EXECUTIVE PROFILE

Strategic and community-centered library leader with seven years of public library experience and eighteen years of prior private-sector management overseeing teams of 30 professionals focused on customer satisfaction and management. Demonstrated expertise in fiscal stewardship, grant acquisition, community partnerships, literacy advocacy, and sustainable program expansion within limited municipal budgets. Proven ability to increase visibility, external funding, and community trust while aligning services with professional standards and evolving public needs.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Librarian & Upper Elementary Classroom Assistant | Montessori Children’s Schoolhouse
August 2026 – Present

Serve as the school librarian and Upper Elementary classroom assistant at a Montessori school serving students from early childhood through 8th grade.

• Build and develop the school library, including collection development, organization, policies, circulation, and programming.
• Evaluate and refresh a longstanding collection to create a current, diverse, and developmentally appropriate resource for students.
• Support students in the 4th–5th grade Montessori classroom through daily classroom activities, student work, transitions, and community-building.
• Collaborate with teachers to support student independence, engagement, and a positive classroom environment.
• Develop library resources and experiences that encourage curiosity, reading, research, and lifelong learning.

Peer Leader | Library Worker Support Network | Urban Librarians Unite
August 2026 – Present

Selected as a Peer Leader for the 3rd cohort of the Library Worker Support Network, supporting a peer-led community focused on connection, reflection, and care for library workers.

• Help create supportive, inclusive spaces for library workers to connect and share experiences.
• Participate in peer-led community care and support.
• Collaborate with fellow Peer Leaders to strengthen the Support Network.
• Contribute perspectives and lived experience to conversations around workplace challenges and resilience.

Youth Services Librarian | Whiting Public Library
September 2021 – January 2026

Served a municipality of approximately 5,000 residents. Provided strategic oversight of youth services operations, programming, outreach, and collections while maximizing limited funding through external partnerships and grants.

MEMBERSHIPS & CERTIFICATES

• Member of American Library Association
• Member of Indiana Library Federation
• Member of Association for Rural & Small Libraries
• Indiana LC4 Certification

STRATEGIC BUDGET & RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

• Managed a $5,000 annual youth programming budget and expanded service capacity significantly through community partnerships, in-kind donations, volunteer coordination, and external funding.
• Secured grant funding and sponsorships to supplement municipal allocations without increasing operational strain.
• Managed $30,000 Children’s Materials, $15,000 Young Adult Materials, and $7,000 RELIA budgets using data-informed purchasing strategies aligned with community demographics and literacy goals.
• Demonstrated fiscal responsibility while expanding both physical collections and service offerings.

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP & LARGE-SCALE INITIATIVES

• Founded and led the annual Back to School Bash, a large-scale community initiative funded primarily through partnerships and donations, providing free haircuts, school supplies, and family programming. Strengthened community trust and positioned the library as a central civic partner.
• Designed and executed a literacy-focused fundraiser in partnership with Oil City Stadium (Summer 2025), leveraging collaboration with a local minor league baseball venue to promote reading initiatives while raising $1,000 to reinvest in children’s programming.
• Expanded the library’s role as a convening space through strategic outreach, marketing, and relationship-building with local businesses, schools, and volunteers.
• Increased public visibility and engagement through management of library social media and communications strategy.

YOUTH SERVICES INFRASTRUCTURE & SYSTEM DESIGN

• Established a Teen Advisory Board (25+ active members), creating structured youth leadership pathways and sustained volunteer engagement.
• Reimagined the Children’s Department layout to improve accessibility, literacy progression, and user experience, including implementation of a research-informed Phonics collection and improved developmental shelving transitions.
• Developed an interactive early learning play space supporting informal education and caregiver engagement.
• Expanded circulating entertainment collections, including development of a Nintendo Switch collection exceeding 200 games and a fivefold expansion of board game holdings, increasing equitable access to high-cost recreational materials for families.

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

Library initiatives received recognition or professional feature coverage from:

• Indiana University
  • Luddy Indianapolis library student serving her community one snack at a time, January 2024
• School Library Journal
  • Power-Up Programming with Puzzles!, January 2025
• American Library Association Programming Librarian
  • Among Us in Real Life, June 2025
• Latino Homeschooling
  • More Than Just Books — The Library as an Educational Partner, February 2026
• American Library Association
  • Q&A: 3 Expert Librarians Share Their Summer Reading Décor Secrets, June 2026

Youth Services Playbook blog recognized by:

• American Libraries Magazine
• Indiana State Library
• Oregon Library Association
• State Library of Iowa

PROFESSIONAL INITIATIVE

Founder & Author

Youth Services Playbook

Founded a professional platform dedicated to mentoring youth services librarians, sharing sustainable programming models, funding strategies, literacy research applications, and community-centered leadership practices.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

• Municipal Budget Stewardship
• Grant Acquisition & External Funding Strategy
• Strategic Community Partnerships
• Literacy Advocacy & Research-Based Implementation
• Policy & Intellectual Freedom Best Practices (aligned with American Library Association standards)
• Staff & Volunteer Leadership
• Public Relations & Civic Engagement
• Long-Term Youth Services Planning

LEADERSHIP VISION

Committed to strengthening public libraries as essential civic institutions by:

• Expanding sustainable funding streams
• Deepening school-library partnerships
• Enhancing teen leadership pipelines
• Mentoring emerging librarians
• Advocating for equitable access to literacy and lifelong learning

PRESENTING AT THE FOLLOWING WEBINARS & CONFERENCES

Chosen to present at the following:

STEAL THESE IDEAS: A Teen Programming and Engagement UnConference, a virtual conference hosted by Library Journal & School Library Journal, July 2026

Beyond the Ask: Grant Writing, Partnerships, and Funding Strategies for Libraries, a webinar hosted by the Indiana State Library, September 2026

Readers Advisory Seminar, a conference hosted by New South Wales State Library in Australia, March 2027

RESUME