Meet Our Bridges is ClassACT HR73’s way to introduce our classmates and extended community to our Bridge Partners by letting them create awareness of their mission as well as solicit volunteer help and/or donations.

This October, we will feature the Editorial Freelancers Association, an organization which provides scholarships to undergraduates attending an HBCU (historically Black college or university) and HBCU alums attending graduate school. Join EFA's Executive Director Autumn A. Arnett as she touches on the importance of supporting diversity in the publishing industry in the current climate, and why we should be doubling down on, not moving away from, diversity across the board.

AUTUMN A. ARNETT

Executive Director, Editorial Freelancers Association

Autumn A. Arnett (she/her) joined the EFA in 2024 as executive director, partnering with the Board of Directors to implement the Strategic Plan and to define the direction of the organization’s growth and impact in the community. Autumn brings to the EFA notable nonprofit leadership experience, editorial expertise, and a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and belonging. She comes to the EFA from The Brilliance, Excellence & Equity Project, where she was executive director, launching national programs and an annual conference as well as overseeing a professional development initiative to fortify the teaching force. She also managed teams of freelance writers, photographers, and designers as a communications executive at the Texas Public Charter Schools Association and at Concerned Black Men of America and as a publications editor at Women in Higher Ed (Wiley Publishing), Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, U.S. News & World Report, and Education Dive.