IPNE BOARD MEMBERS
Scott Channell
Scott has self-published eight nonfiction books on sales and marketing topics, with his first title appearing in 2004.
He believes that authorship is one of the most powerful tools available to any professional for establishing expertise and credibility, a belief that shapes both his own publishing career and his leadership at IPNE.
He runs Finding Business LLC at ScottChannell.com.
Shawn McCarthy
Shawn P. McCarthy lives and writes in Marlborough, MA, where he has lived for the last 30 years. Before that he lived in Washington, DC. He grew up near Rochester, NY. Shawn holds a Master’s degree in Education from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from St. Bonaventure University. He spent his first few years after college writing for daily newspapers, then switched to the corporate world — while continuing to write, with articles appearing in The Washington Post, Time Life Books, and educational publications produced by The Smithsonian Institution and the National Geographic Society. He has written ten books, including eight historical novels.
Shirley Skyers-Thomas
Shirley Skyers-Thomas is the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Protection in Connecticut. She has an extensive background in law and state government, and is an indie author and publisher. IPNE has been instrumental in her journey, connecting her with resources and individuals that have expanded her path as a writer and publisher. She joined IPNE in 2022 after attending the fall online conference.
Samantha Kolber
Samantha Kolber is owner and publisher of Rootstock Publishing, where she has worked since 2019 as poetry editor and marketing director. She is the author of Birth of a Daughter (Kelsay Books, 2020), a 5-Star Readers’ Favorite and winner of multiple awards including the Human Relations Indie Book Award and the 2023 San Francisco Book Festival Poetry Prize. Her poems have appeared in Rattle, Hunger Mountain, Minerva Rising, and other publications. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Goddard College and has held roles at Tupelo Press, Bear Pond Books, and VCFA.
Ann Goltz
Ann Goltz writes fiction dealing with complicated family dynamics and questions of women’s identity. After spending five years working in government finance, she obtained a Master of Divinity degree and became an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. No longer in active ministry, she recently returned to her home state of Massachusetts after nearly two decades in New Hampshire. She lives with her husband, two teenagers, and three cats. Her award-winning debut, Virtuous Women, was published in 2024, and her next novel, What Happened to Zinnia, will be released in 2027.
Past Board Members & Staff
We are grateful to our past board members for their service:
Charlotte Pierce, B.J. Magnani, Odile Sullivan-Tarazi, Mike DeSanto, Isai Gutierrez, Ruby Fink, Jon Meyer, Jack Rochester, Geoffrey Dutton, David Shiang, Connelly Akstens, Peg Roberts, Bill Cordaro, Michelle Burinskas, Ian Lamont, Jane English
And to our founding directors: Tordis Isselhardt and Pamela Fenner