Vera Marie K. Badertscher
Vera Marie (Bunny) Badertscher has lived in and explored Arizona and the west for thirty-five years. She has traveled widely in Asia and Europe as well as forty-five of the fifty states. When she was barely one year old her family went on a road trip from Ohio to Mississippi. Since that first trip she has scaled the narrow steps of Angkor Wat meandered through old Jerusalem scrunched across a New Zealand inhaled the wild thyme on Greek mountains shared a dusty road with mules in Mata Ortiz Mexico and swayed with a midnight crowd at an Easter paseo in Seville. These are just a sampling of the experiences she shares with her readers. From her home in Arizona, she writes about Gila monsters hawks and back road adventures as well as lifestyle home and the arts. Badertscher's business consulting experience includes government relations services and grass roots organizing for business clients and local governments in the fields of health emergency services communication and commercial development. Before launching her own political and public affairs consulting firm she planned and managed several successful congressional races in Arizona's C. D. 5 and managed an upset gubernatorial race in 1990. In addition, she published a political newsletter the Baja Arizona Political News (1992-1996) and served as a political commentator on a local television news program. She has organized and taught political workshops and has been a trainer for the Women's Campaign Research Fund. Badertscher was honored as a "Woman on the Move" by the Tucson YWCA (1994) and was listed in the Tucson Citizen's "Who Runs Tucson" issue (1995). She is listed in Who's Who in the West. She has won many awards for her writing including first place national awards from the National Federation of Press Women. She has served on the board of Invisible Theater Tucson Center for Women and Children Women's Studies Advisory Council (University of Arizona) and Pima County Republican Women's Club and is a past member of the board of the Rotary Club of Tucson. She is also a supporter of public radio and television Nature Conservancy and the Tucson Jazz Society. During the 60's and 70's as a citizen of Scottsdale she served on the board of the Scottsdale Indian Arts Exhibition on many civic committees the Scottsdale Parks and Recreation Board and Board of Adjustment. She founded the Scottsdale Theater for Children which she headed for ten years. After moving to Tucson, she worked as a director actor and public relations manager for Invisible Theater. In 1993 she turned to freelance writing. Badertscher's education includes a BA with high distinction and BS in Education from Ohio State University with a theater major and English minor an MA in theater at Arizona State University and extended university classes in business and in writing at the University of Arizona. She is a professional member of the Society of Southwestern Authors. She is married to Ken Badertscher and has three adult sons and seven grandchildren.