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Staff Contacts
Michael D. Pederson
Con Chair
chair@ravencon.com
I'm the crazy fool that thought of this whole mess. Some of you probably already know me as "that Nth Degree guy." I've always been the annoyingly enthusiastic person that talks his friends into doing stupid things. RavenCon is the latest project that I've "conned" my friends into putting together. Five years of RavenCon's have been even more fun to put together than I had hoped. Lots of thanks to everyone that attends and I look forward to making 2010 even bigger and better. Drop me a line if you have any suggestions for this year. Oh yeah, and I'm also co-chairing ReConStruction, the 2010 NASFiC, next year in Raleigh, North Carolina. I told you I was crazy.
John Jones
Vice Con-Chair
vice-chair@ravencon.com
My name is John Jones, the Vice Con-chair for Ravencon. I attended my first science fiction convention a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. I was a con volunteer for Vulkon's Maryland shows many years ago. I have been the assistant to the Operations Coordinator (2007) and assistant Hotel Coordinator (2008) at past RavenCons. I ran Operations for Wrath of Con in Panama City, FL in 2008. I aim to build on the work started by Tony and Tee to help make Ravencon one of the best conventions in Virginia.
Paul Blotkamp & Vanora Hagan
Art Show Co-Directors
artshow@ravencon.com
Paul attended (and staffed!) his first convention his freshman year in college at Virginia Tech (that was Technicon 1 - if you know the con, you do the math). Over the years he has run Operations, Security, Dealers, and Art Show for several cons (but not at the same time). He is also Vice-Chair and Corporate Vice-President for Katsucon. RavenCon marks his sixth convention as Art Show Director. Of all con departments, Art Show is his favorite - it gives him plenty of time to keep an eye on the pieces he intends to buy for himself!
Vanora is a veteran of too many artshows to count. She earned her BFA from the Corcoran College of Art in Washington, DC (and still works retail when not attending cons). Her art has been published in the 2006 and 2007 editions of "Imagine". Her work has even garnered a celebrity endorsement from Aaron Douglas of "Battlestar Galactica". As well as submitting her work to around 10 cons per year, she also represents several other artists at many cons. She was first "volunteered" into running Art Shows when the artists at one convention staged a coup to take over a show that apparently had no staff. And she has not been able to escape it since!
Bill Truesdale
Convention Operations Coordinator
conops@ravencon.com
Hi, I'm Bill Truesdale and for years I've attended conventions as a fan and I've also been working them too, mainly con security, from San Diego Comic-con to Shore Leave, Dragoncon, and Imaginecon 2000. I hope to make our panels run smoothly so that our con-goers can have a great time going to them. Any questions on the convention, or Con-Ops, please e-mail me.
Kieron Torres
ConSuite Coordinator
consuite@ravencon.com
I was the person who sat in the consuite and other places around Ravencon 2007 with a dremel and carved images on beer glasses for the Guests of Honor. I helped Lee Gilliland man the consuite for the first two Ravencons and took over as Coordinator in 2008. I am back this year to once again provide a nice ambiance for food, chatting, and maybe another power tool. Well, at least another craft. In any case, I hope to provide a welcoming consuite for taking a break between activities and enhancing your convention experience. If you have any thoughts and suggestions, please email me.
Lee Gilliland
Assistant Con Suite Coordinator
Lee Gilliland has been in and around and of fandom longer than she really wants to remember, which she thinks puts her pretty much in the mainstream. She has helped at scores of conventions, most notably with con suites and parties, as well as giving several herself and with her husband Alexis. She is also active in many other fandoms than SF, inculuding Titanic, Sherlock Holmes, and Man From U.N.C.L.E., as well as retaining an active interest in Egyptology and space exploration. She will willingly talk your ear off about these and many other subjects, just try her.
Susan Blackmoor
Entertainment Coordinator
entertainment@ravencon.com
Since her first convention in 1988, Susan has enjoyed attending science fiction and fantasy conventions across the eastern United States. If you are performing at RavenCon, tell Susan what you need in order for your show to be a success.
Shadow Harmon
Gaminatrix
gaming@ravencon.com
My name is Shadow and this year the gaming team is focused on bringing gaming to the next level at RavenCon! If you are interested in running a game, volunteering, or just have suggestions or rants -- please feel free to contact us at gaming (at) ravencon.com. Oh and remember, at RavenCon we have set a new standard: The gaming room never closes! That's right… from con start to con finish, the gaming room will remain open 24 hours a day! WOOT!
Crystal L. Ritchie
Guest Liason
guests@ravencon.com
Crystal L Ritchie is a convention veteran. She is constantly networking and mixing with con-goers all across the South. Her mission is to find out who they are reading, what topics they are interested in, and who they would like to see as Guests of Honor at their "dream convention". When she isn't in con-mode, she can often be found acting as hostess at the Baen Barfly's Hospitality suite.
Davey Beauchamp
High School Outreach Coordinator
Rene
Hotel Liason
majordomo@ravencon.com
I have volunteered at conventions for over 15 years. I was president of the USS Chesapeake (a chapter of Starfleet International) in Richmond for 8 years, now I'm 2nd in command. The Chesapeake is a non-profit charity organization that supports Ronald McDonald House, the Battered Women's Shelter and other charities in the Richmond area.
It is my job to make sure that the friendly and helpful hotel staff has everything they need to make this year's RavenCon as hugely successful as last year's RavenCon. If you have any problems with making reservations or special requests that the hotel staff has been thus far unable to help you with, please email me, and I shall try to solve the problems.
Donal von Griffyn aka "Griffyn"
Local Guide
Donal has been in volunteering at conventions since 1989 and in the late 90s was chosen to be Assistant Volunteer Coordinator for DASFA's Mile High Con. His professional career includes working with many game developers and special effects d esigners as part of the Games Quarterly Catalog team, DreamPark LLC and the Ghost Town Productions haunted houses. After almost a decade absent from conventions, Donal has recently returned to donate his time to RavenCon. Outside of conventions he enjoys restoring and modifying older cars, racing them locally and investigating emergent technologies for reduced-impact living.
Brandon Blackmoor
Programming Coordinator
programming@ravencon.com
Brandon is a computer geek who loves bad movies. His collection of Godzilla DVDs and Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes is arguably the largest in Richmond. He hates it when the aspect ratio is wrong on televisions in restaurants, and he is a notoriously big tipper. He read voraciously when he was younger, but stopped when Egon Spengler declared, "Print is dead". He is survived by his cat Nikita, and his lovely wife Susan, and an aquarium of disgruntled fish.
Cheryl Jones
Promotions & Publicity Coordinator
promotions@ravencon.com
“Starfleet utilized a little known reactivation clause. In other words, Admiral, they drafted me!” (Dr. McCoy to Admiral Kirk, Star Trek: The Motion Picture) Yes, this is how it all began. I, a past commander of the USS CHESAPEAKE, was drafted by the current captain to join RavenCon.
I am Cheryl Lynn “Chessie” Jones, and I am the swag mistress for RavenCon. What does that entail? It means that I do advertising. Mostly, I acquire the items (pens, pencils, notepads, bookmarks, comics, etc) that go into our ‘goodie bags’ for the convention. I also handle the advertising sales for the con handbook. Plus, I maintain the swag tables at the convention. Email me if you want to advertise or send me goodies for our bags or the tables!
Doris Manning
Webmistress & Registration Coordinator
webmaster@ravencon.com
After many years working behind the scenes for another science-fiction and fantasy convention, I promised myself I was going to take a break from doing anything more than being a regular con-goer. As you can see, that promise didn't last very long because here I am as RavenCon's Webmistress and have now added the title of Registration Coordinator. If you have any suggestions for or problems with this site, email me.
