About RWA: Board of Directors

Michelle Monkou, President
Term expiration: 10/31/2010

Michelle Monkou has been a member for more than 10 years. Over the years, she served at the chapter level in leadership positions, including president.

Michelle sold her first romance novel to BET Books in 2002; she currently writes under Harlequin's Kimani Romance.

Michelle earned a B.A. in English and M.A. in International Business. Since 1987, she has worked in the legislative arena for a chemical manufacturing company, regional bank and insurance trade associations in Washington, D.C. She resides in Maryland.

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Dorien Kelly, President-Elect
Term expiration: 10/31/2010

First published in 2002, Dorien Kelly is the author of 12 contemporary romance novels and one novella for Harlequin Books and Pocket Books. She has another five releases currently slated with Harlequin Books through 2011. A Golden Heart winner and RITA finalist, Dorien has belonged to RWA for over a decade. She has served five years at the national level--three as a regional director and two as PAN Liaison. Dorien is a graduate of the University of Michigan and of the Detroit College of Law. She gave up the practice of law to embrace her first passion--writing.

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Lorraine Heath, Secretary
Term expiration: 10/31/2011

A RITA-winning, best-selling author of more than 35 published romantic fiction novels (her current publisher is Avon Books and HarperTeen), Lorraine Heath has been a member of RWA since 1993 and a member of the Board—serving as Region 5 Director—for two. As a member of the Board, she served on task forces to study the restructuring of committees, the role of standing committees, and industry changes. She served one year as PAN Chair and two years as liaison to the Strategic Advisory Committee. She has also served two years on the board of Novelists Inc. and seven years at the RWA Chapter level, two years as chapter president.

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Stephanie Feagan, Treasurer
Term expiration: 10/31/2010

Stephanie Feagan, a member since 1995, is a RITA-winning, multipublished author who credits her success to the support, education and networking afforded her by RWA. Currently serving on the RWA Board of Directors as Treasurer, Stephanie is a charter member of The Golden Network, has served as treasurer and conference tour coordinator for Kiss of Death, and is a member of DARA and PASIC. A practicing CPA with over 25 years of experience in auditing and tax planning and compliance, Stephanie is a sole practitioner in Midland, Texas. She and her husband have two daughters.

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Terri Brisbin, Region One Director
Term expiration: 10/31/2010

Two-time RITA finalist and the author of 18 romance novels and novellas, Terri Brisbin is wife to one, mom to three boys, and dental hygienist to hundreds in southern New Jersey, where she lives. After serving as a board member and president of her local chapter and as workshop chairperson for the 2005 RWA conference, she is in her second term as RWA Region 1 Director. Currently under contract with Harlequin Historicals and Kensington Brava, Terri will have several new historical romances—novels, novellas and short e-stories—released in 2008 and 2009.

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Jeanne Pickering Adams, Region One Director
Term expiration: 10/31/2011

The daughter of a librarian and an English teacher, Jeanne Adams loves books and writers. An RWA member since 2001, she’s given back through board or committee service in chapters like The Golden Network, the Kiss of Death Chapter, and Washington (DC) Romance Writers. In 2008-09, Jeanne was invited to Chair the RWA Strategic Advisory Committee, and charged with determining the viability of RWA-sponsored anthologies. A former corporate marketing executive and consultant, Jeanne brings extensive business experience and the mindset of a widely involved, working writer to the board table.

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Ruth Kaufman, Region Two Director
Term expiration: 10/31/2010

Ruth Kaufman joined RWA in 1995. An active member of Chicago-North, Ruth has served as president and secretary, and as PRO liaison for Chick Lit Writers. Current Region 2 Director, she’s on RWA’s PRO Education Committee and has served on the Long Range Planning Committee. She was assistant board liaison to the 2008 Awards Show Committee, and belongs to Hearts through History and FF&P chapters. Five of her manuscripts have placed in a total of 19 contests, including runner up in Dorchester/RT BOOKreview’s national 2006 American Title II. She has written articles for the RWR and presents various workshops, including one at RWA’s National Conference in 2008 on promotion before you sell. An attorney with a master’s in Radio/TV, Ruth quit her sales/marketing day job to write and act full time. To learn more, visit www.ruthjkaufman.com.

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Cindy Kirk, Region Two Director
Term expiration: 10/31/2011

Cynthia Rutledge/Cindy Kirk joined RWA in 1996. Her first sale came in 1999 to Steeple Hill. After selling 14 books to Love Inspired and Silhouette Romance, in 2005 Cindy began writing for Avon and Silhouette Special Edition under her Cindy Kirk pseudonym. This year, three new Special Editions by Cindy Kirk will hit the shelves.

She is a co-founder and former President of Nebraska Romance Writers, two-term President of Romance Authors of the Heartland. She maintains membership in chapters all across the country including Heartland Writers Group, Prairieland Romance Writers, Maine Romance Writers, GSRWA, PASIC, FHL and KOD. 

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Trish Milburn, Region Three Director
Term expiration: 10/31/2011

Trish Milburn is two-time Golden Heart winner. After 11 years of submitting, she made her first sale to Razorbill, a young adult imprint of Penguin, in July 2007. Since then, she’s sold a total of two books to Razorbill and four to Harlequin American.

Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Trish worked as a journalist. She currently uses her editorial skills in the post of board liaison to the Romance Writers Report, working with the staff to continually improve the content of the RWR. She served as RWA PRO Liaison in 2006-2007 and is currently serving as Region 3 Director. 

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Sara Reinke, Region Three Director

Sara Reinke joined Louisville Romance Writers (LRW) in 2005 and served as president-elect in 2007 and president in 2008. An award-winning journalist, Reinke has two novel-length romance fiction titles available from Kensington Publishing’s Zebra Books imprint, Dark Thirst and Dark Hunger. In 2008, Romantic Times hailed her as “definitely an author to watch.”

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Terri Reed, Region Four Director
Term expiration: 10/31/2010

At an early age, Terri Reed discovered the wonderful world of fiction and declared she would one day write a book. She joined RWA in 1993 and now is fulfilling her dream by writing for Steeple Hill. Her first book was a June 2004 release. Her second book, A Sheltering Love was a 2006 RITA Award finalist and a 2005 National Reader’s Choice Award finalist. Her book Strictly Confidential, book five of the Faith at the Crossroads continuity series, took third place in the 2007 Book of The Year Award. Her book Her Christmas Protector was a finalist in the 2008 Book of the Year contest. She is an active member of Romance Writers of America, having served one two-year term as Region Four director at the national level, contest judge for the RITA and the Golden Heart contests and chapter vice-president, chapter contest coordinator and chapter board liaison for her local RWA Chapter.

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Maggi Landry, Region Four Director
Term expiration: 10/31/2011

A 15-year member of Romance Writers of America and current Region 4 Director, Maggi Landry helped found The Heart of Denver Romance Writers where she is a four-time president. She has coordinated The Molly contest for unpublished writers several times. She also belongs to The Kiss of Death chapter and has earned RWA PRO member status. Maggi has also frequently volunteered at the RWA national conference. A former bookstore owner and registered locksmith/security technician, Maggi has worked in business for thirty years and been a field manager for over seven years.

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Sharon Kay Sala, Region Five Director
Term expiration: 10/31/2010

Sharon Sala is a long-time member of RWA, as well as a member of OKRWA. She has 76-plus books in print, written as Sharon Sala and Dinah McCall. First published in 1991, she’s a five-time RITA finalist, winner of the Janet Dailey Award, four-time Career Achievement winner from RT Magazine, National Reader’s Choice Award, and Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence winners five times each. Her books are New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, WaldenBooks mass-market best sellers. Writing changed her life, her world, and her fate.

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Vicki Lewis Thompson, Region Five Director
Term expiration: 10/31/2011

New York Times best-selling author Vicki Lewis Thompson has published more than 100 romances for Harlequin, Dell, St. Martin’s Press, and New American Library. She’s an eight-time RITA nominee and received the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. A member of RWA since 1982 and a published author since 1983, she served on the local level as chapter president and on the national level as a member of the PAN Steering Committee. She also served three years on the board of Novelists, Inc., holding the positions of newsletter editor, president-elect, and president

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Sylvia Day, Region Six Director
Term expiration: 10/31/2010

Sylvia Day is the national best-selling, award-winning author of more than a dozen novels written across multiple subgenres under multiple pen names: three!  In addition, she has written numerous novellas and short stories for both print and electronic-original release.  Her work has been honored with the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice award, the EPPIE award, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and multiple nominations for RWA’s RITA® Award of Excellence.
 
Sylvia co-founded Passionate Ink, RWA’s first and only erotic romance special interest chapter, in 2005 and served as its inaugural president.  She is a member of OCC RWA, San Diego RWA, RWA Online, Kiss of Death, YA RWA, Passionate Ink, and PASIC.

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Julie Hurwitz, Region Six Director
Term expiration: 10/31/2011

An RWA member since 1988, Julie Hurwitz belongs to the Orange County and Los Angeles chapters. She has volunteered extensively on the local and national levels.

Serving as ChapLink Advisor inspired Julie to run for Chapter Liaison in 2005. After two years in that position, she was elected Region 6 Director in 2007. On the national board she has served as liaison to the Bylaws and Communications committees and on task forces including Business Education and Chapters.

With her degree from Indiana University, Julie has worked in the television industry for 20 years. She is currently writing an erotic romance. 

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Sharon Sobel, Chapter Liaison
Term expiration: 10/31/2011

Currently RWA Chapter Liaison, Sharon came to the position with experience as president of The Beau Monde and a founding member and treasurer of CoLoNY. She volunteered at National since 1996, and served on the Academic Grant Committee.

Published by both large and small houses – NAL/Signet, Lionhearted, Wild Rose Press, and ImaJinn – Sharon offers balanced perspectives on the publishing experience, and continue to advocate for authors’ rights.

She is a professor of writing and literature at a small college, where she's chaired the Connecticut Writers’ Conference, work with aspiring writers, and convinced academics to welcome romance writers into their precincts. 

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Cynthia D'Alba, PRO Liaison
Term expiration: 10/31/2011

Since joining RWA in 2005, Cynthia's pursued her dream of being a published author. In 2007, she achieved PRO designation. She was the founding president for Diamond State Romance Authors. Cynthia's continued to serve DSRA as newsletter editor and treasurer, and established the ongoing goals and accomplishments program. Through active and past memberships in DSRA, STAR, DARA, FTHRW, Elements of RWA, RWI, KOD and RWA Online, she has built relationships with writers worldwide. As a former clinical director for a medical college and assistant dean of a college of business, she have extensive experience working with diverse communities, budgets and boards of directors. 

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