Melina Gerosa Bellows is editor in chief of National Geographic Kids, the award-winning, multitopic magazine geared to 6- to 14-year-olds. Since taking over the magazine (formerly known as National Geographic World) in May 2000, Bellows has redesigned and relaunched the publication, increasing circulation from 700,000 to 1.275 million and increasing sales from $11 million to $22 million since 2003.



Before joining National Geographic, Bellows was a senior editor at Ladies' Home Journal magazine, where she wrote and negotiated the monthly celebrity cover stories. Her subjects included Oprah Winfrey, Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster and Michelle Pfeiffer, among others. Bellows has also been a staff writer for Entertainment Weekly and Premiere magazines, and has freelanced for The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Family Life, Elle and The Washingtonian.



Bellows is the author of "The Fun Book" (Simon & Schuster, 2000), "The Fun Book for Couples (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2003) and the upcoming novel "Wish" (New American Library, 2005).



Bellows holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston College.



She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband Keith Bellows, editor in chief of National Geographic Traveler magazine.