Board and Staff Members

Susan Gossman

Susan Gossman is an investor, accountant and former banker. She is an avid reader of fiction and nonfiction and has been a speculative fiction fan since high school. In addition to reading, her other pastimes include hiking with her husband Bill, gardening, and conversations with her oversized cat.

Tod McCoy

Tod McCoy is a Clarion West alumnus whose work has appeared in AntipodeanSF, Qarrtsiluni.com, the.gloaming magazine, and the anthology Bronies: For the Love of Ponies. He runs Hydra House, a small press dedicated to publishing West Coast science fiction and fantasy.

Vicki Saunders

Vicki Saunders is a writer, editor, and graphic designer who attended Clarion West in 2009. She serves as the board’s Chair and Clarion West’s Art Director.

Rashida Scholz

Rashida Scholz attended Clarion West in 2005. She edits the webzine GigaNotoSaurus (Rashida J. Smith), keeps her adventurous preschooler off the walls, and speculates in her fiction as Jasmine Silvera. She serves as the board’s Vice Chair.

Nisi Shawl

Nisi Shawl is the James Tiptree, Jr. Award-winning author of the story collection Filter House and the novel Everfair.  She attended Clarion West in 1992.

Yang-Yang Wang

Yang-Yang Wang is an actor and writer who attended Clarion West in 2014. A lover of brevity, he serves as Clarion West’s Treasurer.

Misha Stone

Misha Stone is a librarian at The Seattle Public Library who specializes in readers’ advisory — also known as helping people find good books to read. She loves karaoke, and is always open to reading suggestions, especially in the speculative realm.

Geetanjali Dighe

Geetanjali Dighe is a Digital Marketing professional with over 17 years of expertise in digital operations and technology implementation. She has lived in Mumbai and London, and now calls Greater Seattle her home. She is a 2013 alumnus of Clarion West.

Marnee Chua

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Marnee Chua is an experienced manager and development professional with over fifteen years of experience in fundraising, nonprofit leadership, and STEM education. A recent transplant to the Seattle area, Marnee is the cofounder of Works Progress, a community coworking space. While serving in the Philippines as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, Marnee co-founded the Palawan Conservation Corps, a non-profit focused on livelihood training for out-of-school youth.

Neile Graham

WORKSHOP DIRECTOR

Canadian-born, Neile has been in awe of what happens at Clarion West since she attended as a student in 1996 and is delighted that her life since is still full of writing and writers. She has three published collections and a spoken word CD of poetry, as well as numerous projects in the works.

Micaiah “Huw” Evans

WORKSHOP ADMINISTRATOR

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Huw attended Clarion West in 2012. He writes (mostly speculative) fiction and lives in Seattle with his wife, daughter, and far too many books.

Jae Steinbacher

WORKSHOP ADMINISTRATOR

Jae Steinbacher attended Clarion West in 2014 and completed an MFA in fiction at North Carolina State University in 2016. She’s a 2017-18 NC Arts Council fellow in literature. Jae loves travel, webcomics, and shiny things, and is looking for a good cat to settle down with.

Jeremy Sim

COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

Jeremy Sim is a writer, game creator, and all-purpose tech specialist. An accomplished short fiction author, he manages Clarion West’s publications, community, and online presence.

Katherine Sparrow

ONE-DAY WORKSHOP COORDINATOR

Katherine is a writer and social worker living in Seattle with her partner, two kids, and the enigmatic Couch and Chair (guinea pigs). She attended Clarion West in 2005.

Suzanne Tompkins

OFFICE MANAGER

An independent association manager and meeting planner, Suzanne (aka Suzle) has been involved in SF fandom since the mid-60’s. She has co-edited four fanzines and helps to run numerous SF cons, most recently the Seattle Potlatches, as well as the 2011 and 2013 Worldcons.

Kate Schaefer

DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR

Kate’s past includes financial analysis for a large but now-defunct bank, database programming, attending Clarion West in 1992, and a great deal of sewing. Her present includes cloud database administration, volunteering for Clarion West, much sewing, and a long reading list.

Erik Owomoyela

WEBSITE MANAGER

A former Nebraskan, Erik first moved west to attend Clarion West in 2010. He now lives in Seattle, finding creative applications for his journalism degree.