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 Jay remembers the excitement and tears of joy that followed when he and Karen opened the first issue of Modern Babies & Children just after their newborn was delivered from the printer. Jay likens the experience to becoming a parent for the first time all over again and reports that the great sense of pride continues with each edition.
He focuses on forming partnerships with advertisers and on training new franchisees.
Prior to working with Karen at Wedding Pages and then at The Knot, Jay spent nearly two decades climbing the sales, marketing, and management corporate ladders in the food and wine industries at such companies as E & J Gallo Winery, The Kronheim Companies, and Carnation/Nestle.
Back in college, Jay, an athlete, knew he wasn’t going pro and had the foresight that he would one day miss the competitive spirit and teamwork from which he thrived. At first, he planned to pursue a career in teaching and coaching, but by sophomore year realized he could teach and coach in business. At every level of Jay’s career, he’s served as a mentor. It’s the part of his role with MB&C that he enjoys most.
Jay is a graduate of Frostburg State University.
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 Karen Buck never realized the kind of chord Modern Babies & Children could strike with readers until she received a call she’ll never forget. The magazine’s second issue featured an article about WBAL TV anchor Mindy Basara’s potentially life threatening experience with blood clots during her pregnancy. A reader brought a copy of the story, which had a happy ending, to her doctor’s appointment and explained she had the same symptoms. Turns out, she had similar clots. “If we saved one person’s life from that story, it’s all been worthwhile,” says Karen.
Karen manages the magazine’s content, website, and helps guide the new franchisees.
As a young girl, Karen figure skated competitively and trained away from home until her father said he could no longer finance her passion. Years later, in 1988, while working as the Advertising and Marketing Director for a Baltimore floral business, Karen took on a volunteer position of publishing the souvenir program for the National Figure Skating Championships, which had come to Baltimore. She interviewed more than 200 skaters and wrote their bios, sold advertising, and helped get printing bids. Karen was hooked. Not to mention, her skating background had paid off!
Karen soon learned that the Wedding Pages, a magazine in which the floral business advertised, was for sale. She borrowed $20,000 to purchase the Maryland and Pennsylvania franchises and six months later, with no option to fail, this single mother repaid in full. She later sold the franchises and became a Regional Sales Director for The Knot, which purchased the publication.
Karen continues to publish the Maryland edition of Perfect Wedding Guide. She is a graduate of Villa Julie College.
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 A quick study, talkative, friendly and highly organized with the ability to think "outside the box", Carolyn provides the glue that lets publishers Karen and Jay Buck run a highly efficient organization. For 10 years Carolyn was a florist, a demanding career that requires skill, artistry and a complete attention to detail. Wanting to devote more time to her family, she switched careers to work part-time as a bookkeeper and to drive a school bus which allowed her to take the summers off to be with family. Her last move was to take the position of office manager for Karen and Jay which she handles with finesse. Carolyn is married to her childhood sweetheart and has one son. |
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 Stephanie is a professional juggler: a daughter, wife, sister, friend, business owner, graphic designer and best of all a Mommy - the keeper of all boo-boo kisses, but willing to give them out when needed. Stephanie graduated from La Roche College with a BS in Graphic Design. She quickly climbed up the ladder at a commercial printing company where she became the art director. The printing industry gave her a great stepping stone to starting her own graphic design company in January 2003 and for working with Modern Babies & Children. Stephanie has a home with her husband Jeff, her son and 2 Golden's -Duke and Maggie. |
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 Rebecca Klein is a writer, video producer, and communications consultant, who primarily reports to her baby and toddler. Her work day is anything but 9 to 5. When possible, she tries to clock in pre-dawn, during nap times, and after dark. If it appears she smoothly juggles chasing after her son, daughter, and her stories, don't be fooled. Her son Seth has snatched and broken her cell phone a few too many times, leaving her temporarily out of reach. Instead of following her big brother’s cell-stealing-steps, Samara is more interested in the laptop keys and is the likely culprit behind a broken one. Rebecca has also worked as a television news reporter and special projects producer. She prefers her parenting stories to the crime scenes she once frequented. Rebecca and her husband Grant moved to Charm City from Sin City (Las Vegas) in 2001. This is the longest they've spent in any one place since college, and they plan to stay. Rebecca graduated from Brandeis University with a BA in Sociology. |
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 Formerly an Insurance Agency Commercial Account Service Rep, Beth Kilgore left the business 7 years ago to be a stay at home Mom to her two children, Brookie and Andrew and husband, Trevor. She is enjoying the involvement she has with all her children's activities, soccer and lacrosse, Girl Scout co-leader, Sunday School teacher and consistent volunteer at their school.
She is also a Stampin' UP! consultant, a hobby turned small-business, which enables her to show people in their own homes how to make beautiful cards and scrapbook pages. By doing this part-time (more to satisfy her hobby!) it enables her to work for Modern Babies and Children keeping their website calendar updated with exciting family events!
Beth was graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman's College with a BA degree in Biology. |
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 It’s an impossible challenge to come up with a title to describe everything that Katy Cheesman does for Modern Babies & Children.
Katy’s main focus is helping local and regional businesses introduce their goods and services to area parents and grandparents. She guides them through every step of the advertising process and loves the opportunity to meet new people every day.
Wherever she goes, chances are that Katy’s camera is in tow. She has been known to capture the kinds of moments that really bring a story to life. She also plays a key role during magazine production and assists with art direction. Did we mention that Katy also writes and helps coordinate company sponsored events?
Katy finds that wearing her many hats is a valuable tool in her role as an account executive and says that understanding each department helps her to better market the magazine.
Before arriving at MB&C, Katy worked for the 2002 Senior Open, the Baltimore Ravens, the Under Armour Baltimore Marathon and at 100.7 The Bay.
She graduated from York College with a degree in Sports Management. Katy lives in Baltimore with her husband, Justin, and their kitty, Macy. She loves entertaining friends, spending time with family and traveling.
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 Account Executive Roberta Fleming is excited to be part of the Modern Babies & Children family and loves having the opportunity to work with small business owners, non-profit organizations, parents and children.
Roberta brings a diverse background in business and education to the Modern Babies & Children family. She clocked four years in the classroom, teaching elementary and middle school students in special education, science and art. She hopes that teachers will utilize the magazine and website as a resource for planning field trips.
Roberta also owns a wedding consulting business and teaches a business course at Harford Community College.
She is completing her graduate degree in Education from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, where she also received her BA.
When not helping to promote local businesses featured in the magazine, Roberta enjoys spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two children: Ashley, 19, and Alex, 12. Hobbies include studying art history, gardening, and reading and writing children’s literature.
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 Style Editor Allison Gurley sleuths for standout fashions for our Closet Cravings section. She has always loved shopping for her kids and is excited to join Modern Babies & Children and share her finds with other families.
Based in Connecticut, she also works part-time for an antiques and decorative accessories business, where she teams up with major decorators to find high-end items for clients’ homes.
Allison’s fashion and design industry background has taken her all over the world. She spent nearly a decade in sportswear, working in production, private label development, and quality control. She also worked as a fragrance and cosmetic buyer in the duty free industry.
Beyond the fashion world, Allison operates a full-time, pro-bono taxi service for three young VIPS, ranging from ages 7 to 13: her son, Fenn and daughters, Carson and Cameron. From 3 to 8 pm, you’ll find her shuttling the crew to swim team, travel soccer, baseball and to other appointments and activities. She and her husband, Drew also have a four-legged toddler named Scooby.
Allison received her AAS in Fashion Buying & Merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and her BS in Textile Marketing from the University of Maryland, College Park.
This shopping connoisseur admits that shoes are her weakness. She is also a fitness fan, loves cooking and is a Food Network junkie.
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