Sirens is staffed by an all-volunteer team, most of whom have been involved with Narrate Conferences's events for several years, but some of whom are new to our team. Please read below to learn a bit about us!

Sarah Benoot, Exploratory Programming Coordinator
(sarah.benoot at sirensconference.org)
Favorite Fantasy Book: Watership Down by Richard Adams
Sarah spends her workdays as an operations specialist for a large broker-dealer, where her degree in media production comes in handy more often than you might expect. She's been working on conferences since The Witching Hour in 2005, when she found that she liked helping people find new ways to interact with literature enough to volunteer for Phoenix Rising, Terminus, and Sirens as well. Among other interests, she spends a lot of time trying to fit just one more book on her overloaded shelves.

Faye Bi, Media Coordinator
(faye.bi at sirensconference.org)
Favorite Fantasy Book: Lips Touch, Three Times by Laini Taylor
Faye Bi was a flashlight-under-the-covers reader beginning at age nine, when she first made the conscious decision to emulate Matilda Wormwood. Nowadays she reads children's novels out in the open, along with plenty of fantasy, young adult, and nineteenth century literature. She completed an anthropology degree at Columbia University in May 2010 and is looking to enter the publishing industry. Faye has a fondness for typography and high-waisted skirts, and would gladly talk your ear off about individual reading experiences and cultural foodways.

Simon Branford, Website Coordinator
(simon.branford at sirensconference.org)
Favorite Fantasy Book: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
Simon recently completed his Ph.D., for which he has carried out research in mathematical computation. Before this he earned master's degrees in computer science and mathematics. Simon has been on the program and organizing committees for conferences on computational sciences and has taught linear algebra to master's students. He has also developed several websites, which he now maintains. In his spare time, Simon likes to read and run.

Sabrina Chin, Assistant Chair
(sabrina.chin at sirensconference.org)
Favorite Fantasy Book: Fall of a Kingdom by Hilari Bell
Sabrina works full time as a software developer for a telecommunications company located in the Washington, D.C., area. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and recently completed her master's degree at Johns Hopkins University. Sabrina has been volunteering for conferences in a technical capacity since 2003. In recent years, she oversaw the creation and maintenance of the conference websites for Phoenix Rising, Terminus, and Sirens, including the registration, submission, and other back-end systems. In the little spare time found between working and volunteering, she enjoys reading a range of young adult, science fiction, fantasy, and graphic novels.

Sharon K. Goetz, Programming Secretary
(sharon.goetz at sirensconference.org)
Favorite Fantasy Book: The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner
Too fond of textuality for her own good, Sharon works for a print-and-digital project that creates critical editions. She has also written software manuals, taught college writing courses oriented around speculative fiction and King Arthur, and completed a Ph.D. investigating medieval English chronicles amidst their manuscript contexts. Sharon served as Academic Programming Coordinator for Terminus and Phoenix Rising and as Programming Secretary for The Witching Hour; in 2002 she chaired the Medieval Performativity conference that celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the UC Berkeley Beowulf Marathon. Amongst Sharon's leisure pursuits are reading widely, playing video games, and volunteering as a Strange Horizons copy-editor.

Lauren Kent, Editor and Audio-Visual Coordinator
(lauren.kent at sirensconference.org)
Favorite Fantasy Book: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
By day, Lauren Kent is a mild-mannered IT specialist at a New York investment and technology firm, but under cover of night, she transforms into a champion of grammar, destroyer of factual inconsistencies, and defender of serial commas everywhere. Her past adventures in event planning include stints as the Audio-Visual Coordinator for Terminus, an audio-visual and website volunteer for Phoenix Rising and The Witching Hour, and an organizer for several local Harry Potter and Star Wars line parties. Lauren is thrilled to be joining the Sirens team in its second year.

Manda Lewis, Art Coordinator
(manda.lewis at sirensconference.org)
Favorite Fantasy Book: Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb
Manda, who finds that first "A" to be just a little too sharp to include in her name, holds a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering and served in the Air Force for seven years. She is currently working on her master's degree and looking forward to new challenges in life outside the military. Memberships in various organizations in college gave her experience with planning workshops, community service events, fundraisers, and of course, parties. Manda has always made it a habit to draw, color, and doodle on just about everything within reach, and loves themes far more than anyone really should. Until recently, she resided in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to that, she lived in the state of Ohio, where she had the fortune of working with other fans to create an organization for adult Harry Potter fans, hp-ohio. hp-ohio has furthered her opportunities to be involved in event planning with monthly meetings, Yule balls, book releases, and Quidditch leagues, eventually leading her to volunteer for Phoenix Rising, Terminus, and both 2009 and 2010 Sirens.

Sharina Pratt, Logistics Coordinator
(sharina.pratt at sirensconference.org)
Favorite Fantasy Book: Fire by Kristin Cashore
With a Bachelor of Science degree from the Rosen School of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida, Sharina works for an exhibition and event services company that produces many of the world's most recognized tradeshows in every major convention market across North America and the United Kingdom. Her passion for events began at a very early age, and she has been fortunate in her prior employment at Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando to put that passion to good use. Sharina previously held the position of Logistics Coordinator for Terminus in Chicago, Illinois, and Chair of Registration for The Witching Hour, a Harry Potter symposium in Salem, Massachusetts, and for Phoenix Rising in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Sherwood Smith, Programming Coordinator
(sherwood.smith at sirensconference.org)
Favorite Fantasy Book: The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
Sherwood writes fantasy and science fiction novels and short fiction. Her stories have been finalists for the Nebula and Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards, and her characters, including Meliara, Wren, and Inda, are fantasy favorites. Her recently published works include Crown Duel and its prequel, A Stranger to Command; the four Inda books; Sasharia en Garde: Once a Princess and Twice a Prince; Senrid; the Wren series; and stories in Lace and Blade, Firebirds, and Firebirds Soaring: An Anthology of Original Speculative Fiction. In September 2010 DAW will publish Coronets and Steel, a Ruritanian romance. In addition to coauthoring the Exordium series with Dave Trowbridge, she has published novels set in others' worlds, including Earth: Final Conflict, Andromeda, L. Frank Baum's Oz, and (with Andre Norton) the Solar Queen and Time Traders universes.

Amy Tenbrink, Conference Chair
(amy.tenbrink at sirensconference.org)
Favorite Fantasy Book: Fire by Kristin Cashore
Amy spends her days handling acquisition, distribution, and intellectual property transactions for a Fortune 200 company in Colorado. Her nights and weekends over the last twenty years have involved managing a wide variety of events, including theatrical productions, marching band shows, sporting events, and conferences. Most recently, she has organized three Harry Potter conferences (The Witching Hour, in Salem, Massachusetts; Phoenix Rising, in the French Quarter of New Orleans; and Terminus, in downtown Chicago) and the first year of Sirens. Her experience includes all aspects of event planning, from logistics and marketing to legal consulting and budget management, and she holds degrees with honors from both the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music and the Georgetown University Law Center.

Hallie Tibbetts, Conference Chair
(hallie.tibbetts at sirensconference.org)
Favorite Fantasy Book: "The Faery Handbag" by Kelly Link
An honors graduate of the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, Hallie taught K–8 music classes for the Broad Prize-winning Long Beach Unified School District in California before leaving to pursue other dreams. She has worked in a variety of media, social work, event planning, and administrative positions. Hallie has been chairing hybrid conferences since 2004, and she graduated from the Denver Publishing Institute in summer 2010.

Amy Wilson, Registration Coordinator
(amy.wilson at sirensconference.org)
Favorite Fantasy Book: Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan
Drawn back to the academic world by her love of literature, history, and folklore, Amy is currently an administrative assistant by day while attending school to finish her Bachelor of Arts degree. She volunteered at The Witching Hour and was on staff for Phoenix Rising, Terminus, and now Sirens. When she isn't doing homework or volunteering, Amy can generally be found either with her nose stuck in a book or with a pen in hand.