LVW Current Board Members
The League is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors elected from the active membership. Officers and board members are elected at the LVW annual meeting in January. Board members serve one year terms for a maximum of three consecutive terms in a single position. They may be elected to serve in other offices. If you are interested in serving on the board, please contact a board member, new minds mean new ideas!
The following slate of officers and members was elected in January, 2007:
- President: Pat Goudey O'Brien pgo@warrenslittle.com
started out in publishing working in the college book editorial department of Prentice-Hall, Inc., full-time and freelance from 1971 to 1978. She has been writing professionally for newspapers and book publishers since 1981, has written magazine articles and profiles for the All American Crafts group of publications, and has been managing editor of community newspapers in Massachusetts and Vermont. She is the author of The Unofficial Guide to Beating Stress, published by John Wiley & Sons, and she is co-author with Marie Tedford of The Official Price Guide to Collecting Books (currently working on the sixth edition), published by Random House. Pat edited and published The Carnie Kid Tells All, by Ilan Fisher, released through her own imprint, The Tamarac Press. Pat is now a full-time freelance writer and book consultant.
- Vice-President: Sharon Faelten netleaf@verizon.net
is a former editor and writer for Rodale, Inc. She authored The Allergy Self-Help Book (1982), which sold more than 600,000 copies, and she edited more than 75 books on health, nutrition, and fitness. Faelten is a contributing writer for the Champlain Business Journal; she covers the ski industry, outdoor recreation, tourism, and Vermont personalities of interest.
- Treasurer: Phyllis Houle houlephyllis@yahoo.com
holds a day job including editing and publishing a monthly newsletter. She is a former coordinator for the League's Reader Service, and is happy to serve the League once again. Phyllis Houle writes nonfiction articles for Vermont newspapers.
- Secretary:
Katherine Quimby Johnson kmquimby@sover.net
who writes for children as Katherine M. Quimby, is a full-time freelance writer and editor. Her areas of interest include the arts, the environment, and education. Her work has appeared in Vermont Magazine, Vermont Life, and Vermont Quarterly, several local newspapers, and in the publications of non-profit organizations. A poet and novelist, with one video documentary to her credit, Kathy also offers workshops for children in writing rhythmic poetry and in crafting trickster tales.
- Past President: MaryAnn DiSpirito Wales anniewales@gmavt.net
has been a member of the League of Vermont Writers since 1981. Her most recent publishing credits include three books, five short stories, over 250 photographs and more than a thousand articles in local, regional and national publications. Prior to moving to Vermont, she was a journalist in California and Illinois. She also worked as an editorial assistant and copy editor for the medical journals Pediatrics and Pediatrics in Review. "Annie" has previously served on the LVW board as Director-at-Large, Secretary, and Vice-President.
- Development: Paula Diaco paulaannie@comcast.net
- Newsletter Editor: Phyllis Houle houlephyllis@yahoo.com
- Membership: Tommy Walz twalz@aol.com
writes short essays, poetry, and gags for magazine cartoonists. His poetry has appeared in literary magazines; the short humor and gags in a range of magazines from Boy's Life to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
- Publicity: Deb Fennell fennell@pshift.com
has a day job where she is fortunate enough to be able to swim in the summer and ski in the winter, as well as do a fair amount of work-related writing. Her first professional submission was a short piece for Ski magazine in the 1970s. When she turned 50 she decided to join the League of Vermont Writers and devote more time to writing. Since then she has written articles on sports, business and community organizations for local Vermont papers. She is also working on two middle-grade children's books.
- Critique Service: Helen Gow bridges1@gmavt.net
- Linda Bland
- Librarian: Phyllis Deming bding@verizon.net
The board is always grateful for extra hands. If you can help with one of the four yearly member meetings, the Burlington Book Festival each fall, and occasional publishing projects, we'd love to hear from you!
Please contact a board member if you can donate your time and/or expertise. An active membership makes the LVW a better organization.
