Ann Voorhees Baker is Founder & Producer of Women At Woodstock, a national gathering every fall in Woodstock, NY – founded in 2012. In her “day job,” Ann is a writer, ghostwriter, editor, and website developer. Click here to visit her website, AnnVBaker.com.
She has designed websites and developed integrated social media marketing and search engine optimization plans for a medical education foundation, photographer, skin care salon, roommate-finding service, specialty construction company, support-group blog, plumbing service, clothing line, custom-designed surfboard company, political candidate, author, job search firm, speech trainer, and many more.
Ann is a writer of fiction, and has had short stories published in the Noyo River Review and in the 25th anniversary edition of the Chicago Quarterly Review, with a third story coming out in the spring 2022 edition of the Chicago Quarterly Review. Day-to-day, she’s a contributing writer to other websites including SixtyandMe.com, and ghostwrites blog posts, articles, and nonfiction books for a select group of clients in addition to writing her own blog here on the Women At Woodstock website. Her most recent book-length ghostwriting and editing projects include a book of daily inspirational stories by nationally known luxury-event caterer Bill Hansen, and a book of guidance by an attorney offering financial and legal advice to women just starting out in life.
A few years ago she acquired the over-50 women’s news & information site, ZestNow and built a new website for it, which she rebranded as Upside of 50. Working side-by-side with ZestNow founder Dianne Morris who now serves as Executive Editor for Upside, Ann is Publisher and Editor in Chief.
Ann has taught courses at UCLA for students over 50 on internet usage and social media marketing: “Internet Catch-Up for Boomers & Beyond,” and “Online Marketing for Boomers in Business.”
Her web design and social media marketing practice grew out of a more traditional publishing and marketing firm that she founded and ran for 15 years prior to selling it in the early 2000’s to serve for a few years as Director of Communications, Marketing and Media Relations for a public school district.
Before her publishing and marketing career, Ann practiced law as an enforcement attorney for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She holds a B.S. in cybernetics (pre-med and engineering) from UCLA and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Ann encourages women to keep ahead of technology, connect with others, expand their knowledge, and seek out relationships with like-minded women who will encourage them to pursue the dreams they may have been putting off for a lifetime. It’s all about returning to your authentic self, which sometimes is much harder than you think.
She will be leading the Mastermind Sessions and Evening Salons at the Over-50 Retreat, and guiding the Evening Readings at the Writers Retreat.