[one_half]A lifelong resident of Prince William County, Rebecca Barnes is, as Marty Nohe says, a “serial entrepreneur” She has been a business owner for more than 30 years, starting and running several award-winning companies in Prince William County. Rebecca served for 12 years on the board of the (Regional) Chamber of Commerce and was its youngest female Chairman. She was a founding task force member, first (co) Chairman, and graduated from the first class of Leadership Prince William. Over the years, Rebecca has received numerous honors and awards while serving her community including the Seefeldt Arts Award, Business supporter of the year and three-time award winner, Business of the year, Prince William Chamber of Commerce. Rebecca is the Publisher of Prince William Living, which is the only lifestyle magazine that covers Prince William County and Greater Manassas, Va., exclusively. She is also the publisher of Brides & Weddings magazine and director of Give Back Prince William.Rebecca is also an active volunteer for the Occoquan Woodbridge Lorton Volunteer Fire Department as the Public Relations Specialist / Public Information Officer, where she serves as liaison to elected officials and acts as the PIO during major incidents. Rebecca studied at Northern Virginia Community College in Woodbridge Virginia. She continued her education at George Mason University, studying History and Secondary Education. Rebecca lives in Prince William County. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, visiting Walt Disney World and sleeping.[/one_half_last]

Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt, M.Ed., is the Director of Content Marketing for Prince William Living. With over 15 years of experience in social media, blogging, content promotion, and marketing, she provides writing, editing, social media, and other support to the editorial team.An active part of the literary community, Katherine is current president and a founding member of Write by the Rails (WbtR), the Prince William Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club. She has been a Prince William County Poet Laureate nominee, has won several writing awards, and earned status as an Amazon best selling author for her children's book, A Crane Named Steve, illustrated by Patrick King. Besides being published in dozens of journals and anthologies, Katherine has authored Poems from the Battlefield, Furbily-Furld Takes on the World, Approaching Felonias Park, Weaker Than Water, Bury Me Under a Lilac, Late April, A Crane Named Steve and Get Happy, Dammit. She writes full-time for a government contracting company and enjoys spending time with family, taking classes, and exploring all the community has to offer. Learn more about Katherine at www.KatherineGotthardt.com.

Carole has written for newspapers, magazines, and podcasts, and was a magazine editor for a non-profit organization. Carole is also a musician (she plays piano and organ, and she sings!) and a yoga instructor. She has a B.A. in sociology from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.