Roda Ahmed is a New York Times bestselling publisher and author of the beloved children’s book Mae Among the Stars, (HarperCollins) about the first African American woman in space  Dr. Mae Jemison that’s now in its 24th printing. 

Roda is the founder and CEO of HighTree Publishing. She has authored more than 17 books for children and continues to help authors and illustrators make their publishing dreams come true. Roda was born in Somalia and grew up in Norway. A graduate in Anthropology from the Norwegian University of Technology and Natural Sciences, and wrote her first novel and bestseller at the age of 23 and became the first African immigrant girl to ever write a fiction novel in Norway. She can speak five languages: Somali, Arabic, Norwegian, English, and French. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.