Managing Editor
Jessica Santina | Jessica@familypulsemag.com
Jessica Santina is the owner of Jessica Santina Writing Services. She grew up in Atlanta and attended Emory University, where she earned a B.A. in English in 1994. In 1996, she moved to Reno to attend the University of Nevada, Reno where she completed a Master of Arts in writing. Her professional experience includes local television production and promotions, teaching first-year writing courses at the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Phoenix, and six years as a self- employed freelance writer and editor.

Jennifer Rachel Baumer
Jennifer Rachel Baumer started writing at age three and hasn�t stopped. Convinced she was going to be an archeologist, fighter pilot, police officer, sheriff�s deputy, disc jockey, zoo worker or mystery writer, she grew up to write about those things instead of doing them. Today she�s president of Ink Communications, a writing agency, and spends her time ghostwriting nonfiction books on topics ranging from surgery to biography to corporate concerns. She also writes articles for business and lifestyle magazines.

Janice Hoke
Janice Hoke was a reporter for more than 12 years for the Reno Gazette-Journal covering community affairs and education. After representing the Food Bank of Northern Nevada for four years, she reported for the Comstock Chronicle in Virginia City. Her first career was a high-school French teacher in Massachusetts and North Carolina before moving with her husband to Nevada in 1976. After raising twin boys who graduated in 1995 from Reno High School, she now volunteers weekly in a second-grade classroom at Libby Booth Elementary School. Her current passions are hiking, rock art documentation with the Nevada Rock Art Foundation and traveling.

Wendy Westergard Nason
Wendy Westergard Nason looks forward to new assignments from Family Pulse Magazine so she can combine her passion for learning with her fondness for writing. Her main love is her family; her husband, two teenagers and a multitude of relatives in Northern Nevada. Wendy graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a bachelor�s degree in journalism and a master�s in speech communication. This July she will complete her master�s in marriage, family and child therapy from the University of Phoenix. Wendy is grateful to the therapists at the Ridgeview Group for mentoring her and giving her an opportunity to see clients.

Dana Alan Nollsch
Dana Alan Nollsch has been creating photography in the Truckee Meadows for many decades. He enjoys creating fine art as well as commercial photography and has a great reputation as a talented event photographer. He is a regular contributor to many periodicals and newspapers and is also a freelancer. As a lifelong resident of the Truckee Meadows, he enjoys participating in the many recreational opportunities in Northern Nevada. He and his family enjoy rock climbing and yoga and Dana also is an avid cyclist. Some say he gets confused at stairs!  

Dean Schermerhorn
Dean Schermerhorn, MA, lives in Reno and owns Concise Communications, a freelance writing business. As a product of public education (and as the son of one teacher and the spouse of another), Dean views public education as the foundation of a just and enlightened society. He also enjoys learning about all types of schools and approaches to education. Dean enjoys reading about history and current events.

Heidi Stroebe
Heidi Stroebe is a graduate of the Reynolds School of Journalism at UNR. She has spent much of her life traveling and living in very diverse areas including Wisconsin, Costa Rica and good old Sparks, Nevada. She discovered her passion for writing at a very young age and has been hooked ever since. Her love for life and all of the great things in it are her inspiration and she looks forward to each and every journey that lies ahead.

Jeanne Lauf Walpole
Jeanne Lauf Walpole was born and raised in Kalispell, Montana, but has lived in Nevada for about 30 years. She received a bachelor�s degree in foreign languages and education from Washington State University and a master�s degree in journalism from the University of Memphis. Her eclectic work experience has included teaching high school Spanish and geography and owning gaming establishments. In recent years she has enjoyed a career as a freelance writer for a variety of magazines and newspapers and she is the author of six editions of the travel book, Insiders Guide to Reno and Lake Tahoe, published by Globe Pequot. When not writing or volunteering at Crisis Call Center, she can be found hiking or backcountry skiing with James.

Chef Michael Vingiello
After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in New York City, Chef Michael Vingiello was mentored for years by renowned executive chef Mark Estee of Moody�s Bistro & Lounge. He spent time running his own kitchen at Lexie�s in the Siena Hotel Spa Casino before joining the Bistro 7 team. Chef Michael partners with local proprietors and food producers to serve guests only the finest quality ingredients, while helping the community thrive.

Sue Edmondson
Reno-based writer Sue Edmondson has been writing fiction and non-fiction for over a decade. During her career, she’s sold short children’s stories to Winner Magazine and won the Reno News and Review 2001 Short Fiction contest. After retiring from her position as juvenile prosecutor for the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office in 2004, she expanded her non-fiction writing career. She’s published articles in Enjoy, PetFolio and RLife magazines, and reported for over four years for the Mountain Echo newspaper in Fall River Mills. Her interest personally and professionally remains children and families. And like most writers, she has a couple of novels in the works.

Zoie Oberg
Zoie Oberg will be senior at Wooster High School. She is very involved in her school as a member of the golf team, theatre, leadership, the IB programme, Burrito Lover’s Club, band, and art club. She is also involved in her community with the Reno Philharmonic Youth Symphonic Orchestra, honor band, and Solo and Ensemble Festival. In her spare, time she enjoys playing her bassoon, golfing, traveling and expanding her knowledge of the world around her. When she is older, she hopes to go to college at UCLA to study mechanical engineering and becoming a Disney Imagineer. This summer she is a participant of the Algerian Youth Leadership Program.

Charles Nemitz
Charles Nemitz is a Nevada native and graphic designer who likes nothing more than to doodle and color – almost compulsively. He's a graduate from the University of Nevada, Reno's Reynolds School of Journalism. He lives in Reno with his wife Mary and his daughters Katie and Joanna. He is currently the senior designer at Calculated Industries in Carson City.

Jill Furedy
Jill Furedy earned her journalism degree at Central Missouri State University, before moving to Nevada in 2003 with her husband Matt. She is currently the sales manager at the Carson City Borders book store, where she gets to tear into boxes of new books like Christmas presents nearly every day. Jill gave up writing her “to read next” list after three pages, though this summer she’s been reading Sarah Addison Allen, Alexander McCall Smith, Tana French, Janet Evanovich, Maria V Snyder and Jodi Picoult. She vigorously avoids the cookbook aisle because she can’t resist the pretty pictures and likes reading the cookbooks better than she likes cooking.