the AWARD PANEL
About the Award Panel: The nine-member Award Panel includes a diverse range of views, backgrounds and literary experience necessary to deliberate the merits of all nominated authors. The Award Panel will grant awards at its discretion and the decision of the Award Panel is final.
Mr. Ray E. Boomhower
Senior Editor, Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History
Indiana Historical Society
Indianapolis, IN
Ray E. Boomhower is senior editor of the Indiana Historical Society’s quarterly popular history magazine Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History. Mr. Boomhower has been with the Society since 1987, beginning work for the statewide, nonprofit organization as its public relations coordinator. Along with numerous articles for Traces, the Indiana Magazine of History, Outdoor Indiana and other history periodicals, Mr. Boomhower is the author of numerous books, including “Gus Grissom: The Lost Astronaut,” “The Sword and the Pen: A Life of Lew Wallace,” “The Soldier’s Friend: A Life of Ernie Pyle,” “Fighting for Equality: A Life of May Wright Sewall,” “Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary” and “Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu.”
Mr. Boomhower, a native of Mishawaka, Indiana, graduated from Indiana University with degrees in journalism and political science. He earned a master’s degree in U.S. History from Indiana University, Indianapolis. Mr. Boomhower received the Hoosier Historian award from the Indiana Historical Society in 1999.
Dr. Nancy N. Conner
Director of Grants
Indiana Humanities Council
Indianapolis, IN
Nancy Conner serves as the Indiana Humanities Council’s Director of Grants. In addition to grant counseling and administration, she works on collaborations with cultural and historical organizations and special projects. She coordinates Novel Conversations , the Council’s statewide program that lends sets of books, primarily fiction and biography, to reading and discussion groups at public libraries, senior centers and other organizations, free of charge.
Her professional and volunteer activities include serving as a member of the Indiana Council for History Education, the Association of Indiana Museums Advisory Council, the Rivers Institute at Hanover College Advisory Board and the African-American Landmarks Committee of Indiana Landmarks. She has also served on the Indiana State Library Advisory Committee, the Lincoln States Bicentennial Task Force and the Japanese American Citizens League board.
Dr. Conner received a Ph.D. and M.A. in English from UCLA, an A.B. in literature from the University of California at Santa Cruz and an M.A. in history from IUPUI. She was an assistant professor of English at Purdue University and Iowa State University before coming to the Indiana Humanities Council in 1982.
Dr. Marc Hudson
Professor and English Department Chair
Wabash College
Crawfordsville, IN
Marc Hudson has taught literature and creative writing at Wabash College for the past 25 years and is currently chair of the English department. He received a B.A. in English from Georgetown University, an M.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from the University of Washington. His poems have been collected in three books: “Afterlight,” which received the 1983 Juniper Prize from the University of Massachusetts Press, “Journal for an Injured Son” and “The Disappearing Poet Blues.” His “Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary” was recently reissued in paperback. Dr. Hudson’s nature writing, nonfiction, reviews and essays have appeared in such magazines as Audubon, Pacific Northwest Magazine, Sewanee Review, North Dakota Quarterly and Hayden’s Ferry Review.
He lives in Crawfordsville, Indiana with his wife, Helen Mundy Hudson. Their daughter, Alexandra, teaches high school English for Teach for America in Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico.
Ms. Florrie Binford Kichler
President
Patria Press, Inc.
Indianapolis, IN
Florrie Binford Kichler is president of Patria Press, Inc., the publisher of the award-winning Young Patriots Series for children. A 17-year veteran of the publishing industry, Ms. Kichler has presented programs at more than 30 conferences and book festivals. Selected national media that have featured Ms. Kichler include C-Span 2’s Book TV, Pages, the National Book Review magazine and American Airlines American Way flight magazine. Ms. Kichler was recently named by Book Business Magazine as one of the Top 50 Women in Book Publishing.
Ms. Kichler is president of IBPA, the Independent Book Publishers Association. In addition, she is a member of the Children’s Book Council and the Indiana Library Federation. She serves on the Indiana University Kelley School of Business Women’s MBA Board of Advisors and the ACLU of Indiana Foundation Board. Florrie earned a B.A. in English and French and an MBA from Indiana University and lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Ms. Elsa F. Kramer
Adjunct Faculty, School of Library and Information Science
Indiana University
Indianapolis, IN
Elsa Kramer reads for a living. A self-employed researcher, writer and editor of books and magazines, she also is an adjunct lecturer in management for the Indiana University School of Library and Information Science in Indianapolis. Ms. Kramer earned a bachelor’s degree in writing and a master’s degree in library and information science from Indiana University. She has held editorial and marketing management positions in banking, legal services, higher education and educational publishing. She served on The Indianapolis Public Library board of trustees 2007-2008, and has been a competition judge for National History Day in Indiana, the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair and the College Fraternity Editors Association.
Mr. John Krull
Director, Pulliam School of Journalism
Franklin College
Franklin, IN
John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism. Before that, he served as the executive director of the then Indiana Civil Liberties Union and was an award-winning reporter and columnist for The Indianapolis News and Star. He also is the author of the book, “Emily’s Walk.” Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Krull grew up in Central Indiana. He graduated from Franklin College, where he studied in the same journalism program he now directs. He also has a master’s degree in American Studies from St. Louis University. Krull lives in Indianapolis with his wife, fellow journalist Jenny Labalme, and their two children, Erin and Ian.
Mrs. MacKenzie Ledley
Executive Director
Pulaski County Public Library
Winamac, IN
MacKenzie Inez Ledley is the Executive Director of the Pulaski County Public Library in Winamac, Indiana. Mrs. Ledley is a member of the American Library Association, Pulaski County Community Development Commission, Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce, and serves as an officer for the Pulaski County Historical Society. She has also performed provenance research for the Indiana State Museum on its Porter-Griffin collection. Mrs. Ledley holds degrees from Holy Cross College, Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana and a degree in Library and Information Science from Indiana University.
Dr. Kip Robisch
English Teacher, University High School
Carmel, IN
Kip Robisch has been a teacher for 27 years as a drumming instructor and musician, then working as a tutor, then as a college professor at both Butler and Purdue Universities for many years, and is now teaching English at University High School in Carmel, Indiana. He has published a book called “Wolves and the Wolf Myth in American Literature,” several short stories and a number of articles. He recently finished a story collection called “Papertown” and is currently writing both a young adult novel called “Shuttle” and an environmental literary history of the United States. He still plays the drums and loves to hike and ski in canyon and mountain country. He lives in Zionsville with his very old and very small cat, Annie.
Ms. Carol Tully
President
TEI Landmark Audio
Indianapolis, IN
Carol Tully is the founder of Taped Editions, Inc. which is the parent company of newly-formed TEI Landmark Audio. An avid reader and listener of audiobooks, she has served on numerous not-for-profit boards and has also served as Director of Finance for several not-for-profits during her career. Ms. Tully is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Business with a degree in Finance. Twenty-plus years ago, her love of reading led her to create a national distribution company that serves the public, school, library, military and corporate library markets.
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