Worthy – Meet the Team
Meet the Team
Daisy Hutton
VP and Publisher, Hachette Nashville
Daisy Hutton is the Vice President and Publisher of Hachette Nashville. Daisy joined Hachette Book Group in late 2019 to oversee publishing for the Hachette Nashville group of imprints, including CenterStreet, FaithWords, and Worthy Publishing. She is a native Mississippian and a graduate of Ole Miss, where she earned her B.A. in French and English Literature. She also holds her M.A. in Comparative Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. Daisy has worked in the publishing industry for more than 20 years, beginning her career at the Georges Borchardt Agency in New York and spending time in at The Perseus Book Group and Harvard Business School Press in Boston. She joined Thomas Nelson in 2008 as VP of International Licensing and was promoted to Fiction Publisher in 2012, overseeing all Fiction publishing under the Thomas Nelson and Zondervan imprints. She became publisher of the W Publishing nonfiction imprint in early 2017.
Peggy Schaefer
Senior Director, Associate Publisher
Peggy Schaefer is Associate Publisher of WorthyKids, part of the Worthy imprint based in the Hachette Nashville office. She began her career in publishing as a copy editor in the days of paper and red pen, and since that time has worked on children’s books, cookbooks, gift books, travel books, and more. She has overseen the publishing program at WorthyKids (formerly Ideals Children’s Books) for nearly twenty years and acquires books for children from birth to age twelve. Peggy enjoys collaborating with authors, artists, and colleagues, and especially appreciates the unique creative challenge each title brings and the opportunity to help craft books that delight and inspire children. She also enjoys those occasions when she can add her own stories to the publishing mix and has authored a handful of children’s books.
Beth Adams
Editorial Director
Beth has worked in book publishing for nearly 25 years, most of those acquiring and editing Christian books. Over the years she has worked on both fiction and non-fiction, though she focuses now almost exclusively on Christian living, self-help, and narrative and practical non-fiction titles from Christian authors.
She has had the great privilege of acquiring and editing many New York Times bestselling books over the years, including Allison Pataki’s The Traitor’s Wife, Bishop T.D. Jakes’ Disruptive Thinking and Don’t Drop the Mic, Roma Downey’s A Box of Butterflies, Karen Kingsbury’s Love Story, Steven Furtick’s Do the New You, Sarah Jakes Roberts’ Woman Evolve, and Kerry Burnight’s Joyspan. She has also edited incredible books from beloved authors like Tyler Merritt, Mary Katherine Backstrom, Joby Martin, DeVon Franklin, Pope Francis, Sarah Bessey, and many more.
In her spare time, she writes cozy mysteries, goes on runs, co-leads a Girl Scout troop, and serves as a deacon at her church. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters and works out of the main Hachette office in New York.
Giancarlo Montemayor
Senior Acquisitions Editor
Giancarlo believes books change lives and worldviews. After earning degrees in business and theology, he has been fortunate to work in the book industry for about a decade, publishing books in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Giancarlo is grateful and humbled to be part of HBG!
Katie Robison
Senior Publicity Director
Katie has been working in book publicity since 2004, including more than a decade running her small, independent PR firm where she spearheaded media tours for New York Times bestselling authors and titles across a huge range of genres and publishing houses. She brings an impressive roster of strong media relationships and a keen understanding of the ever-evolving media landscape to every project she touches. A native of South Georgia, Katie lives outside of Nashville, TN with her husband and four kids.
Kristen Andrews
Creative Director
Kristen Andrews has over 18 years of experience in design and creative direction, including publishing industry roles at HarperCollins, and Hachette since 2021. Her book cover designs have won awards from the American Advertising Federation and ECPA, garnered bestseller status, and been featured in international media. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California, and studied graphic design at OTIS College of Art + Design. In addition to publishing, Kristen’s professional experience extends to marketing design and branding across a variety of industries. Originally from Chicago, Kristen lived in Los Angeles for 12 years before moving to Nashville. When she’s not in Photoshop, Kristen loves running and spending lots of time with her family and dog.
Eve DeGrie
Art Director
As a child, Eve’s shelves were crammed full of picture books, paperbacks, comics, and pop-ups. Now as an adult, well… same. Only now all those battered childhood favorites such as Morris Has a Cold and Very Scary Things sit alongside hundreds of books she’s helped create. After a few years illustrating artwork for lunch boxes, Eve moved on to publishing, where she’s designed gift books, travel guides, photo-driven titles, and all formats of children’s books. As WorthyKids art director, Eve directs and designs each book, hoping they too will be saved for years and provide sweet memories for children and their grown-ups. When not working, she paints and draws portraits and still loves all things funny and spooky.
Whitney Hicks
Senior Designer
Whitney Hicks is currently a Senior Designer. She is an award-winning graphic designer, who holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising from the University of Tennessee. She started her publishing design career in 2012 on a contract basis and subsequently transitioned into a go-to freelance resource for the Hachette team. She joined Hachette Book Group full-time in 2016. In her tenure, with over 13 years of book cover art and production experience in the industry, she’s contributed her talents and organizational knowledge to over 500 titles with Hachette Book Group.
Taylor Peterson
Digital Marketing Manager
Taylor Peterson is the Digital Marketing Manager at Hachette Nashville, where she works on digital advertising, organic social media, influencer marketing, and marketing strategy. She joined the team in 2024. Before entering publishing, Taylor worked in PR and marketing across the education, nonprofit, and mental health sectors. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from the University of Florida. A lifelong reader and person of faith, Taylor finds the Christian publishing space to be a natural and meaningful fit. She enjoys connecting thoughtful books with the audiences they’re meant to serve. Outside of work, she loves attending pilates classes, trying new recipes, or, unsurprisingly, reading something new.
Marissa Arrigoni
Executive Assistant / Editorial Coordinator
Marissa started with Hachette in the fall of 2022 and has worked on books by Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Dr. Henry Cloud, Tiffani Thiessen, Father Carlos Martins, Jim Murphy, Yvonne Orji, and many more. She earned her degrees in English and Creative Writing from Coe College. In her free time, she likes to write fiction and serve her community.
Faith Fiorile
Marketing Associate
Faith Fiorile has worked in marketing across multiple industries such as tech, healthcare, and podcasting before focusing on book publishing, which is where her true passion lies. She solidified this commitment by attending the Columbia Publishing Course at the University of Oxford after receiving her bachelor’s degree in English literature and writing. Faith specializes in developing impactful marketing campaigns that connect authors and books with their audiences. She has contributed to campaigns for renowned figures and multiple New York Times bestselling authors through her work with FaithWords, Center Street, Worthy, and WorthyKids, imprints of Hachette Nashville. After spending a few years in Tennessee, she now lives in the New York City area, just a short drive from her hometown in the Adirondack Mountains.
Hailey Juen
Editorial Assistant
Hailey Juen is an Editorial Assistant at Hachette Nashville, supporting the FaithWords, Worthy, and Center Street imprints. She graduated with a BA in English from Oklahoma State University and joined the team in 2024 after completing an internship with Sage Publishing, a global academic publisher. A person of faith and lifelong book lover, Hailey is passionate about working in the Christian publishing space and helping bring impactful stories to readers. As a military spouse, she also values the opportunity to work on Center Street’s conservative politics books, which allow her to engage with thought-provoking conversations shaping today’s culture. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring new coffee shops, spending time with friends and family, and, of course, getting lost in a good book.
Ella Rose Murphy
Associate Publicist
Ella Rose graduated with a bachelor’s in public relations and communication studies from Western Kentucky University in 2024. She has worked in the entertainment PR world almost 2 years now—specifically working with authors, influencers, and women leaders. With a keen understanding of the current media landscape, Ella Rose is constantly in the know of current events and popular trends. An avid reader in her personal life, she has found her perfect fit at Hachette Nashville.