Mueller Resigns as Interim SFWA President

Following the recent resignation of SFWA president Jeffe Kennedy’s, her vice-president and subsequent interim president Chelsea Mueller has resigned as well.

With the immense change happening in our organization right now and the need to respond swiftly, thoughtfully, and with full attention, I’d be doing a disservice to SFWA by remaining in a key role that could cause lag in acting quickly and appropriately.

Burnout is a constant refrain within our volunteers, and I can see why. Since taking an officer role on the board on July 1, I’ve worked nearly the hours of a full-time job. So many tasks for our officers could be off-loaded to appropriate staff members if we reviewed our structure. I have shared input with the Executive Director and the Board around what roles I think the organization may need moving forward to better balance the load and allow the Board of Directors to act as a steering governance body instead of an operational one.

One of my main initiatives for this term was to see our official website overhauled to improve navigation and discoverability. I have already prepared a document for a Request for Proposal (RFP) to begin that process (though it needs input and validation from the InfoSys and Accessibility committees). If the continuing board wants to move forward with the RFP, I am willing to advise on the process to select a vendor and negotiate pricing.

Also, because it feels inappropriate to leave during this time and ignore the current situation, I will depart by saying that I believe our staff—current and past—care deeply about SFWA and deserve respect, kindness, and fairness. I will debrief with whomever I need on the board in order to pass on the limited knowledge I’ve gained in these last few weeks on the priority matters at hand.

I thank you all for your trust in me, the stories you write, and the expertise you share. I’ve learned so much from our members, and it’s been an honor to serve you on the board the last year.

Anthony W. Eichenlaub, SFWA secretary, is now interim president.

For more about the organization, visit the SFWA site.

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