Our Primary Hosts & Board of Directors

Vice President and Treasurer 

William Miller chairs the advisory board of the Alan Cheuse International Writers Center, is Vice Chair of the Fall for the Book festival, and also serves as an advisor to the Watershed Lit center at George Mason University. He directed Mason’s creative writing program for more than two dozen years and taught in Mason’s English Department for more than thirty years. He formerly worked as a newspaper journalist and has published fiction as well as nonfiction. He assisted Jack Censer in developing On the Trail of the DC Sniper and Kris O’Shee in developing Our Last Blue Moon.

Secretary

Ken Budd has written for publications such as The Atlantic, National Geographic Traveler, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Smithsonian, Travel + Leisure, The Chicago Tribune, and many more. His Washington Post Magazine story on an orphanage in Kenya was selected for The Best American Travel Writing. Ken spent 15 years as an editor with AARP The Magazine, and his work there was nominated for a National Magazine Award. He is the author of a memoir, The Voluntourist (William Morrow), about his search for meaning as a volunteer in six countries, and he writes the “Everyday Heroes” column for The Saturday Evening Post. Ken is also chair of the Fall for the Book festival. He has made 100+ appearances on TV and radio, including NBC’s Today show, CBS This Morning, CBS’s The Early Show, C-SPAN 2’s Book TV, and networks such as ABC, CNBC, Voice America Radio, and New Zealand public radio. 

President and CEO 

Jennifer L. Disano is a highly accomplished nonprofit executive and passionate advocate for literacy and cultural programming. She aligns initiatives with constituent needs and provides expert guidance to library leaders, government officials, and nonprofits on volunteer and member engagement, partnership development, innovative operating models, marketing, and branding. A frequent speaker at national conferences, she shares insights on these topics.

Disano is the co-founder and President & CEO of Upstart Crow, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting books, literacy, and cultural appreciation through podcasts, public forums, and educational initiatives. She originated and co-hosts the Upstart Crow podcast (in partnership with Watershed Lit Radio), featuring in-depth interviews with authors, historians, and cultural figures.

From 2013 to 2025, she served as Executive Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at George Mason University. During her 12-year tenure, Disano designed thousands of educational programs, significantly expanded volunteer engagement, and grew the institute to serve more than 1,200 members. Signature accomplishments include chairing the Fall for the Book Festival—where she expanded literary events that connect authors, readers, and communities across Northern Virginia—and co-creating the New American Voices Literary Award.

She also developed key intergenerational and library initiatives, including the “Dialogue for Difference” programs in partnership with George Mason University Libraries and the Carter School for Peace, as well as a grant-funded oral history project pairing traditional students with older adults for special collections. As Vice Chair of the Fairfax Library Foundation, she increased funding for student scholarships and staff support.

With more than two decades of nonprofit leadership experience, Disano holds a Master’s degree in Psychology from Penn State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from California State University, East Bay. Her contributions have been recognized with the Arts Fairfax Education Award, the Town and Gown Legacy Award, and the Volunteer Fairfax Adult Services Award.

She currently serves on the Fall for the Book Festival board, remaining deeply involved in strategy, development, and outreach.