Meet Our Team

Earline Connolly is the Principal and Author at Cypress & Pine Publishing. Earline was born in Savannah, Georgia but has been in Texas long enough to be called a native. Earline is married and the mother of Maegan Connolly, Illustrator. She is a graduate of The Art Institute of Dallas and co-labored with the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and the Belo Corporation on the A World of Difference Multicultural Awareness Campaign. She oversees the day-to-day activities of Cypress & Pine Publishing, including writing, editing, art directing, and managing the business. She believes if we educate our children at an early age about the injustices of our history that they will recognize the importance of not repeating these injustices in their future. Earline is the Author of Annie’s Quilt Story, Officer Burke, and E.J and His Amazing Extraordinary, Exceptional, Ever-Expanding Afro, Black-Eyed Susan and the Field of Wildflowers, and several other children’s books to come.

Meet Earline

Maegan Connolly is the ultimate art geek and she is all things art and design. She is a native Texan and the daughter of Earline Connolly, Author. Maegan is a graduate of the Young Women’s Leadership Academy where she received a perfect score of 5 out of 5 in her AP 3D Art Class during her Senior year under the tutelage of Amber Bailey. Along with top honors from the Texas Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) competition from the Texas Art Education Association. Maegan is a graphic designer and an aspiring animator. She serves as Art Director, Cover Design, Illustrator, and Graphic Designer for Cypress & Pine Publishing. She illustrated the book Annie’s Quilt Story and co-illustrated Officer Burke and E.J. and His Amazing Extraordinary, Exceptional, Ever-Expanding Afro. She enjoys gaming and anything hands-on creative and plays the ukulele and crochets in her spare time.

Meet Maegan

Karen Deibert is a native Texan and mother of three. Karen is a retired career educator who graduated from East Texas State University with a Bachelor’s degree in English, Spanish, Secondary Education and studied Black Literature under Dr. J. Mason Brewer. She went on to become certified in ESL and Bilingual Education at Texas Wesleyan University and then continued her studies at Texas Women’s University for her Elementary and Early Childhood Certification. She also received her Special Education Certification from Tarleton State University. Karen is acting Editor-in-Chief for Cypress & Pine Publishing.

Meet Karen

Jenny Cypher, a married mother of two adult children, has lived in Texas with her family for over 20 years. Having been raised in New Hampshire, Jenny attended Syracuse University and later the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, majoring in Fashion Illustration. At this time, Jenny committed her life to Jesus Christ, which changed the course of her studies toward Bible college, and finally to a major in Elementary Education. During her corporate career, Jenny has served in various roles as an administrator. After taking time to raise and home educate both of her children, Jenny returned to the workforce and now brings her years of administrative experience to Cypress & Pine Publishing as the Office Administrator and Resource Coordinator. Jenny believes that readers of all generations can be inspired by quality literature that combines history and culture with visual creativity and compelling storytelling. In her spare time, Jenny enjoys biking and canoeing with her husband, crocheting, nature journaling, and photography.

Meet Jenny

Ren’e Higdon believes the world will be dark without art. She lives for all things creative. Ren’e was born and raised in northern Colorado and resides in Texas with her husband Davin. She is a graphic designer, logo designer, and branding designer. Ren’e serves as Social Media Coordinator as well as co-illustrator of Cypress & Pine Publishing’s book, Officer Burke. She loves the diversity in culture and storytelling. She enjoys modeling, music, and partaking in a variety of creative outlets in her spare time. Her love for children helps inspire her passion for illustrating children’s books.

Meet Ren’e

Our company is ever-expanding, and as the business expands so will our team. Maybe you could be the next member of our Cypress & Pine team family!