President
Deb Courtney

Immediate Past President
Kameron Claire

Vice President
Amy Krasikov

Amy “AD” Krasikov, is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors with Pikes Peak Writers, she is a volunteer with the Pikes Peak Writers Conference. Amy is a writer, speaker, mentor, and story addict. A Colorado native, Amy is at home wherever there are mountains, a cool breeze, and the gentle rustling of leaves. Follow Amy at adkrasikov.com, Facebook, and on LinkedIn.

Secretary
Mytchel Chandler

Mytchel is an avid movie goer and severely part time cosplayer. He loves just about everything “geek” and is the writer of his own time travel Graphic Novel titled Chronic. Finishing edits on his debut novel, a YA Fantasy titled, The Dark and Dangerous Days of Sin Shadow, Mytchel strives to be the most fabulous version of himself every day! Connect with him at mytchelchandler.com or on Facebook and Instrgram @authormytchelchandler.

Treasurer
Charise Simpson

Charise is currently working on a humorous travel memoir, and developing a middle grade mystery series with her teenaged daughter. She has worked as a freelance journalist writing a weekly Q&A column for the business section of The Gazette. She has also written feature stories for the local Woodmen & Cheyenne Editions newspapers. As a member of the Pikes Peak Writers since 2010, she has served as a general conference gofer and moderator, Handout Coordinator, and Allergy Meals Coordinator, as well as committee member for Non-Conference Events.

Member At Large
Rick Buchanan

A military retiree, Rick has traveled the world eventually laying down permanent roots in Colorado where he lives with his wife, dogs and two obstinate cats.   By day, he works for a healthcare IT / analytics company; by night he imagines new and inventive ways to torment his stories’ protagonists.

A lifelong bibliophile, Rick reads widely across genres but can’t pass up a good sci-fi or fantasy novel.  Dog eared paperbacks by Terry Pratchett, Isaac Asimov and Douglas Adams are his particular Kryptonite.  Intent on becoming a better writer, Rick joined Pikes Peak Writers in the fall of 2018 and started serving on the board in late 2019.

When not hunched over a computer he enjoys travel, spending time in the mountains and live music.  Dislikes include bad movies made from great books and talking about himself in the third person.

Member At Large
Becki Davis

A member of Pikes Peak Writers for over 20 years, Becki has written dozens of lifestyle articles for local publications and has been published in a national women’s magazine. She has written several stories mostly for fun, but hopes one day to be serious and query a few of her completed middle grade stories. Currently she works as an advertising manager for a local newspaper writing copy and designing ads. She and her husband are graphic designers and have won numerous awards both locally and internationally throughout their long careers.

Member At Large
Laura Hayden

Laura Hayden is one of the founders of the Pikes Peak Writers and served as it first president. She’s been associated with PPWC since its inaugural year, 1993. In addition, she’s held the position of PPWC  director for an unprecedented eight years (non-consecutive).  She’s published thirteen fiction novels in a wide variety of genres, one nonfiction and many short stories. She owns Author, Author! a bookstore serving authors and co-owns Parker Hayden Media, an assisted self-publishing company. She resides in the Birmingham, Alabama area, but her heart remains in Colorado.

Member At Large
Kim Olgren

Kim has voraciously read anything she could get her hands on for as far back as she can remember. She’s always been a sucker for a good mystery in any form. Not long after she entered elementary school, she was writing her own stories and squirreling them away for her own eyes only. She’s worn many hats, but writing has always been a constant companion. When not wrestling with words or curled up with them (it’s a love/hate relationship), she can be found flipping houses with her husband, volunteering within the local writing community, crocheting badly, creatively crafting, traveling sporadically, riding around in the back of Izzy The Wandercycle, or hanging out with her family and faithful four-legged friend, Daisy in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. She is the author of Flipped: A Jillian McElroy Flipping Mystery – Book One.

Kim has been a volunteer with Pikes Peak Writers since 2018. In addition to her board member duties, she holds/has held positions as the editor of the PPW newsletter, non-conference events director, Write Brain coordinator, Special Events coordinator, Writers’ Night host, non-conference public relations coordinator, and is an occasional contributor to Writing from the Peak, the PPW blog.

Member At Large
Kathie Scrimgeour

Kathie Scrimgeour is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors with PPW, she is also the Managing Editor of Writing from the Peak (PPW’s blog) and the Project Manager on PPW’s anthologies, Fresh Starts and Dream. Her inspiration for blogging, flash fiction, short stories, and the long haul of novel writing comes from her many life experiences. You can follow her on her website, KJScrim.com and on Facebook. When she’s not writing you can find her somewhere in Arizona biking, hiking, or finding Zen through Pilates.