cb4k Board
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
Advisory Board
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
The CB4K advisory Board. Where the real magic happens. The creative team behind the programs and future ideas all start and end here.
The People Behind the Mission
ComicBooks For Kids! runs on the time, heart, and hands-on work of a small team who believe a good story shouldn't be out of reach just because someone's having a hard day. Get to know the people making it happen — below.
ABout Mark Weiss
Mark is the founder and President of ComicBooks For Kids! Mark spent much of his career in IT working for Fortune 100 companies but his passion was always sharing his love of comics and the industry with others.
Mark spends his day working with publishers, retailers, donors as well as hospitals, social groups and members of the armed forces. The goal is simple-Insure that comic books and other pop culture items can make a difference for many.
ABout Michelle (meesh) Weiss
Michelle is the Executive Vice President and a Co-Founder of ComicBooks For Kids! Michelle is often the front line in working with everyone when they reach out through any social media platform. Michelle is also the executive working closely with the Advisory Board connecting visionary plans with the tactical initiatives that the Advisory Board develops.
Oh, and ask Art Baltazar about Meesh.
ABout adam conley
Adam Conley is Vice President of Heroes & Fantasies, a San Antonio pop-culture institution founded by his father, Rich Conley, in 1987. Having grown up in the business, Adam spent his childhood helping in the stores before eventually taking on a leadership role and helping shape the company's continued growth. A highlight of his career has been helping bring to life and operate Heroes & Fantasies' flagship location—an expansive, more than 26,000-square-foot destination for comics, toys, games, and collectibles that ranks among the largest stores of its kind in the country. He also co-founded ComicBooks For Kids!, transforming a shared passion for comics and an unmet need in children's hospitals into a mission to bring comics to hospitalized kids. Today, Adam's focus extends beyond growing Heroes & Fantasies to strengthening the community surrounding it—creating a place where fans can connect, families can share their passions across generations, creators can engage directly with their audiences, and the worlds of comics, gaming, collectibles, and pop culture can bring people together. His goal is to carry forward the legacy that began in 1987 while ensuring Heroes & Fantasies continues to evolve, inspire new generations of fans, and remain an important part of San Antonio for decades to come.
ABout dominic padula
Dominic Padula leads the Advisory Board for Comicbooks For Kids. He first connected with the charity at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) in 2025. He worked with the educational business development organization DECA/Collegiate DECA through high school and college and stayed on as an alumni board member for five years after graduating college. Dominic’s goal is to build the Advisory Board with members who share his passion for helping kids in need. He aims to help build programs to spread awareness of the charity both inside and outside the comic industry.
He owns and operates the media property Hear tAs Art where he reports on and conducts interviews from the worlds of pro wrestling, video games, and comic/anime conventions.When not working with CB4K you can find him attending concerts, shopping for CDs and vinyl records, playing video games, reading comics, or hanging at a local wrestling show as part of the Warrior Wrestling team.
ABout Spencer Simpson
Spencer Simpson is a publishing professional with over twenty years of experience in the industry. He worked in bookstores during college and joined the corporate office of Books-A-Million in 2009, followed by becoming a Buyer for American Wholesale Book Company in 2011. Spencer managed the graphic novel and comics categories for over 250 stores, founding the Fried Pie Comics variant program and convention. In 2018, he joined the team at BOOM! Studios as the Manager and then later, Director of Sales before working at DC Comics, overseeing Sales and Marketing initiatives. He is currently the VP of Marketing & Sales at Oni Press. He lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, daughter, dog, and cat.
ABout art baltazar
ART BALTAZAR is a Famous Cartoonist from the heart of Chicago and is the creative force behind The New York Times Best Selling, Eisner Award Winning DC Comics' TINY TITANS, artist of the DC SUPER-PETS book series, Artist/Co-Writer for the awesome TINY TITANS/Little ARCHIE crossover, SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES, SUPER POWERS, ARKHAMANIACS and Itty Bitty HELLBOY! Art is co-founder of AW YEAH COMICS comic shops. He is the creator of the BIG ALIEN MOON CRUSH, GILLBERT the Little Merman, DREW and JOT, POWERS IN ACTION, ABRAHAM LINKAGE, WEBSTER THE SPIDER MONKEY, and the new YAHGZ graphic novel series. Latest projects include FLASH GORDON Adventures and Dr. Suess CAT in the HAT! Aw Yeah living the dream! Artie stays home and draws comics and never has to leave the house! He lives with his lovely wife, Rose, sons Sonny and Gordon, and daughter Audrey! AW YEAH MAN! Visit: www.artbaltazar.com
ABout David Rodriguez
David is a 20-year veteran of the video game industry and currently serves as an Associate Narrative Director and writer at Blizzard Entertainment. He has published novels and graphic novels, including the award-winning, all-ages series Finding Gossamyr. He is currently working on the critically acclaimed 𝑫𝒊𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒐 𝑰𝑽 franchise.
A native of South Chicago, he graduated with a B.F.A. in Musical Theater from Rockford University and continues his quest to add musical numbers to all his projects. Over his career, he has worked on the Transformers: War for Cybertron franchise and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 and written comics like M.A.S.K, Rising Sun and Hasbro's: First Strike. He has also been lucky enough to combine his love of comics and games while writing for epic franchises such as Skylanders and Destiny 2. Most recently, David served as Narrative Lead on the Vessel of Hatred expansion for Diablo IV and launched a new creator-owned series, BattleMex.