Bios Rules Nominating Committee Vote
Who’s Behind the Names on the Ballot!
Candidate for President
CLAIRE A MURRAY has served as Desert Sleuths vice president (2022) and president (2023 & 2024) and is running for a 3rd term as president. While this is an exception to our Bylaws, we have the approval of National Sisters in Crime.
“Desert Sleuths has been building a larger core of volunteers over the past few years, partly because we match their interests and skills, have built an infrastructure to support them, and train them in what they don’t know.
“On the personal side, I write crime/mystery, fantasy, and sci-fi; host multiple weekly write-ins, including for SinC National; write book reviews for Kings River Life Magazine; and participate in critique groups. In 2023, I became lead editor of the chapter anthology, SoWest: Wrong Turn, and am doing the same for the 2025’s SOWEST: DANGER AWAITS! I belong to four SinC chapters, Mystery Writers of America, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. Of my published short stories, 2 earned Honorable Mention, and 2 won 3rd Place. I’m completing a suspense fantasy novel and have two other novels (one a trilogy) in progress.”
Candidate for Vice President
SUZANNE FLAIG has been a Desert Sleuths Sisters in Crime member since 1998. In previous years she has served as president, vice president, secretary, newsletter editor, anthology editor, and WriteNow! chair. She is currently a member at large and the newsletter editor for the chapter. She holds membership in three Sisters in Crime chapters, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, the Pennwriters, and the Mesa Writers Guild. Suzanne is the author of the Missy Jenkins musical mystery series and two short story collections. Many of her short stories are published in anthologies.
“I hope that my years of experience with Desert Sleuths will help the chapter grow and improve. As VP I will assist the president in any duties assigned to me.”
Candidate for Treasurer
MARGARET BURNISON has been treasurer of Desert Sleuths for the past three years. She was instrumental in converting our finances to MonkeyPod and maintaining and submitting monthly reports to the appropriate agencies. She will continue to monitor and maintain DS finances in a timely manner.
Candidate for Secretary
MARY ADLER, a former attorney and teacher, has written the Oliver Wright WWII Mystery Trilogy set in northern California, and her short stories and articles appear in anthologies and journals. Her current work in progress is a mystery series set in contemporary Sonoma County. She is active in the Short Mystery Fiction Society, the Redwood Writers Branch of the California Writer’s Club, and Sisters in Crime Guppies. She also copyedits for Kings River Life Magazine, and loves to Beta read mysteries.
Candidates for Members-at-Large (vote for up to 3)
PATRICIA CURREN is the author of the Young Adult Kendra Morgan mystery trilogy and a stand-alone traditional mystery, entitled Wrongful Death. Her other credits include articles for magazines and newspapers and short stories in the Desert Sleuths Sisters SoWest anthologies. Her current project is a fictional memoir of her mother’s early life in Nebraska. Patricia has been a member of Desert Sleuths and Sisters in Crime for many years, in addition to the Society of Southwestern Authors. She served on the 2022 WriteNow! planning committee and currently facilitates the critique group, the Scottsdale Scribes.
“I’ve benefitted greatly from Desert Sleuth’s conferences and workshops, but what has meant the most to me, is how individual members have inspired me in my writing endeavors. I want to continue that tradition by paying it forward, especially by providing support to our new members.”
PAULA BARR SKILLICORN is a career journalist with a master’s degree in professional writing. She is a contributing author in four anthologies, most recently So West: Wrong Turn (2023) and Speak Up Against Stigma, a collection of stories about mental health. She is a member of two Sister In Crime chapters and is completing her second term as Desert Sleuths secretary.
Paula presented at the first World Congress Against the Death Penalty at the Council of Europe in France and spoke at the Second World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Canada. She writes cozy mysteries and nonfiction.
JODIE SNYDER is an award-winning (newly retired) journalist who is now interested in writing creative fiction, especially mysteries. Previously, she wrote Happy Dog Phoenix, an A-Z guide to living with a dog, which benefited local animal rescues. Most recently, she has been published in Vortex literary magazine.
Rules
The rules governing elections are contained in Article IX, Elections and Voting of our ByLaws, available here. We have already completed the preliminary requirements before holding an electronic election (ByLaw Section 3.b). The Nominating Committee solicited candidates and finalized nominees. We advised members through our newsletter and a mailing (mid-month reminders).
We are ready a month ahead of the date our ByLaws mandate elections must conclude and thank the Nominating Committee for its diligence.
Nominating Committee
Our thanks to Paula Barr Skillicorn (chair), Margaret Burnison, Roberta Gibson, Debra H. Goldstein, and Margaret Morse for developing the 2025 slate.
Vote
Voting will be done through the form linked at the end of this section. Voting opens on Sunday, September 8th and closes on Tuesday, September 17th, in accordance with the 10-day window required in the ByLaws. [The deadline for returning email ballots or submitting an electronic vote is no later than ten (10) days after the ballots or link are emailed and in no case later than October 10th. ]
All current members are eligible and encouraged to vote. When you vote, you will be required to attest that you are a current member of Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths Chapter. There is a write-in option for each role being voted on. And, of course, you can only vote once. A second ballot from any member will be considered invalid.
The voting form will be linked here from Sunday, September 8th through Tuesday, September 17th. Results will be announced in the October newsletter, at the chapter meeting, and possibly earlier.
https://desertsleuths.com/board-election-2025 will go live at midnight 9/8/24.
