Our Team
Tom Nieman
President
Tom Nieman, a graduate in English from Northwestern University, started off as a grade school teacher. He began Nieman Inc. in 1998 after 18 years at ScottForesman, where he worked as an editor, editorial VP, product manager, marketing director, and supplemental publisher. Today, in addition to his role as president of Nieman Inc., he volunteers as a reading teacher and tutor for English language learners at St. Thomas of Canterbury in Chicago.
Erin Dye
Vice President, Editorial Director​
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Erin joined Nieman in 2010. She has prototyped, managed, edited, or written a wide range of programs across the K–12 spectrum. She focuses on reading, but she also has a soft spot for social studies. Erin holds degrees in art history from Randolph-Macon Woman's College (B.A.) and the University of Chicago (M.A.), and she loves putting her liberal arts education to use every day at work.
Liz Semro
Vice President, Business Manager
Liz began her publishing career at ScottForesman. She has worked on the business side of things since the beginning—in the SF elementary/high school math and reading departments and the supplemental division. She joined the Nieman team in 1998. Liz holds a degree in English from the University of Iowa.
Luz Chavez
Senior Editor
Since joining Nieman in 2001, Luz has overseen the development of more than 15,000 SE and TE pages in reading, language arts, and ELL, and 13,000 digital interactive science pages. Luz holds a liberal arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College. She volunteers her digital media and web development skills to local nonprofits and civic hackathons.
Tom Klonoski
Senior Editor
Tom Klonoski brings more than 30 years of publishing experience to his position at Nieman. Tom holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.Ed. in Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois-Chicago. Tom has worked on market-leading basal programs as both a content editor and a copyeditor. He has secondary school teaching experience in language arts and math. He joined Nieman in 2010.
Jessica Rzepka
Senior Editor and Project Manager
After earning a B.A. in creative writing from Illinois Wesleyan University, an M.A. in English from Illinois State University, and most of a Ph.D. in Medieval and Renaissance Literature from Loyola University Chicago, Jessica finally realized that there was a better way to demonstrate her passion for education than by simply staying in school forever. She joined the Nieman team in 2012 and has since participated as a writer, editor, and project manager. She specializes in high school ELA and digital learning but always welcomes new challenges.
Jennifer Liss
Senior Editor
Jennifer Liss joined Nieman Inc. in 2022 and brings nearly two decades of experience in educational publishing to her position. She has written and edited a wide range of K-12 English language arts, social studies, and health programs. Jennifer specializes in writing fiction for struggling and reluctant readers and has authored dozens of hi-lo books. She holds a degree in English from Colorado College.
Brian Hamilton
Editor
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Brian has been a part of the Nieman team since 2015. Before that, he was an English language teacher in South Korea, primarily teaching university students. He has a B.A. in English literature from Northwestern University.
Max Seifert
Editor
Since joining Nieman Inc. in 2016, Max Seifert has written, edited, and managed projects across K-12. He studied English literature at the University of Iowa before receiving a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Texas. He specializes in poetry instruction and standards.