The Speakers
Steve Kent
Industry-leading Yearbook Expert
One of the most prominent voices in scholastic journalism, Steve Kent will
be the Keynote Speaker at Leonard's Press Pass Summer Workshop.
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.
A Top 40 Under 40 recipient, he gained experience at leading men’s fashion magazines and was the first yearbook representative to hold Adobe® ACE status in both InDesign and Photoshop.
Keynote Speaker
Hayes Davis
Photographic Supervisor
With a passion for Photography and the enjoyment of working with students, Hayes found his niche in the fast paced school portrait business. Having been in the school portrait business 15 years, he has seen the transition from film to digital image capture and enjoys utilizing new technology to advance the photography experience. As the Photographic Supervisor for Leonard’s Studios, Hayes has the honor of training Leonard’s award winning photography team and to advance the school portrait experience.
Photography Speaker
Yearbook Speaker
Mallory Padgett, MJE
Director of Yearbooks
After more than a decade of teaching and yearbook advising experience, Mallory has developed a skill set that allows her to specialize in yearbooks and yearbook education. Mallory understands the need for intentional and diverse marketing campaigns, offers insight into the education and classroom/school environment management that it takes to run a successful publication, and has successfully managed budgetary and branding components of a publication. As a recent high school yearbook teacher and adviser, Mallory has critical insight and experience that allow her to relate to the students, staff, and advisers at a local level. She is also involved in state and national Journalism conferences.
Amanda Patrick
Sales and Service Representative
Amanda is a former educator and award-winning yearbook adviser that shares a passion for making yearbook programs come to life. As a Bronx, New York native, she quickly fell in love with Florida while attending Saint Leo University, and, after graduating, found herself as a yearbook adviser and teacher. With over 8 years of experience working with students, advisers and staffs, Amanda enjoys being able to provide a unique perspective and real world examples to those advisers and staffs she works with. She is known for her level of creativity and ability to think outside the box.
Yearbook Speaker
Yearbook Speaker
Lisa Urban, CJE
Senior Sales and Service Representative
Lisa Urban is an Ohio native who chose to stay in beautiful St. Augustine after graduating from Flagler College. She has 15 years as a yearbook adviser at both middle and high school levels and in both private and public schools, as well as 11 years as a photography and yearbook representative for Leonard’s Studios. Lisa is known for her simple solutions, and for being a great idea generator and sounding board, and for supporting her advisers to become as creative and successful as possible.
Sarah Bristow
Sales Manager
Sarah taught for 10 years in secondary schools, and was a yearbook adviser for 5 years. Her background also includes
studies in Communications and Journalism.
Sarah joined the Leonard’s team in 2014 as a Sales and Service representative, working primarily with high schools in developing their yearbooks and servicing their photography needs. Sarah assisted her schools in growing their yearbook programs and facilitating their photography events. Currently, Sarah serves all regions in Florida and Georgia as the Sales Manager, supporting all schools and Leonard's Representatives.
Yearbook Speaker
Photography Speaker
Randy Settle
Photographic Coordinator
Randy Settle is well established in the photography field, with experience in many genres from landscape, weddings, and social events to sports and school photography. Randy has photographed professional sports teams including the Orlando Predators, the Orlando Fantasy of the Legends Football League, and Orlando City Soccer. Randy currently serves as the Orlando Area Photographic Coordinator, having proven his skills in project oversight and management equal to his mastery of the camera. He is dedicated to ensuring all photo shoots run smoothly while providing the customer service that shows in the smiling faces of students and faculty.
Peter Muhly
Photographic Coordinator
World Photojournalist and Leonard’s Photography Coordinator, Peter Muhly, will share over 25 years’ of his
photojournalism experience in covering both national and international news, sports and features. Peter’s images have won numerous awards, have been published in major publications around the world and continue to provide him with royalties. In 2014, Peter relocated back to Florida to join Leonard’s as the Tampa Photography Coordinator, where he trains and coordinates a team of professional
photographers. Whether creating portraits or covering sports, Peter strives for that ‘Decisive Moment’.
Photography Speaker
Photoshop Expert
Robert Parker
Marketing and Design Coordinator
Robert is a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelors of Science in Advertising. He has served as the Creative Coordinator for the Marketing Department of Leonard’s Photography for over a decade. He has a passion for design and enjoys bring people's ideas to life.
Alissa Harmon
Creative Photographic Coordinator
Ali is an award winning photographer.
In the seven years of her professional career, Ali has photographed thousands of students, and over one hundred weddings.
Ali is currently the lead marketing photographer for Leonard’s.
Photography Speaker
Yearbook Speaker
Jessica Hanson
Yearbook Support Representative
Jessica taught high school English in St. Johns County for 8 years before joining Leonard’s. A Flagler College graduate, Jessica majored in English and Secondary Education. With a passion for teaching and writing, it only felt natural to join the Yearbook Division to assist advisers with their yearbook. Jessica loves to encourage, problem solve, create, and see others succeed.
Randy Clark
Photographic Coordinator
Randy has over 30 years' experience in the school photography Industry. Senior portraits and sports photography are still his favorite to shoot. In 2014, Randy joined Leonard's Photography bringing with him schools that he has been photographing since 1988.
Establishing long lasting relationships is something he learned early in his career, and he continues to prioritize today.
Photography Speaker
Yearbook Speaker
Emily Negron
Sales Representative
Emily has worked as a photographer with Leonard’s for almost a decade. As an award-winning photographer, she knows how to support school photography from all angles. Emily prides herself on building strong relationships within her schools’ ensuring picture day and the yearbook is an excellent memory for all.
Nicole Krantz
Sales Representative
Nicole has over 20 years of experience behind a camera, photographing everything from landscapes to portraits. Her hobby of photographing pets blossomed into her business, Pawparazzi Pet Photography, based out of Sarasota, Florida. Along with the photographer’s position at Leonard’s, Nicole also serves as a sales representative for the company, which she began in 2017.
Yearbook Speaker