Information about board positions, the election calendar, and when and how to submit nominations and candidate statements for the 2020-2021 election will be sent to members in good standing by email and is posted in the News&Blog.

Below are sample candidate statements from past election years.

Co-executive

William P. Keenan Jr. Bill has spent most of his career in the publishing industry and has been a full-time freelancer since 2003. Before that he served as managing editor of Sales & Marketing Management magazine, editor of Selling magazine, and editorial director for Alexander Communications, a newsletter publisher. As a freelance writer and editor he has focused on business writing, specializing in writing about sales, marketing, customer service, business management, and business strategy. Bill has been an EFA member since 2004 and previously served on its board of governors as a Member at Large and as Membership chairperson. He was elected as one of EFA’s co-executives in 2013 and hopes to continue to serve EFA’s members through one more term.

Secretary

Judith Miller, Ph.D., is a freelance developmental editor (www.JEMEditing.com) specializing in higher education. Her editorial credits include Teaching Naked: How Moving Technology out of Your College Classroom Will Improve Student Learning by Jose Antonio Bowen; four volumes of the annual journal of the POD Network in Higher Education, To Improve the Academy; and numerous journal articles, dissertations, and tenure/promotion documents. Her editorial skills are based on a broad and deep base of experience in higher education. In a career spanning 38 years, she has been a faculty member, faculty developer, associate dean, and assessment professional. She has won three major teaching awards, secured grants to support research in both biology and education, and made dozens of professional presentations. Judy has served as Secretary Pro Tem for the EFA Board of Governors since January 2016.

Members at Large

Naomi Burns
After an unenthusiastic start to a career in HR, Naomi Burns decided to follow her lifelong passion for books through publishing. Dropping everything, she enjoyed an internship at a small press in Wilmington, N.C., before taking a job in the editorial production department at a midsized publisher in D.C. Athough she greatly enjoyed working in-house, a need to return to N.C. motivated her to begin editorial freelancing. After twelve years of freelancing, Burns has kept busy with four publisher clients and is beginning to work with individual clients as well. She would love the opportunity to serve as a member at large for EFA to both contribute and network within the organization.

Brian Duchaney
I seek election as an EFA Member at large (MAL) so that I can be a voice for those who are interested in advocating for truth through the accuracy of language.  As an academic, author, and freelancer, my experience bridges multiple types of writing.  However, it is my pursuit of a doctorate in Editorial Studies at Boston University that provides me with a unique skill set that would add to and strengthen our diverse community of editors. As an academic, I have experience in serving on committees and understand the challenges of reaching a consensus.  Yet, as a freelance editor, I understand that it is necessary to seek direction, a fact that has been especially true in my beginning years.  If elected, I will work to strengthen our community as we continue being the supplemental and often unseen voice for those that seek their own truths.

Amy Fass
An EFA member since 1994 and a board member since 2000, I am a medical and science editor. I served as the board’s unofficial insurance liaison, coordinated the effort to keep EFA members informed through the transition to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and continue to send updates as necessary. I live in Manhattan.

Bob Faszczewski
For 15 years I was an editor of legal content for Lexis Nexis, handling author relationships, editing manuscripts and proofreading online, e-book and print content. I report for an online newspaper which covers local government for readers in 50 communities in suburban NJ, NY and PA. I am a freelance public relations copywriter, I have produced press releases and other materials for a major real estate brokerage firm and a top accounting firm, and have written op-ed pieces and other PR materials. I have worked as a freelance writer for a number of regional magazines in NJ, and have copyedited a self-published re-release of a major work on Robert’s Rules of Order. I consider my first year on the board as a learning experience, and, if reelected, I intend to take on more extensive and specific responsibilities. I am exploring taking over monitoring responsibilities for the EFA group on LinkedIn.

Sandra McVearry 
Sandra joined the EFA in February 2017 and is currently building her professional editorial services business with a focus on medical editing. As a MAL her goal is to be a voice for others who are up-and-comers to the editing world and who are trying to establish their businesses. She has a BA and an MA in English from Sac State. She was trained through the copyediting program at UCSD. Before embarking on her editorial journey, she taught writing and rhetoric courses at two colleges in the Charlotte area and was a high school language arts teacher. The years of editing student work have proven to be excellent preparation for working as an editor. Sandra recently was a volunteer for the EFA booth at the ACES annual conference in St. Pete. She’s thankful for the opportunities the EFA affords freelance editors of all levels and wants to serve others.

Sangeeta Mehta
I am currently serving my first term on the EFA board and would be honored to serve a second. One of my proudest achievements of the last year was launching the EFA’s first Diversity Initiative. I’d like to continue to co-lead this group and support historically marginalized voices in the EFA’s membership. I have also very much enjoyed heading the EFA’s first PR group, and my goals for the coming year are to grow our social media presence and generate more press for our organization. Prior to starting my editorial services company (www.mehtabookeditingnewyork.com) in 2011 and joining the EFA in 2014, I worked for two literary agents in California. I then moved to New York and became an acquiring editor of children’s books for Little, Brown and Simon & Schuster. Fun fact: I’ve now been a New Yorker for fifteen years!

Ruth Mullen
My first year as a board member at large has been an eventful twelve months. One of my particular interests is growing our social media presence. Since joining the board, I’ve taken on our Facebook page, which now has 9,350 followers. If re-elected, I will continue to focus on how we stay on top in this rapidly evolving digital world. I’ll seek ways to improve the value of membership, increase networking opportunities, and promote inclusivity. My own “freelancesume” is eclectic: it includes editing, copyediting, and software editing for HBJ, Holt, Random House, and McGraw-Hill; story analysis for film producers; reading for a literary agency; clerking in a bookstore; and being a personal assistant to a writer. I coordinate the NYC Metro chapter of the EFA and also volunteer at our booth at BEA and other events. I hope you will give me the opportunity to continue working on your behalf.

Kerri Nelson 
Kerri is a multi-published bestselling author, but she fell in love with editing and mentoring authors somewhere along the way. Five years ago, she began her editing career and since that time has worked as a freelance editor for four small presses and owned her own freelance editorial company.  She currently owns WriteSellRepeat.com and offers editing, ghostwriting, and formatting services to private clients.  Kerri also has a background in the law where she spent 15 years writing legal briefs and other legalese.  When she traded that for her true love of fiction writing, she became an active member in both Romance Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.  She has served as Chapter President (for three RWA Chapters); Treasurer; Education Coordinator; Competition Coordinator; and Member-At-Large for various chapters throughout the years.  Kerri is new to EFA this year and interested in serving the organization and its members as needed.

Luann Reed-Siegel
Luann Reed-Siegel has been a freelance editor since 1989 and a member of the EFA for five years. She is currently a Member at Large and the editor of What’s New at the EFA. She was part of the committee that planned and ran the 2016 EFA Conference and has represented the EFA at Book Expo America, the Writer’s Digest Conference, the Romance Writers of America Conference, and the Self-Publishing Expo. She has also contributed articles to The Freelancer newsletter. In addition, she is a member of the American Copy Editors Society. Luann specializes in genre fiction (mysteries, science fiction, paranormals, and thrillers) and works for both individuals and publishers. When not chained to her computer, Luann enjoys reading, being outdoors with her family, and attending plays and musicals. She hopes to continue sharing news and building networking opportunities for EFA members.

Tia Ross 
Tia is a freelance editor and event architect with 20 years of experience in web development, web applications programming, and technical writing and editing. She has two computer science degrees along with an assortment of certificates, including project management, software programming, database development, and computer forensics. A freelance editor since 1995, she works primarily with website content, technical documentation, training and business materials, and nonfiction and legal documents. A pioneer in the literary community, Tia was the founder of the African-American Online Writers Guild in 1998, the first 501c3 literary arts association to organize online for writers of color, where she served as director for five years. She also created Black Writers Reunion & Conference, the first touring conference for black writers in 2000. She was also named among the top 37 book doctors in the United States by Writer’s Digest in 2003.

Heidi Ward
I started my career in journalism at a magazine company that put out several geeky subject magazines (comics books, collectible card games, anime, and toy collecting). Following that I made my way into more traditional publishing and worked at a trade publisher, doing editing and some marketing. For almost 7 years I worked at a children’s educational publisher, primarily as a copy editor. But I also took on project editor duties and changed roles. I am a relative newcomer to freelancing (almost 2 years) and the EFA, but this gives me insight into the “newbie” experience and needs. And I would love a chance to help out however I can.

Susan Milstrey Wells
Susan’s favorite Christmas gift was the printing press she received when she was 10 years old. She began writing “professionally” when she edited her 5^th-grade newsletter. After a stint as a newspaper reporter and public relations executive for private schools and colleges, Susan wrote about health, mental health, and homelessness for the federal government for nearly 30 years. She’s happy to say that did not stifle her creativity one bit! The first thing she did when she resumed her freelance career was join the EFA, and she never looked back. Today, she writes blog posts and speeches and edits books. Susan is the author of A Delicate Balance: Living Successfully with Chronic Illness (Da Capo Press, 2000). She is a huge fan of the Oxford comma, collects pink flamingos, and has recently discovered the joys of camping (in a 40-foot RV).