RWA Board of Directors

You may reach the Board of Directors by emailing board@rwa.org or via their individual email addresses below.

Nan Dixon, Treasurer

Treasurer Nan DixonTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Nan Dixon graduated with an accounting degree and passed the CPA and CMA (Certified Management Accountant) exams in one year. She was Senior VP and Chief Financial Officer of a non-profit 150 provider medical group for 14 years. As VP Finance of a pharmaceutical company, her span of control included Treasury, Cash Management, Strategic Planning, IT, Tax, Contracting, Insurance, Real Estate, and Mergers and Acquisitions. She has served as MFW’s Secretary and President and is also a member of TGN. She serves as treasurer of a non-profit dance company. Now writing full-time, Nan has published 6 books with Harlequin.

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Directors-at-Large

Hanna Rhys Barnes, Director-at-Large

Hanna Rhys-BarnesTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Hanna Rhys Barnes/Tolden Rhys has been a member of RWA for ten years. She has served on committees and boards of several RWA chapters, both local and online. Hanna has been a freelance developmental editor and author coach for the last six years. Though she’s traditionally published in historical romance, Hanna is currently querying her paranormal romance while self-publishing her two holiday romance novellas featuring “seasoned heroines.” Hanna lives on Whidbey Island in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her sassy ginger tabby Nekkohime (Japanese for Cat Princess).

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Kate McMurray, Director-at-Large

Kate McMurrayTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Kate McMurray writes smart romantic fiction. She likes creating stories that are brainy, funny, and of course sexy, with regular guy characters and urban sensibilities. She advocates for romance stories by and for everyone. When she’s not writing, she edits textbooks, watches baseball, plays violin, crafts things out of yarn, and wears a lot of cute dresses. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with two cats and too many books. She is active in Romance Writers of America, having served as president of Rainbow Romance Writers, the LGBT romance chapter, and RWA NYC, the New York City chapter.

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Maria Powers, Director-at-Large

Maria PowersTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Maria Powers grew up in Southern California. By day she works in Real Estate wrangling contracts and agreements with several government agencies. By night she writes kickass heroines and tough heroes with sensitive hearts ready to be tamed by the girl next door or beaten into submission by the witch on the corner. She has held several positions on her local chapters’ boards and was President of LARA twice. Maria was a Golden Heart finalist in 2015 and is currently working on a series of contemporary romances set on the Central Coast of California.


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Mellanie Szereto, Director-at-Large

Mellanie SzeretoTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Mellanie Szereto is the author of more than twenty-five romance novels, novellas, and short stories. In addition to numerous chapter and national committee responsibilities, she has served on her local chapter’s board in several capacities, including two terms as president and two terms as vice president, and is the current RWA Chapter Advisor. Her service has earned her Indiana RWA’s Chapter Service Award (2013) and the RWA Service Award (2016). Mellanie is a member of the Aged to Perfection-SRW, Contemporary Romance Writers, FF&P, IRWA, and NEORWA chapters.

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Eliana West, Director-at-Large

Eliana WestTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

After being approached for advice on writing diverse characters from several members of her writing group Eliana West decided to create a Facebook group where her friends could post questions. Since its creation in 2017 Writers for Diversity has provided a safe space for thoughtful and respectful dialogue, growing to over 600 members from around the world and encompassing all genres. The only child of a black man and white woman who married before the milestone Loving vs. Virginia Supreme Court ruling legalized such unions, growing up severely dyslexic, converting to Judaism as a young woman, starting a business and later writing interracial romance allow Eliana to share her passion for diverse characters and stories contributing her personal experience in her workshop presentations and classes. Eliana has served as chair of the Emerald City Writers' Conference and she is a former board member of Mixed Remixed, an art and literary festival celebrating the mixed experience (mixedremixed.org).
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