Austin Browncoats Board of Directors Bios
- Beth Nelson, Chairman
- Ryan M. Campbell, Vice Chair
- Claudia Drinovsky, Treasurer
- Kazia Hodges, Secretary and Webmaster
- Brooks Powers, Member at Large
Beth Nelson, Chairman
My name is Beth and I have been a Whedonite from before I knew he existed. Some of my favorite episodes of the TV show, "Roseanne," were written by Joss. I was completely converted in 1997 when the show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" hit the airwaves. While I wasn't instantly an "Angel" fan, my love of Joss' work grew immensely when I first saw "Firefly". It was like a brand new love affair. And because of Spike, I recently decided to fall in love with "Angel", as well.
I am the Chairman of the Austin Browncoats, as well as the Chairman of the 2008 Browncoat Ball committee and the Global Organizer for 2008's Can't Stop The Serenity. I head the most talented and loving group of Browncoats you will ever meet. This is a privilege – to work with such amazing people and get to call them my friends – this is the best job in the world!
My passion for doing good works started at a young age in New York City. I was working at the Prince Street Soup Kitchen when I was told they needed someone to take on a leadership role. The job would entail scheduling volunteers, looking/begging for companies to donate food for us beyond the food we bought with money from the city and making sure that all the food being cooked was timed and scheduled to work with our rush hours. I was 14 years old and thought it would be great fun to get involved and "manage" something like this. Well, I was right - it was great fun. I got to hang out with my friends, joke around and cook food. But, what it really was – rewarding. In more ways than the social ones. I was able to help people that were struggling to help themselves. I was able to help keep people's hope alive because once the food runs out, many options do as well. This led to years of volunteer work and years of this passion growing. Now, we believe that we can better the world one shindig at a time. And we will because we're Austin! We're Browncoats! And we aim to misbehave! (With the best intentions, of course!)
Ryan M. Campbell, Vice Chair
I am a native Texan and have lived in Austin since 2001. I live here with my nameless cat. My other interests include Longhorn sports, video games, and bad action movies. My other Sci-Fi/Space Western favorites include Star Wars and Farscape. While in college, I had the privilege to become a leader in Sigma Nu Fraternity where, in addition to developing a wealth of skills and expertise in running an organization, I made lifelong friends with some truly great people.
As a late comer to the phenomenon of Firefly, I was pleased to find a group of active Browncoats in Austin. After some time I saw just how dynamic this group of fans truly was, and began to explore ways I could get more involved. I volunteered my services which allowed me to take an active role in the Austin Browncoats. Other than my position as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of Austin Browncoats, I serve as an administrator for the Austin Browncoats Forum and the Can't Stop the Serenity Forum. I am also heading The Signalers track of the Browncoat Ball. I am fortunate that I have the opportunity to help lead this fine organization of great people as we try to better our own 'verse and have fun along the way.
Claudia Drinovsky, Treasurer
Hi, my name is Claudia and I'm originally from Switzerland, but have lived in Austin since 1995. I am married to Steve and we have two kids, Anika and Lars.
Firefly… where to start? We were pretty disappointed when it got cancelled, but when Serenity came out I found out that there was a whole fan base called the Browncoats. I joined the forums and then got involved with the first LoneStar Shindig in '05. After that life took over and I haven't been as involved as I would have liked to be, but recently I started to be more active in the Austin Browncoat community again and I enjoy it very much. I am very honored to be on the Board of Directors and will do my best to fulfill my position as Secretary.
I love to scrapbook and sew, and healthy cooking is one of my big passions!
Kazia Hodges, Secretary and Webmaster
Greetings. My name is Kazia, and I'm a native Texan, though I'm currently residing across the country in Oregon with my husband Sean and our daughter Hannah. I am a bit of a latecomer to the Firefly and Serenity fandom, though I have always been a fan of Joss Whedon since watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer when I was in high school. When I discovered the Firefly 'Verse, I hit the internet looking for as much information as I could about the 'Verse and its fandom. In doing so, I stumbled across the Austin Browncoats and am proud to call myself a member of the organization, even though I have never actually lived in Austin! You don't have to live in Austin to be an Austin Browncoat!
I am a work at home mom where I do web design and webmastering for a variety of organizations and individuals. I truly enjoy this because it gives me time to be with my daughter during the day until she's old enough to go start school. In addition to my webmaster position with the Austin Browncoats, I am the official webmaster for The Kids Need to Read Foundation and Global Can't Stop The Serenity 2009. I am so very glad to be a part of these great organizations. They are full of amazing people who do good works and help make a difference in the world.
Brooks Powers, Member at Large
Heyo! I'm Brooks...I grew up in Oklahoma and after college moved to Texas (2007). I've been going to conventions since I was in middle school – mostly sci fi in nature. I was not here but for a few months before I went to a convention called AllCon with some new friends and I stumbled onto a table titled "Austin Browncoats". I was not aware at the time what a fan following there was for Firefly and Serenity, but I was learning quickly. I had always liked the show and movie, but little did I know what a love I would develop and the friends I would make.
I live in Dallas but it wasn't long before I started to follow the Austin Browncoats to different conventions around the state. My affinity for them lead to volunteering for them once I really started to see all of the different works they were doing. I now follow the Browncoats around the nation and it is such a privilege to be so close to so many of them. Working with them and supporting the charities they support is fun and rewarding, plus you get to meet a lot of people, including some of the celebrities! (I'm a fanboy at heart)
I have always been a huge sci fi fan since I was very, very young and other shows I love include; Star Trek (Voyager is my favorite), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The 4400, Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, Andromeda, Babylon 5, Farscape, Doctor Who (the new one, especially if Rose was in it), Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis, Fringe, Eureka, Avatar – and this is only to name a few of the most popular.
When I am not working with the Austin Browncoats or hanging out with friends, I am a student of lighting of all kinds. I studied lighting design in college for theatre, but I am also a Certified Lighting Specialist for the American Lighting Association which encompasses residential, commercial, institutional and industrial applications and design.
All and all I am just a huge nerd.