EFA: Board Members

With the exception of the office manager, EFA is run entirely by volunteers. The board of governors oversees EFA's operations and keeps the membership informed of important developments within the association. The co-executives manage the day-to-day business of running EFA. The committee chairs handle the day-to-day business of the various activities sponsored by EFA. The members at large help set policy at EFA Board meetings. They also serve as representatives of EFA, providing outreach to new and potential members. Often, members at large serve on one or more committees.

Board of Governors

Co-executive, Margaret L. Moser

Margaret trained in the parallel universes of theater and the law in her native Michigan before unexpectedly landing on Wall Street in the 1990s. Happily, she eventually came to her senses and switched gears to become a full-time freelance writer/editor. More happily still, the EFA was there to help in her transition with both job opportunities and collegial support. She has been co-leader of its New Freelancers' Affinity Group since 2004 and was a board member at large, also serving on the EFA's Executive Committee, for the 2005 and 2006 terms. As co-executive director, Margaret looks forward to welcoming more freelancers of every stripe as they navigate the often murky, but ultimately rewarding, waters of working on one's own. (Perhaps she could get some metaphor assistance in return.) A vibrant, growing organization depends on a magical mix of old hands and new blood — and the input of the membership is vital to that elixir.

Co-executive, J. P. Partland

J. P. Partland started freelancing in college. The idea was to eventually land a staff position at something or other somewhere or other. This led to more freelancing. He ran a magazine for five years — as a freelancer. He got in on the ground floor of the Internet revolution — as a freelancer. He was a copywriter for Revlon — as a freelancer. When he finally landed a staff position at an internet startup, he was also editing a book, as a freelancer, and writing articles for other publications. Naturally, the staff position occurred months before the Internet bubble burst and he was back to freelancing. Along the way, clips and jobs piled up. He has checked facts and written for more than sixty publications (newspapers, magazines, you name it), promotional copy, quiz questions, booklets, and three books. He's still working at all of these. J. P. joined the EFA in 1998, was elected to the board sometime thereafter, and has served as a co-executive director since 2001.

Secretary, Pat Molholt

Pat Molholt is a recent member of EFA, and relatively new to freelance work. Her career was spent in the academic world, concluding as Associate Vice President and Associate Dean at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Her first career was as a librarian and co-developer of the Art and Architecture Thesaurus (Oxford University Press, 1994). She always straddled the multiple worlds of arts and humanities and science and technology. Throughout her various careers she loved helping colleagues with grant proposals and journal articles, providing advice and editing. Upon retirement she decided to do editing on a more formal basis. The job ads sent out by the EFA have been helpful in getting started as have the new colleagues she met in the Upper Hudson chapter.

Treasurer, Robert B. Boardman

Bob joined EFA at the beginning of 2009, following a professional career that included information technology, truck driving, distribution management, and corporate strategic planning. Writing and editing are major components of each of these professions: IT jobs are 90% communication, because English spoken by geeks is quite different from that spoken by their customers. Professional drivers have to keep logs, which are always an exercise in creative writing. Management of distribution is a continual process of educating warehouse managers, production managers, sales executives, and customers. And strategic planning is 100% communication. Bob has served: as treasurer for a non-profit organization and for a U.S. Congress campaign; as internal auditor for a railroad; and on the finance committee for a private school (K-12) and for a hiking club. He lives in Kelso, Washington, and chairs the Membership Committee of the Mt. St. Helens Club.

Chapter Development, Kristine Hunt

Kristine Hunt has been a freelance copy editor and proofreader since 2001. Though she has been known to edit such diverse things as bookstore catalogs, master's degree theses, and television show proposals, her heart belongs to scholarly book editing. Kristine truly enjoys helping professors make their complicated thoughts read more clearly and concisely. After living in California and New York, Kristine is now enjoying living in an Idaho college town. She has begun to pursue a second bachelor's degree, in history, having completed one in English in 1993. Kristine joined the EFA in 2007. Since then she has come to deeply appreciate all that the EFA has to offer, and in 2009 volunteered to become the Chapter Development chair — merging her interests in supporting her colleagues and working with small social groups. In her spare time, Kristine is learning all about the flora and fauna of the Intermountain West with her husband and two young children.

Education, Jennifer Maybin

Jennifer Maybin has been a medical writer and editor for more than 30 years and owner of her own medical communications company since 2004, when she was abruptly given the chance to run her own business by a former employer (ie, she was laid off). The chance proved to be a positive change, and she has not looked back since starting Maybin Healthcare Communications, LLC. Jen writes and edits medical marketing copy and educational programs for pharmaceutical companies, med comms, and medical and nursing publishers. She also serves as executive editor of CareManagement journal. Current areas of interest are specialty pharmacy and new models of care such as accountable care organizations and patient-centered medical homes. She has been a member of EFA for more than 5 years and is also a member of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) where she will serve as President of the Delaware Valley Chapter (DVC) for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. She has been the Chair/Co-Chair of the AMWA-DVC Freelance Workshop for 4 years and is delighted to take on the role of Education Chair for EFA. Jen is a certified Editor in the Life Sciences (ESL), has a master's degree in writing, and has been an adjunct instructor of English at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, New Jersey, where she lives. She is blessed with one husband, four daughters, two beautiful granddaughters, and two cats. All that's missing is the Jack Russell terrier she's trying to convince her husband to allow her to bring home.

Job List, Sheila Buff

Sheila Buff began freelancing in 1981 and joined EFA soon after. She has been a member of the EFA board of governors for more than twenty years and served as co-executive director from 1995 to 2001. She was Job List chair from 2001 to 2005, took 2006 off, and came back in 2007. She is also the founder of the EFA discussion list. A writer, co-author, and ghostwriter specializing in health, nutrition, and consumer-oriented medicine, Sheila is the author of six national bestsellers. Her other writing and personal interests include birding, natural history, gardening, and the outdoors. She lives in the small town of Milan in the beautiful mid-Hudson Valley with her husband Joe, a novelist, and their dog Daphne. She is an honors graduate of Washington Square College at New York University, where she was a University Scholar and received the Alfred Bush Baer Award as outstanding English major of her class.

Membership, Cassie Tuttle

Cassie has been a full-time freelance copyeditor and proofreader and a member of EFA since 2007. Prior to becoming a freelancer, Cassie worked as a paralegal for twenty-six years, where she counted proofreading and editing among her many and varied tasks. In 1999, Cassie began volunteering as an ESL tutor with the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council and fully realized her passion for the English language (and teaching). Leaving behind the corporate grind and transitioning to full-time copyediting and proofreading felt as natural as the rain that falls. Cassie specializes in law projects; her clients include legal publishers, academic presses, law firms, and individuals. Cassie lives in her hometown of Pittsburgh, is an animal lover and a Steelers fan, and enjoys traveling, film, art, pop culture, and cooking.

Newsletter, Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter (www.writerruth.com "I can write about anything!"™) has been a successful freelance writer/editor for 25+ years, honing her career in St. Louis, MO; Washington, DC; & Baltimore, MD. She joined EFA in 2003 and is EFA's Rochester, NY, chapter coordinator; chaired & spoke at EFA's 2005 national conference; developed & presents workshops on "Getting Started in Editorial Freelancing" and other topics; wrote "Freelancing 101: Launching Your Editorial Business" for EFA; has helped with the JobList; edits the EFA newsletter; and hopes to help EFA offer more conferences in the future. "I'm active in the EFA because I believe in networking and in being more than a checkbook member. Being visibly involved yields wonderful results; not just new jobs or projects, but new skills and lasting friendships among members."

Publications, Barbara Magalnick

A freelance writer and editor for more than twenty-five years, Barbara is the author of English by Television, English Reader, Safe Conduct, Social Media: the New Revolution in Communication, and Brush Up Your English, among others, as well as articles and textbook contributions. After working as an editor at several major publishing houses, she became a freelancer. She’s also an Instructor for UC Berkeley’s online grammar course, which is part of their editor certificate program. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a member of Authors Guild and a trustee of the Carnegie Fund for Authors. Look for her at http://www.barbaramagalnick.com/ in addition to all the usual online spots such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. She blogs at http://barbaraspen.blogspot.com.

Website, Karen L. Wallace

Karen Wallace majored in political science and Spanish and began her professional life as a bilingual claims representative with the Social Security Administration in Brooklyn. After a year of business school, she changed direction and obtained a PhD in linguistics -- with concentrations in experimental phonetics and computational linguistics -- from New York University. As a research assistant and professor, she edited many academic journal articles written by native and non-native speakers of English. While her two sons were in elementary school, she concentrated on volunteer work that involved editing, project management, teaching, and web design. She reentered the workforce in 2009 as a freelance editor and soon joined the EFA, which has been a valuable source of inspiration and guidance. Over the past three years, she has edited website content, technical documentation, and academic materials, taught college classes, and worked as a linguistics consultant. In her spare time, she reads fiction, practices fiber crafts that range from common to archaic, and learns computer applications.

Members at Large

Scott Parker Bogue

Scott Bogue has been an EFA member since 2002, and became a member at large and coordinator of the North Carolina chapter in 2007. He sees EFA as a place where freelancers can both give and receive through networking, assistance from colleagues, social contact, and opportunities to help others. His interest in continuing as MAL comes from a dual desire: to help EFA grow, and to help bring more value to members as the board explores, selects, and develops programs, information, lines of communication, and other initiatives. Scott has been a freelance technical editor and writer of training materials, work instructions, marketing materials, and related publications since 1996, after more than twenty-three years as a full-time employee in manufacturing. That background has provided him with a business perspective that he hopes is helpful to the EFA. Raised in New Jersey, Scott has called North Carolina home since 1979.

Maria M. Boyer

Maria M. Boyer grew up and lives just 16 miles from the TMI nuclear power plant in Central Pennsylvania. She credits TV coverage of the accident in 1979 as drawing her into the field of Communications. A graduate of a small liberal arts college, she spent the first 14 years of her career working full time as a publications designer, public relations manager, and finally as a magazine editor for Pennsylvania's affiliate to the American Medical Association. In 1997, changing family needs led her to start her own freelance editing and proofing business, and in 2011, she filed her fourteenth Schedule C with the IRS. She specializes in political and religious publications. Though a latecomer to EFA — Maria is now in her second year of membership — she is excited to serve EFA as a board member at large.

Amy Fass

An EFA member since 1994 and a board member since 2000, Amy Fass is a medical and science editor. She is the board's unofficial insurance liaison and coordinated the effort to find replacement health insurance when CIGNA ended coverage through associations in New York State. She lives in Manhattan.

Kimberly Gonzalez

Kimberly is a freelance writer and editor with over fifteen years of experience in publishing. Fiction is her primary focus, particularly science fiction, fantasy, and short fiction. Her writing has appeared in college literary journals, adoption newsletters and blogs, child care newsletters, and A Cup of Comfort for Adoptive Families. She began freelancing as a proofreader in 1998, and has been an EFA member since 2005. In 2010, she joined EFA’s Twitter Team. She facilitated the first Freelance Fridays #EFAChat on Twitter in June 2011. Being a bit of a social media geek, she has a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter (and more), and blogs at kimberlycreates.com. She lives in a rural village near Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, two daughters, and a cat.

Amy R. Rose

Amy Robin Rose is a freelance writer, editor, instructional designer, and facilitator who lives in Detroit. In an earlier life, Amy earned her PhD in classical studies and taught at the college level for eight years. She has been an independent contractor since 1991, designing, developing, and delivering employee training programs for both corporate and nonprofit clients. Lately she has returned to editing almost full-time, thanks to a wonderful job she landed through the EFA's job list. A member of EFA since 1991, Amy decided it was time to give back to this great organization. Somehow, among paid and other volunteer work, she will glean time to serve as a member-at-large on the EFA board. When she's not working, look for her at the Detroit Zoo, where she serves as a docent, or otherwise outside gardening, hiking, and enjoying the natural world.

In memoriam: Trudy Balch

The EFA regrets to announce the passing of long-time member Trudy Balch on November 1, 2010. Trudy was an indispensable member of our organization, and we are especially grateful to have benefited from her service as a board member, executive committee member, and secretary — elected posts she filled with honor, humor, intelligence, and diligence. She made a living writing, translating, and editing, with a particular specialty in Ladino. And her bigheartedness toward newcomers and fellow freelancers in general truly set her apart. Trudy showed courage, grace, and a generosity of spirit that were an inspiration to us all. We at the EFA will miss her very, very much.

In memoriam: Jesse Weissman

Jesse A. Weissman The EFA is sad to announce that chapter coordinator Jesse Weissman passed away on Thursday, April 16, 2009. Jesse was a long-time and much valued member of our organization. He initiated the very successful chapter development program in 1997 and did service as a hard-working member at large and as EFA treasurer as well. A proofreader by trade, Jesse will be remembered as a kind and sensitive man who was devoted to his wife Sue-Ellen. His gravelly voice, his gentle demeanor, his service, and his heartfelt signature line, "may you succeed in all your endeavors," will be sorely missed by all of us at EFA.

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