Steve
Kent

Chief Marketing Officer

One of the most prominent voices in scholastic journalism, Steve Kent leads the world of yearbook innovation. While a publishing consultant based in Virginia, Steve’s family of staffs led the nation in earning Crowns from Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Pacemakers from National Scholastic Press Association.

He has taught thousands of students from coast to coast how to create the new kind of yearbook: Inclusive, relevant and coffee-table worthy. Steve’s always been at the forefront of innovation in the yearbook activity, from product development aspects such as new paper, cover and upgrade treatments to curriculum and design innovations affecting how staffers create the books themselves.  

Steve authored the go-to playbook for content gathering, staff management, business planning and marketing, and holds its trademark. In addition, for more than a decade, he piloted a grid-based, modular formatting approach with staffs all over America, providing a faster spread creation process and a straightforward way to increase the number of students involved in meaningful content. He helps staffers discover buyers give us direction.

Jenny
Atkinson

Vice President, Business Development

In her role, Jenny helps independent school photographers and yearbook reps build, expand and service their yearbook businesses. She guides Walters to tailor its services and offerings for creators at all levels and to the benefit of existing and new yearbook partners.

Before joining the company, she invested almost 20 years as an in-school photo and yearbook rep, mastering the art of picture packaging and managing a senior studio, all while providing her almost 200 accounts top-flight service. With a journalism degree from Virginia Tech, Jenny worked closely with yearbook staffs, at all levels, to create their publications and to meet their photo needs. Which is only natural since her passion for yearbook started in middle school and continued when she served as editor-in-chief for two years at one of the most high-profile and award-winning high school programs in the country.

Becky
Cook

Senior art director, cje

Becky is a designer who has been working with yearbooks since high school as the editor of a Gold Crown winning book. She continued her work with yearbooks throughout her time at Emory & Henry College, where she studied mass communications and art education, while working with local middle and high school yearbook staffs.

Directly out of college, Becky served as a high school yearbook adviser, as well as teaching journalism and graphic design. For the love of yearbook, Becky later joined the corporate world of yearbook marketing to try to spread the love. She has been attending national scholastic journalism conventions for the past 14 years to learn and teach other yearbookers, becoming a Certified Journalism Expert along the way. 

Nelson
Helm

Art Director

Nelson is an art director, curriculum developer and staff consultant for Pictavo. Starting yearbook on his middle school staff, he continued through high school and college, editing national award-winning books along the way.

After graduating, he worked in the journalism industry for Food Network Magazine and the Atlanta Journal Constitution before turning to his passions — printing and yearbooks.

Nelson has helped staffs create the books of their dreams. He enjoys sharing his passion by teaching at scholastic journalism conventions and engaging with young creatives across the country.

Josh
Swancutt

Art Director

Josh specializes in video content creation, graphic design and assisting in launching new resources to help compete in the high school yearbook market. His experience in design started eight years ago while being heavily involved in his high school yearbook staff.

Josh earned his bachelor’s degree in Design & Innovation Management at Oregon State University, while working as a photojournalist for OSU’s media network. In addition to photojournalism, he has years of experience doing freelance graphic design work. Josh has worked with Walters for more than a year and has since created software tutorials and promotional videos, maintained company websites, assisted in many marketing materials and more.