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Staff
George Anton Kiraz, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief
George is the President and co-founder of Gorgias Press. Born in Bethlehem, he immigrated to the United States and attended California State University, Northridge, where he obtained a degree in Engineering in 1990. He then obtained an M.St. degree in Syriac Studies at the Oriental Institute, University of Oxford in 1991. Wishing to combine his technical background with his passion for Syriac and Semitic languages, he joined the University of Cambridge where he obtained an M.Phil. in Computational Linguistics and a Ph.D. in the same. He wrote his thesis on computing the morphology of Arabic and Syriac which was later published by Cambridge University Press.
In 1996, George became a research scientist at Bell Laboratories, NJ, where he worked on speech technology. In 2000, he was hired by Nuance Communications, a speech technology startup, to help establish and lead a New York branch of the company. This gave George tremendous experience in management, but was short lived due to the stock market crash of 2001.
Already a published author, George co-founded Gorgias Press along with his wife Christine in 2001. The press was announced to the public in the summer of 2001 at the Leiden Peshitta conference, and later to a larger public in November 2001 with 10 books in the Press’s catalog. Within a short period of time, the press grew at a rate of publishing about 50 titles per year.
George has taught Syriac in Princeton, Rutgers, the POLIS Institute (Jerusalem) and runs an annual Syriac Summer School at Beth Mardutho.
George is married to Christine and together they have three children, Tabetha Gabriella, Sebastian Kenoro and Lucian Nurono. In his free time (whatever is left of it), George directs Beth Mardutho, The Syriac Institute. His hobbies include collecting printed types, reading, writing, and winemaking with his Italian neighbours.
Melonie Schmierer-Lee, Ph.D.
Senior Acquisitions Editor
In 2012 Melonie gained her PhD in the historical linguistics of Aramaic from the University of Cambridge. Her research interests include the linguistic and sociolinguistic background to Eastern Aramaic, and the Aramaic and Hebrew documentary material (letters and legal documents) from the Cairo Genizah. She recently published her first book on the Cairo Genizah, as part of celebrations to mark 50 years since the founding of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit at the University of Cambridge.
When not reviewing manuscript submissions, Melonie can be found reading the Guardian, getting to grips with hen-keeping, bee-keeping, and gardening.
Brice C. Jones, Ph.D
Acquisitions Editor (Early Christianity & Patristics)
Tuomas Rasimus, Ph.D
Production Editor
Tuomas was born and raised in Finland, where he developed a healthy interest in Biblical studies, ancient languages, and Gnosticism during the 1990s. He holds a ThD in Biblical studies from the University of Helsinki and a PhD from Université Laval, Canada. In his first book, Paradise Reconsidered in Gnostic Mythmaking(Brill, 2009), Tuomas argued for a complete revamping of Sethian Gnostic history and textual corpus. He has continued to publish in early Christianity, second-temple Judaism, and Greek philosophy, and has taught at various European and Canadian universities since 2005. In his spare time, Tuomas plays the guitar (with his son on drums!), cooks, and enjoys sci-fi.
Gemma Tully, Ph.D
Marketing Associate
Gemma gained her PhD in Archaeology and Museum studies in 2010 from the University of Southampton, UK. Her research interests include heritage management and museology with a specific focus on community engagement with the archaeology of Egypt, Sudan, and the Middle East. Gemma has a background in research and heritage publications (including two children's books) having recently worked for Durham University and the University of Cambridge on archaeological outreach projects. When not working for Gorgias Press or carrying out her own research, Gemma enjoys playing the ukulele, digging her veggie garden, walking her dog, and baking.
Stephanie Floyd
Office Manager
Stephanie studied Economics at Texas A&M University and is currently pursuing a second degree in Accounting with the intent of continuing on to get a Master’s degree, eventually becoming a CPA. Her current focus is in accounting for Non-Profit Organizations, and she hopes to be able to work with a nonprofit that deals with helping foster children as a way of giving back. After her time at Texas A&M, she, her husband, and children traveled around the world as an active-duty military family before finally settling down. Stephanie has worked in many fields from customer service, elementary special education, medical office management, and as a radiation health specialist for the US Navy. She brings a confident expertise in office and personnel management, accounting, and customer service to the team, as well as the flexibility and humility required in working in the field of academic publishing.
In her limited spare time, Stephanie likes to spend time with her husband and children, bowl, and crochet and currently has MANY unfinished projects that she will get to…..eventually.
Amy L. Balogh, Ph.D
Editorial Assistant and Gorgias 360 Editor
Amy comes to Gorgias Press with a specialization in Hebrew Bible and its ancient Near Eastern context, and a broad interest in the religious history of the Middle East. She is also Lead Lecturer of the Humanities and Religious Studies at Regis University in Denver, Colorado, and the newest co-host of the podcast Biblical World. For more on Amy’s background and publications, visit her website at www.amylbalogh.com. Outside of work, Amy enjoys hiking with her family, trail running, gardening, learning about nature, and just about anything outdoors.
Melissa Sung
Graphic Designer
Melissa received her BFA from Cornell University, where she concentrated in new media art and minored in game design. She finds her inspiration in stories, nature, and all creatures great and small. In her free time, Melissa collects art supplies, nurtures an interest in philosophy and theology, dabbles in abstract photography, and tries unrelentingly to win her cat's affection. She also designs and sews whimsical plush toys.
Ceren Abi McGreevy Stafford
Gorgias 360 Turkish Language Editorial Associate role
Ceren has a History Ph.D from UCLA. Her research interests include the social and cultural history of the Middle East, especially cultural heritage in times of armed conflict, material and visual culture, and minorities in the Middle East and North Africa. She enjoys visiting museums, cooking, and international literature.
Tabetha Kiraz
Acting HR Manager
Tabetha is in a Master's program in Publishing at Emerson University, Boston.
Jack Tannous, Ph.D.
Honorary Acquisitions Advisor
Jack Tannous was born and raised in Houston, Texas. For his BA, he attended the University of Texas, at Austin, where he majored in Philosophy, Arabic, Middle Eastern Studies and History. After UT, Jack attended Oxford, where he recieved a MPhil in Eastern Christian Studies and represented Gorgias Press at academic conferences in the UK. He did his PhD at Princeton and was a frequent visitor at George and Christine's house, as well as the GP offices in Piscataway; he always loved the people, the books, and of course, Christine's great food. After Princeton, he lived in Washington, DC for two years as a post-doc at Dumbarton Oaks. As part of that post-doc, he taught at George Washington University as well. He is now an assistant professor in the History Department at Princeton and is interested in Late Antique, early Islamic, and Byzantine history in the Near East.
Jack started working for Gorgias not too long after the company was founded. Over the course of nearly a decade, he has been a number of things: an employee, an acquisitions specialist, and a constant emailer of George, but most of all, he has been a big fan.