www.blackwriters.org
(Involvement included venue selection, planning, chairing committees, facilitating workshops, moderating panels, or providing registration or other support)
Tia is the long-serving conference director of the Black Writers Reunion and Conference held each year in the US. I first met Tia in 2008 at the Tampa conference, and have since been in awe of her ability to pull together such a mammoth event each year. I have been to writers’ conferences, festivals and other arty gatherings all around Australia and across the globe and I tell you this woman is one of the best conference organisers I have ever had the pleasure to work with. If you’re planning a conference, you need Tia on your team! As I head off to Atlanta shortly, I am grateful for having had Tia coordinate my workshops again this year.
- Dr. Anita Heiss, Author; Adjunct Associate Professor, Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education, University of Western Sidney, New South Wales, Australia; and National Coordinator, AustLit – Black Words
I’ve attended MANY writers conferences and book festivals over the years, and I must say, Tia puts on one of the best events out there for African-American authors. She has a savvy business sense, and is a fierce negotiator, which enables her to keep things affordable for conference participants. Multi-tasking is her special skill, and although she wears many hats, she does it all with quality and competence. She is also kind, gracious, and responsive — which I appreciate in a colleague/mentor — and is always willing to go out of her way to help someone out. I’ve encountered many shady individuals in the publishing biz, who are just out to make money off of naive, aspiring authors, but Ms. Ross is a woman of integrity, who truly cares about the work she does and the people she works for.”
- Stephanie Casher, Partner, The Pantheon Collective
Tia’s innovative thinking and leadership skills in the areas of conference and strategic planning, volunteer coordination, customer service and her technical knowledge place her in a league of her own.
- Jeanette Hill
Tia’s creative genius yields an atmosphere that’s conducive to networking, education, and sales all at the same time. Her planning and execution skills are flawless as each conference has flowed seamlessly, without any quirks or disruptions. I highly recommend Tia to direct and produce your next conference. With her high level of professionalism and expertise, she has produced a brand of excellence to ensure that your conference will be an event to remember.
- Sherrice Thomas
