Jimmy Fallon, Jules Feiffer, the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Marissa Meyer, Rick Riordan, Mo Willems, and Gene Luen Yang. Yaged began his publishing career at The Walt Disney Company, reaching the level of Vice President, US Publisher, Disney Book Group. He also served as Chief Operating Officer of a social media marketing company and, before joining Disney, he practiced entertainment and technology law. He currently serves on the Board of the Association of American Publishers, the Advisory Council for the National Coalition Against Censorship, and is on the finance committee of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. He has a JD from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from George Washington University. Yaged lives with his family in New York City. (Photo credit: Mark Gambol)
Charles Yu is the author of four books, including Interior Chinatown, which won the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Le Prix Médicis étranger. In 2007 he was named one of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 honorees, selected by Richard Powers. Yu also works in television, having created or written for shows on Hulu, HBO, AMC, and FX, as well working on feature film projects in development at Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine, and Wired, among other publications. Together with TaiwaneseAmerican.org, he has also sponsored the Betty L. and Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prizes for students. He lives in southern California with his wife, Michelle, and their two children. (Photo credit: Tina Chiou)