Allan J. Stypeck is the President of Second Story Books, Inc., the Washington, DC area’s largest used-and-rare bookstore, named “Best Used Bookstore” by Washingtonian Magazine and “One of 10 Best Used Bookstores in the U.S” byUSA Today. Second Story Books, Inc. has two locations: 2000 P St., NW, Washington, DC 20036 and 12160 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 20852.

Mr. Stypeck graduated in 1972 from the American University School of Government and International Service in Washington, D.C. with a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Political Science.
He is a Senior Member of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), accredited in Books and Manuscripts; member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), the American Booksellers Association (ABA), the Universal Autograph Collector’s Club (UACC), the International Autograph Collector’s Club (IACC) and The Manuscript Society.

Mr. Stypeck serves as an expert witness in all judicial court systems, both federal and state. He has worked on criminal and civil cases with the FBI, U.S. Post Office Inspector General, Library of Congress, the Inspector General of the State of Connecticut and has worked with the police and judicial systems of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Judith Welles is a writer who has authored local history books about the area in which she lives. A former journalist, Judy was a reporter for newspapers in Poughkeepsie, New York, and in Arlington, Virginia and a work life editor for online media in Washington, D.C. She was a columnist and blogger for a technology magazine. She was also a media relations manager and speechwriter for U.S. Cabinet members and several federal agencies before returning to manage communications at Price Waterhouse Coopers and IBM. Judy has volunteered at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and served on the board of the C&O Canal Trust. She is a speaker on local history for the Montgomery County historical society in Maryland. Her first book, Cabin John: Legends and Life of an Uncommon Place, was published in 2008 and her most recent book, Potomac, was published in 2019.

Julie Martin is an Economic Development Specialist with the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, a public-private corporation funded by Montgomery County, She concentrates her work in the life sciences industry, helping companies move to and grow in Montgomery County, with a particular focus on international business development. Julie brings 20 years of commercial facing experience across government, private industry and the not-for-profit the U.S., she is adept at forging market entry opportunities, promoting entrepreneurship and developing strategy. Julie helped to coordinate a partnership with the Maryland Tech Council’s Bio Innovation Conference to recruit 70 international company participants. She was a board member for a South African not-for-profit focused on elementary school education for disadvantaged girls. She holds a Master’s degree in International Development.