Who we are

Inksplash is a premier publishing solutions company that has been providing comprehensive planning, writing, editing, and design solutions for publishing houses and academic institutions for over
a decade.

We partner with many of the industry’s leading publishers on a regular basis and know what it takes to produce a successful educational product from start to finish.

We are proud to be a certified minority-owned and woman-owned business. At Inksplash, we deeply value our teams’ diversity and the high degree of creativity and insight that it fosters.

What makes us unique

Highly nimble teams

Minimal ramp-up time

True experts in each field

Carefully trained project managers

Meticulous attention to detail

Dedicated, diverse, and accessible executive team

Unified approach to project development

Affordability

Our teams

Inksplash’s teams are comprised of project managers, writers, SMEs, editors, designers, and illustrators who are true experts in their field. Our teams are overseen by our executive team, comprised of true veterans in the publishing industry with the knowledge and experience to lead our teams to success on every project we undertake. In addition to our full-time staff, we have hundreds of independent contractors who have worked with us for many years and join us each and every time our needs match their expertise.

Our project managers possess content-area expertise, so they can speak to content queries in addition to scheduling, workflow, and other management tasks.

Our writers, SMEs, and editors are divided by subject area and grade level of expertise. Many are current or former teachers or professors, and most have worked in the publishing world for at least a decade.

Our designers specialize on specific product development; for example, some focus on colorful ebook creative design, while others focus on workbook and SE/TE layout.

Our illustrators also focus on their areas of expertise, with some illustrators just focusing in on math technical art, and others on scientific renderings.

We would never ask an ELA writer to “pinch-hit” on Physics, nor would we ask a scientific-rendering illustrator to graph an exponential function. One of our very best assets is our team members, and we pride ourselves on staffing intelligently, making use of each person’s area of greatest expertise to maximize our team’s contributions to every project we undertake.

Executive Team

Christina Castelli

President & CEO

A specialist in large-scale and complex content development, Christina Castelli has enjoyed a highly successful career in educational publishing over the past two decades. Her depth and breadth of knowledge of the publishing industry has made her a sought-after consultant in her field. Christina’s diverse background in publishing, ranging from writing and editing to art direction and management, makes her an ideal partner for complex projects requiring a wide range of skills and expertise.

Christina is Inksplash’s founder and serves as principal at the company, where she leads a wide range of challenging projects for major publishers. She is adept in online technology and has directed projects for print and online learning and assessment, including high-stakes assessments, textbooks, storyboards, scripts, and translations.

A Harvard University graduate cum laude in chemistry, Christina frequently leverages her ability to think “outside the box” to develop unique ways to approach the assessment of standards that are complicated or difficult to target. Also a recipient of a Master of Music degree in violin performance from The Juilliard School, she utilizes her keen attention to detail to ensure that items are thoroughly researched, planned, and developed with an eye for balance, fairness, and a unique integration of relevance and skill.

Peter Mavrikis

Director of Business Development

Peter Mavrikis double-majored in English and Political Science (Stony Brook University) and was working toward a Master’s degree in Secondary Education (Queen’s College) until he was bitten by the publishing bug. Since then, he has written and edited books for over twenty-five years. His range of experience covers adult and juvenile nonfiction and trade, test preparatory products, ESL/EFL titles, high school and academic reference, DIY and self-help, school and library markets, as well as e-book and online reference products.

Prior to joining Inksplash, Peter worked as the Editorial Director for Barron’s Educational Series and Kaplan, where he ran the test preparatory, foreign language, and study guide divisions. In addition to managing editorial teams and working in business development and product strategy, Peter has written several books covering the topics of science, history, and technology.

Melissa Wokasch

Director of English Language Arts and Social Studies

Melissa Wokasch has 20 years of experience working in the educational publishing industry, specializing in K–12 assessment and content development in the humanities. She began her career as a writer and has worked as an editor, reviewer, curriculum designer, and project manager for major publishers in the industry. Melissa has worked on the development of assessment and curriculum products in over 40 states and counting.

Melissa draws upon her wide range of experience to lead the development of fair, inclusive, and accessible assessment and learning products that meet the needs of clients while remaining focused on the experience of the end user. Her approach to project management is centered around communication with her teams and clients to ensure that the client’s vision is understood and implemented at every stage of development.

Laura Piantes

Director of Math and Humanities

Laura Piantes began her career in education first as a test-prep tutor and later as a high school English teacher. She has been working in educational publishing for over 20 years, as a writer, content editor, and project manager in curriculum and assessment. Specializing in content development and assessment in math and the humanities, Laura has overseen the development of high-stakes exams, state assessments, and classroom materials.

Laura received her B.A. in Ancient Greek from Yale University and her M.A. in Teaching English in Secondary Schools from New York University. Leading the Inksplash math and humanities teams, she uses her wide subject-matter expertise and strong leadership skills to ensure the development of high-quality products, with a focus on frequent communication with her teams and with clients to ensure that all expectations on each and every project are met or exceeded.

Lauren Butler

Director of Literacy and Sciences

Lauren Butler began her career as a science teacher and then transitioned to the world of educational publishing, where she found her passion for creating content that helps students on their learning journeys. Since joining Inksplash in 2009, Lauren has worked on projects that reach across the educational spectrum, including textbooks, high-stakes testing, and online products.

At Inksplash, Lauren oversees the development of literacy products and passages as well as science content with the unique combination of subject-matter knowledge, strong leadership, and constant communication with both writers and clients. Lauren’s keen ability to take on challenges and work with colleagues to find solutions to ambitious tasks regularly showcases her tenacity and broad skillset. Lauren earned her Bachelor’s degree in Earth and Space Science from Stony Brook University, where she went on to earn her Master’s degree in Liberal Studies. She chose this course of study to broaden her knowledge as a professional in education and content development.

Tom Kurzanski

Director of Creative Services

A senior creative professional with over 20 years of experience in print, digital, packaging, and product development, Tom Kurzanski approaches design through a global perspective with an eye on emerging trends. A strategic, facilitative leader with a passion for mentoring emerging artists, he discovered at an early age the near-limitless ability to bridge cultural divides through shared visual language.

Throughout his career, Tom has touched every facet of product development and production across all ages, from establishing and working with style guides to branding/rebranding, as well as ensuring brand alignment with a desired audience. Tom began his journey into educational illustration with Kaplan, helping to realize various styles and systems for K12. He currently specializes in building and managing artist teams with complementary abilities, pushing creative to new limits while also meeting highly specific guidelines. Tom and his creative team at Inksplash strive to make education accessible and vibrant.

Elizabeth Clarke

Director of Editorial Services

With a passion for style guides and a determination to achieve absolute accuracy, Liz Clarke leads Inksplash’s editorial teams in polishing a wide range of products in their final stages before release to our clients. Equally at home working alongside editors and proofreaders and with writers and SMEs, Liz is accustomed to evaluating content needs in tandem with editorial requirements and design elements to deliver exceptional, error-free content. With more than 20 years of experience in editing, Liz brings a high level of diligence and integrity to every project. She maintains a strong focus on universal, bias-free language that is accessible to all audiences.

Liz holds her bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in Communications from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Her diverse background as an editor in print and digital media and in advertising, along with her dedication to education, have made educational publishing a natural fit for Liz over the past decade.