RWA Board of Directors

Officers

President: Jacki Renée

I am Jacki Renée, a storyteller. Many writers search for the right words to hook the reader. I write from the heart to connect with people.

Music is my muse, sparking my inspiration to write. Reading is my passion, and I am known to curl up with a good book for hours. Writing is my pleasure, and I write romance celebrating Black and Interracial Love with a host of diverse characters.

I have two adult daughters and two grand-dogs, and enjoy cooking, sewing, and DIY projects. I am committed to volunteering, writing, and mentoring new writers.

President Emeritus: Clair Brett

Independent author of 7 historical romance novels, Clair has been an RWA member since 2004 when she found her local chapter in a Google search and began driving 2 hours one way to attend meetings. Clair now writes full time when she isn’t giving back to the industry. If not for RWA in her life she may never have taken the leap to see her work in print. Clair believes the romance community is strong and thriving base, because of the genuine desire from other writers to give back and help the new generations of authors.

Secretary: Anita Learned

Anita joined RWA in 1995. She’s served her local chapter, DARA, as President, (three terms), President-Elect, (one term,) Treasurer (two terms), and for the past 2 years has been the Program Coordinator. Also, for the past 2 years, Anita has served as Director-at-Large for RWA.

Anita retired from a major telecommunication company in 2020 at age 39 with over 41 years of service (there’s a little fiction in her math). This mother to a 101-pound dog and two onery cats calls Greenville, Texas home. She writes time-travel and romantic suspense. And is determined to be published in the near future!

Treasurer: Brooke Wills

Brooke Wills was a controller, CFO and consultant, including working in Dublin, Ireland, for over three decades. Then she decided it was time to pursue her dreams of writing. After living most of her life in San Diego County, this SoCal girl left the corporate world, sold her house, packed up all her worldly goods and moved to the beautiful Pacific Northwest to live on an island in the middle of a forest.

A member of RWA since 1998, she has been treasurer for three online chapters as well as for other organizations. She enjoys writing contemporary romance and mysteries.

Directors-at-Large

Marian H. Griffin

I have been writing in one medium or another most of my life. I got to focus that energy when I joined RWA in 1999. Since then, I have had eleven novellas published in multiple genres and am working on a couple of series for self-publishing.

I’ve worked in bars, restaurants, country clubs, a TV production studio, and a local TV station. I’ve enjoyed them all but was always ready to move on until I became Marian the Librarian for 32 years. I look forward to writing for many years to come.

Monica Jorgensen

Monica Jorgensen, writing as Kathleen Samuels, knew the moment she picked up a Sweet Valley High book that happily ever after endings were the only books to read. She joined RWA in 2011 when she decided to follow her dreams of becoming a romance author. She has two published works and has been included in two anthologies. She was on the board of Rainbow Romance Writers for two years and thoroughly enjoyed bringing the chapter back to life. She makes her home in Southern California with her two college age children and two crazy dogs, Piper and Finn.

Mary Karlik

Mary Karlik is a hybrid author with 7 published novels. She has an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, a B.S. degree from Texas A&M University, is a Registered Nurse, and is finishing a degree in Scottish Gaelic from Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Skye Scotland.

Mary has been a member of RWA since 1996. Has served nationally on the Ethics committee and the Leadership Training Task Force. On the chapter level, she has served as the VP Programs for YARWA (Young Adult Romance Authors), President of YARWA, and is the President of DARA (Dallas Area Romance Authors).

Ursula Renee

Ursula Renée writes historical fiction set in the early to mid-twentieth century, when people began challenging society's conventions and expressing their individuality.

Since joining RWA in 2009 she has served as the PRO Liaison, Vice-President and President of RWA/NYC. She has also served on the RWA University Committee.

Ursula joined RWA in hopes of improving her writing skills. What she discovered was a community of supportive writers who understood the ups and downs of being a romance author.

Besides writing, Ursula enjoys photography and traveling. She lives with her son and two cats.

Alexis Morgan Roark

As a child, A.M. Roark believed she was destined to become a lawyer, yet wanted to be volunteer librarian, but life – as it sometimes does – had other plans. However, the stars finally aligned, and she eventually became a published, USA Today bestselling author!

Still an avid bibliophile, when she’s not weaving tales of filled with love, sexy times, and happily ever afters, you can find her lost in a great book, or trying out the latest in tech.

Advisors

Robin Hillyear-Miles, PRO Advisor

Robin Hillyear-Miles is a current resident of Hanahan, South Carolina and is an active member of the Lowcountry Romance Writers Chapter. She is a writer of romance with a touch of magical realism.

Danica Winters, PAN Advisor

Danica Winters is a Publishers Weekly, Walmart, and Amazon bestselling author who has won multiple awards for writing books that grip readers with their ability to drive emotion through suspense and occasionally a touch of magic. Her books have won numerous awards, but she says that her greatest joy is hearing that the worlds she creates have helped to provide escapes for those who need it most.

In addition to her writing and publishing, she spends a great deal of her time mentoring up-and-coming authors in every genre from children’s fiction to science fiction. Books are her passion and her life.