Milford Readers & Writers Festival Board Members

Originally from Port Jervis, New York, Edson returned to the area, retiring in Shohola, Pennsylvania, after a decades-long international career in education and public health communication.

Carol McManus is an award-winning author, professional speaker, and radio host. She is the Senior Editor for the Mark Victor Hansen Library and oversees a team of ghostwriters and illustrators. She is passionate about the written word and helping others discover their voice through poetry and prose.

Barbara is a English teacher, a writing professor, and a former school administrator. She serves as Pike Artworks’ Secretary, and runs the children’s events at the festival.

Rocco Zappile serves as the Treasurer of Pike Artworks. He is a CPA, holds an advanced degree in finance, and manages a large not-for-profit organization in Patterson, New Jersey.

A local writer and long-time Milford resident and business owner, Lilian passionately heads up the festival’s science fiction panels and events honoring Milford’s deep historical ties to the beloved genre.

Sean Strub is an activist, and the author of Body Counts: A Memoir of Politics, Sex, AIDS and Survival.  He serves as the Mayor of Milford, Pennsylvania, and is passionate about bringing life to the community through the arts while helping businesses grow and prosper.

Rebecca Lindsey practiced law in Chicago, New York and Washington. She researches and writes extensively for the Metropolitan Museum. Her history of the 130 year old Musical Instruments Department at the Metropolitan Museum was published in 2016. She and her husband Richard came to Milford twenty years ago and now make it their permanent residence.

Jennifer Ziegler is retired from her company JCZ Inc. in Connecticut and New Jersey after over 30 years in business. She has been on the Board of Stamford Women’s Club. Jennifer also served as event planner for 3 seasons of the Ridgefield Film Festival. She is current President of the Highland Lakes Women’s Auxiliary.  She has been on the Milford Readers and Writers Festival Committee since its inception.

Brian Carso has worked in law, government, and academia. As both a lawyer and historian, he has written broadly about the American experience, including a scholarly book on the history of treason and a historical novel about Revolutionary War espionage.  He serves on the faculty of Misericordia University in Dallas, PA, and lives in Matamoras, PA.