CVWC Committee

2010 Chattahoochee Valley Writers' Conference Steering Committee
		John Frandsen, President and CVWC Coordinator John is a retired research scientist, professor, and Army officer. A past president of the Alabama Writers' Conclave, John has written two as yet unpublished novels and a number of short stories. "It was while I was serving as leader of the Columbus Chapter of the Georgia Writers' Association that I became aware of the richness and diversity of the Chattahoochee Valley's writing community and became convinced that this community deserves the benefits of hosting a first-rate writers' conference."
		Henry McCoy, Program Coordinator, Columbus Public Library Henry began his career with The Alliance Theatre in entertainment production. With extensive experience in educational programming as well, Henry joined the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library System (CVRLS) in July 2007 as Program Manager and, as such, develops and coordinates programming for the nine libraries within the System. He is an Emmy Award winning producer of educational television; he helped to create and develop dozens of multi-platform media programs for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He has also been involved in entertainment production for Walt Disney World, helping to produce shows such as their annual New Year’s Eve spectaculars, Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance at Disney”, among others. Henry’s experienced also includes the administration of a successful collegiate conference program at Longwood University in Virginia.
		DENNISE BROGDEN, Assistant Secretary-Treasurer, Chair - Publicity
		KENNETH CROOKS, Long Range Planning and Co-Leader Community Relations Ken came to Columbus in 1990 to serve as President and CEO of the local Urban League. He currently serves as Executive Director of One Columbus, a community service organization committed to creating unity and respect within the diverse cultures that exist in the Chattahoochee Valley. Crooks admits he has a kinship with the members and friends of the Inaugural CVWC because of the causes, activities and efforts in which he has been involved.
		DICK McMICHAEL, Member of Community Relations Team, Liaison with Friends of Libraries Born and raised in Columbus, Georgia, where he was educated in public schools, attending Mercer University and graduating from Columbus College - now Columbus State University - Dick McMichael started his broadcast career as a radio announcer when he was 17 at WDAK Radio in Columbus. Over the years he worked - except for two years in the U.S. Army in the mid-fifties - at stations in Columbus, LaGrange, Macon and Atlanta, Georgia and Columbia, South Carolina. He retired as a news anchor at WTVM in 2000, and has since written and published a memoir, The Newsman, authored a number of magazine and newspaper articles, and now writes a blog, dicksworld.wordpress.com. He has one son, four stepsons, and five grandchildren.
		JOANNE MIDDLEBROOKS, Secretary, Co-Leader of Community Relations Jo began writing fiction and poetry in 1996 when she left her position as Resident Costumer at Georgia's Historic State Theatre, the Springer Opera House in Columbus GA. Jo credits her growth as a writer to contact with the talented writers in the Chattahoochee Valley. Her poem, Digging up Jimmy Hoffa, was recently published in the Georgia Poetry Society 2008 edition of The Reach of Song. Her Poem, A Dream of Spring, was published in the Alabama State Poetry Society 2008 edition of The Sampler. Jo is presently working on a novel, Miss Alma Gets Her Hair Done, for publication by Portals Press in New Orleans, Louisiana.
		RON SELF, Vice President/Fund-Raising, Liaison with Georgia Poetry Society Ron is a Columbus lawyer/musician and teaches part-time in the D. A. Turner College of Business at Columbus State University. He hosts an open mic poetry reading at the Columbus Public Library the first Thursday of every month. He is currently president of the Georgia Poetry Society, and his poems have appeared in Atlanta Review, The English Journal, and several state and local anthologies.
		BARBARA LIPE, Publicity
		SUNSHINE KING, Curriculum & Staffing
		DARLENE SCHRAUFNAGEL, Curriculum & Staffing
		NOEL SCHRAUFNAGEL, Curriculum & Staffing
		ELSIE M. AUSTIN, Treasurer Elsie Austin has been a member of the CVWC steering committee since its inception at a Georgia Writers meeting in 2005. She served as registrar for two years and now as treasurer. She is a member of Georgia Poetry Society where one of her poems is included in the annual “Reach of Song 2009” anthology. She’s the author of two screenplays, three novels, short stories and a poetry collection, Volume I, available on CD. She is scheduled to lead a six-week workshop in October 2009 on “The 30 Day Novel” for Columbus State University, Continuing Education.
		COLIN MARTIN, Fundraising - Chair
		SANDRA HALOUSKA, Registrar & Assistant Treasurer, Membership Leader Sandra Halouska graduated from Wesleyan College. A co-owner of a printing shop, she uses idle moments during the day for volunteer duties for CVWC and on genealogical research. She has designed cross-stitched and crocheted angels and a numbering system identifying her exact relationship to every person in her family tree. Sandra tries to devote her free time during the evenings and weekends to writing. Her characters currently run amok on a distant planet with pink skies, two moons and magical creatures.
		Alice Martin, Youth Writing Contest Coordinator Alice retired in June of 2006 after 36 years of teaching, the last 21 of which were spent at Fort Benning schools. At Benning she taught English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in the elementary and middle schools. She also taught at Columbus State University in the Summer Language Institute with students of all ages from our sister city, Kiryu, Japan. Alice has been writing for many years - mostly non-fiction, which includes political essays posted on blogs. She writes and presents song and poem parodies, geared to specific people. Currently, she and a friend are working on a fiction book based on a well-documented, though unfamiliar historical event for middle school students."
		James D. Cummins, Adult Writing Contest Coordinator and Historian Jim is a retired electronics engineer, who has written three mystery novels under the pen name of James Dona. He has also written a dozen short stories, and over sixty memoirs. He is a volunteer teacher of Memoir Writing and of English as a Second Language. Jim is a long-time member of Georgia Writers Association, and served one term as a member of the GWA Board. Jim's website, www.jamesdona.com, displays some of his stories.
		Rachel Williams, Vice President, Chair - Curriculum & Staffing, Chair - Hospitality Rachael Williams teaches English Composition at Columbus State University and is an alumna of the University of Georgia (AB 1996, MA 1998). In 2007, her article "The Imaginary South of Country-Western Music" was published in Postscript. She is currently at work on a textbook research project, and is completing a novel based on her childhood in Franklin, Georgia.
		DON L WILLIAMS, Website Design and Maintenance Don came to Columbus in 1994. He is a retired Naval Officer and currently works as a technical manager for a local company. For fun, Don is a singer/songwriter and musician. He released his first CD of original music entitled "Dry Rain and Other Southern Folk Tales" in May, 2009. Although he doesn't claim to be a "writer", he has sucessfully completed his first attempt in the November National Novel Writing Month online. Don holds degrees in Computer Science and Engineering.