Five candidates are vying for five spots on the 2024/25 BATW Board of Directors. California bill #502 states this can be done by acclamation, circumventing the need for an election. Please thank and welcome your five new board members, below, who will join Amy Sherman, David Laws and Laurie Armstrong Gossy (who serve through 2024). John Williamson has graciously agreed to continue serving as treasurer. We also want to thank President Matthew Eley, who will be stepping down at the end of this year; Rosie Cohan and Ruth Carlson, whose terms have ended. All three worked to maintain a vibrant organization with over 130 members from the Bay Area and beyond.
Brandy Collins
I am a freelance writer and self-proclaimed Professional Auntie Bay Area. I joined BATW in 2022 and have been on the recruiting committee to help bring in some amazing new talented contributors to the organization. Also, I have been working to assist in increasing BATW members social media presence and that “click rate/read through rate” that many editors look for on digital websites.
My journalism career began when I was a wellness blogger for Sis Circle. In 2019-2020 I joined the Maynard Institute for Journalism program Oakland Voices. Since then I became a SF Grotto’s Rooted & Written fellow and contributing writer for Oaklandside, Berkeleyside-Nosh, Chronicle Datebook, Thrillist, KCET, The Bold Italic and SF Weekly.
I would be honored to be a Board member for BATW.
Nora Heston Tarte
I have been a journalist in California, Nevada and Arizona for 15 years. In addition to being the Managing Editor at San Joaquin Magazine and City Lifestyle Reno, I freelance for publications such as SF Gate, Mercury News, Diablo Magazine, 65/57 Degrees, edible Reno Tahoe and more. I am also an adjunct professor at University of Nebraska Lincoln teaching media ethics, business writing, technical communications and travel writing.
I enjoy attending the Zoom meetings and meeting other travel journalists. I gave my first presentation last week on media ethics!
John Compisi
I have worked as a freelance writer in the Bay Area for over 10 years and now I am located in Reno Nevada. I have written for local print media, Examiner.com and Niume.com over the years. I have my own website, started with my wife Linda, called BitesFlightsandSights.com. Most recently I have been contributing articles to another website called, “BestWineries.com” for which I am compensated. Since relocating to Reno, Linda and I have co-founded the “High Sierra Wine Society”, which aims to elevate and educate the palates of our 70 members with bi-monthly presentations from winemakers from Sonoma and Italy as well as distributors and wine educators. I continue to serve as a wine judge for the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the Sierra Foothills Wine Festival Competition and the Eldorado Hills Wien Competition. I am also an active member of the Redwood Writers Club, a chapter of the California Writers Club and the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association.
I have been a BATW member since 2011 after a recommendation from another member. I think the board has done a great job of growing the membership and enhancing the various events to be more relevant and inviting to the membership including the various destinations presentations and press trips. As a board member, I would hope to continue these fun and informative events and expand the reach and scope of the organizations activities.
Erin Deinzer
Erin Deinzer has been a member of BATW for almost 15 years and has formed many valuable relationships over that time, while also working alongside a variety of savvy, committed, and hardworking board members.
She was instrumental in creating the first BATW anthology, served as Events Chair for several of her board appointments, and helped co-created the digital BATW Travel Magazine.
If re-elected, she’d like to spearhead a program in 2024 that explores how we can all think outside of the box when it comes to finding meaningful, better-paying assignments.
Ed Walsh
I have worked as a journalist in the Bay Area for 38 years and write regularly for the Bay Area Reporter and a number of other LGBTQ publications around the US and around the world. And to pay the bills, I work as an Assignment Editor and Producer at KGO-TV.
I was pleased to set up the meetings on Angel Island and at Hanson’s of Sonoma and looking forward to working out a meeting at the Niles Film Museum in Fremont next year. I have been a BATW member since 2006 after meeting several BATW members at a press trip to Iceland and the organization has never been better with fun and informative meetings despite the pandemic challenges. I hope to help keep that momentum going.
Congrats and welcome to all!
Cheers,
April