Attachment A - 2026 BPLD Application Packet

Regular Meeting, May 7, 2026 · item 4G: Consideration of a motion to ratify the Library District Board of Trustees Selection Committee’s appointment of one trustee to the Boulder P… · 83 pages

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Boulder Public Library District Board of Trustees 2026 Application Packet Appoint member to expired 5-year term to replace Trustee O’Brien, ending in 2031

List of Candidates Emily Biega Christian Borden Lisa Feria Jeffrey E. Galvin Muchiri Kahwai Amy Molé Levi Morris Valerie Neal Pamela Palumbo Chelsea Redwine Marc Rosenberg Fiachra Stokes Siegfried Schabel Jane Sykes Wilson

Applicant Demographics

Locations: 2026 BPLD Board of Trustees Applicants LOCATION inside Boulder city limits Gunbarrel area inside Boulder city limits inside Boulder city limits inside Boulder city limits Lazy Acres area Lazy Acres area inside Boulder city limits inside Boulder city limits Cherryvale area inside Boulder city limits Gunbarrel area inside Boulder city limits

First Name Emily Christian Lisa Jeffrey E. Muchiri Amy Levi Valerie Pamela Marc Siegfried Fiachra Jane

Last Name Biega Borden Feria Galvin Kahwai Mole Morris Neal Palumbo Rosenberg Schabel Stokes Sykes Wilson

Zip Code 80303 80301 80303 80303 80304 80302 80302 80302 80301 80303 80303 80301 80340

2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

I offer a combination of professional leadership, operational expertise, and a deep personal commitment to the Boulder community. My background as a Sr. Director of Marketing Operations has trained me to look at the "how" of an organization-ensuring that systems, budgets, and people are aligned to work efficiently and sustainably. Example 1: Strategic Fiscal and Operational Oversight For the past five years, I have worked for a mission-based educational technology company, where I currently manage an annual budget of $1M. My role requires making critical allocation decisions and defending those budgets to senior leadership. I am accustomed to managing high-priority projects where I must balance diverse perspectives and navigate opposing viewpoints to reach a productive consensus. I pride myself on being resilient and seeing complex, long-term projects through to completion. Example 2: Community-Centered Advocacy and Service I believe that joy and connection are the drivers for successful community institutions, and I intend to bring that energy to the Board's work. My commitment is demonstrated through my consistent volunteer work at the Paper & Spine Bookstore since 2022 and with Meals on Wheels of Boulder. These roles have given me a "ground-level" perspective on how library services impact residents. By combining my professional operational lens with this history of direct service, I can serve as a reliable, welcoming, and practical advocate for the library district's mission.

In my professional role, I am responsible for ensuring that 3. The BPLD envisions building inclusivity is a core part of our brand. This means being and maintaining an equitable library system for all patrons and intentional with our word choice and ensuring our visual content reflects the diverse educational community we serve. I've learned residents. Please provide how to navigate differing opinions to make high-impact decisions examples of your past that prioritize fairness, and I believe an equitable system starts experiences in promoting fairness and inclusivity and how with making sure everyone can see themselves reflected in the you would help build an equitable organization's mission. library system to serve the plans If appointed to the Board, I would help build an equitable library of the library district. system by focusing on: Protecting Access to Information: I view the commitment to the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read as a practical responsibility. I'll advocate for policies that keep the library a public forum where all ideas are accessible and our resources remain open to everyone. Active Outreach: I believe an important part of equity is "meeting folks where they are." I would support the Colorado Public Library Handbook's emphasis on outreach by looking for ways to expand the library's reach to residents who face barriers to using our physical branches. Reflecting the Community: I will use my experience with inclusive messaging to support library policies that reflect the many different lived experiences in Boulder. My goal is to ensure our board-level decisions foster an environment of "mutual respect and kindness," so every resident feels the library is a welcoming and relevant resource for them.

4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

I see the most important responsibilities of a library district as maintaining a balance between responsible fiscal stewardship and a high-quality patron experience. To me, this means ensuring we are as efficient as possible with our budget so that taxpayer dollars are used effectively. By focusing on these efficiencies, the district can continue to provide the best possible experience for every patron who uses our libraries. My goal is to help ensure the library remains a practical, well-run, and welcoming resource for our entire community.

5. Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision as part of a group or board. How did you balance differing viewpoints?

In my professional role, I recently led a high-stakes budget discussion involving our executive, marketing, and sales teams. We had to choose between continuing a proven marketing channel with steady results or reallocating a significant portion of Marketing budget toward a riskier, large-scale event with high potential exposure. As the leader of the proven channel, I was initially hesitant to decrease its funding, but I was excited by the potential for a new approach. The team was split, so we spent time openly discussing the pros and cons and looking at projections for how each path would impact our goals. I made sure every skeptical voice was heard and that we talked through the potential downsides together. Ultimately, we decided the potential for a "huge win" was worth the risk, and we reached a consensus to move forward with the event. Even after the decision, some skepticism remained. I believe that once a leadership group makes a choice, we have to move forward together and give the idea the best possible chance to succeed. I stayed positive and focused on the potential upside, helping move the group from hesitation to genuine excitement. The event ended up being a major success, showing that taking a calculated risk as a unified team can really pay off.

6. Are there any current or past I do not have any conflicts of interest for this position. relationships, affiliations, or business interests that you believe might create a conflict of interest in your role as a member of the board? If so, how do you plan to manage or mitigate these potential conflicts to ensure your decisions align with the best interests of the organization?

7. Regarding unmet community needs, what do you see as the top priorities for the board of trustees? How would you approach balancing these priorities during times of decreased tax revenues and increasing costs?

One of the most important roles the library plays is providing a space for human connection in our increasingly digital world. While the library offers incredible resources, I believe we can do an even better job of reaching members of our community who don't yet realize the full breadth of what is available to them. The library is so much more than a place to borrow physical books; it is a hub with digital collections, a bookstore, a cafe, free meeting rooms, art displays, and fun events like the Jaipur Literature Festival. Using my 10+ years of marketing experience, I want to help build "brand awareness" for these programs. My priority is to ensure that every resident-from parents looking for children's programs to adults seeking community-knows exactly how to utilize these facilities. When facing decreased tax revenues or increasing costs, I would focus on this outreach as a high-impact, low-cost solution. By more effectively promoting the resources we already have and "meeting folks where they are" through community partnerships, we can get more people involved and maximize the library's value without necessarily needing to increase spending.

2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

I have experience interpreting and voting on organizational bylaws, policies, rules, regulations, and budgets in non-profit and private organizations. My degree in business administration included focuses on information management, data analytics, and real estate. I believe this education, in combination with real world experience in a corporate HR systems and operations role, and experience leading a non-profit fraternal organization, has equipped me with tools to be a valuable member of the board. I am comfortable contributing to financial planning and deliverables for board reports. I believe it the ideals espoused in the Library Bill of Rights and that libraries are viral parts of the communities we live in.

3. The BPLD envisions building I always encourage individuals from all backgrounds to join in and maintaining an equitable discussions and share their thoughts and experiences. I library system for all patrons and encourage the teams that I am on to listen to the input from residents. Please provide everyone at the table with an open mind. This allows us to make examples of your past educated decisions that promote positive outcomes for all experiences in promoting stakeholders, especially those who may often be forgotten or fairness and inclusivity and how ignored. you would help build an equitable library system to serve the plans of the library district. 4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

Ensure libraries in our district make the best use of available funds to provide the community with services they've most utilized and requested. Ensure budgets are created and followed to support the long-term stability of the system. Ensure properties are proactively maintained and that long-term maintenance plans are in place.

5. Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision as part of a group or board. How did you balance differing viewpoints?

In my time as a leader in a nonprofit fraternal organization, we had to make the difficult decision to remove a member whose actions were not consistent with the values of the organization. We had to balance differing viewpoints and hear out both sides of the situation, putting aside assumptions or personal feelings, in order to come to a decision that was in the best interests of the organization.

I do not have any current or past relationships, affiliations, or 6. Are there any current or past business interests that I believe might create a conflict of interest relationships, affiliations, or in my role as a member of the board. business interests that you believe might create a conflict of interest in your role as a member of the board? If so, how do you plan to manage or mitigate these potential conflicts to ensure your decisions align with the best interests of the organization? 7. Regarding unmet community needs, what do you see as the top priorities for the board of trustees? How would you approach balancing these priorities during times of decreased tax revenues and increasing costs?

The board should analyze the unmet needs data to understand which needs could have the highest community impact while still falling within budget.

1. Why are you interested in serving on the Library District Board of Trustees?

As a mother of two kids in the Boulder school system and an avid reader, I am passionate about public services and the invaluable support they provide. Libraries are one of the few institutions that truly serve everyone. I am interested in serving because the Boulder Public Library District is at a critical moment that will define its trajectory for decades to come. The voters created an independent district. Now the responsibility is to ensure that governance, financial stewardship, and capital decisions are made with discipline and long-term clarity. In my professional life, I built and now lead Stray Dog Capital, a $100M+ venture platform that has delivered top-decile returns (3x net on Fund I) My work centers on long-horizon stewardship, making decisions where liquidity may not come for 8-10 years and where early choices compound over time, both positively and negatively. The library district is facing similarly critical decisions: asset ownership, capital planning, and institutional independence from the City. That kind of transition requires solid governance, financial rigor, and long-term thinking, all work I know well and care deeply about. I would be honored to help ensure ours remains financially strong, accessible, and relevant for generations.

2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

As CEO and Managing Partner of Stray Dog Capital, a venture capital firm, I have full authority over capital allocation, governance, and fiduciary responsibility across three venture funds totaling over $100M in funds managed. I have raised capital from over 100 investors, with over 70% reinvesting across funds, demonstrating long-term trust and confidence in the fund and in my leadership. I regularly evaluate ownership-versus-control trade-offs, whether to take board seats, structure governance protections, extend capital, or restructure organizations during a crisis. I have stepped in as interim CEO and COO during portfolio inflection points to stabilize operations and preserve enterprise value. I have seen, evaluated, and managed hundreds of companies, and have in-depth governance, financial, and team leadership experience that would befit the Board of Trustees. As a leader in a Fortune 500 company, I led cross-functional teams across R&D, supply chain, finance, and marketing, and reversed a five-year decline on a $500M brand, driving 15% sales growth through disciplined resource allocation, accountability, and swift action. As a trustee, I would bring that same clarity: support strong staff leadership, set strategic guardrails, and ensure taxpayer resources are deployed responsibly. I served on the U.S. Department of Commerce National Advisory Council on Innovation & Entrepreneurship, advising the US Secretary of Commerce on inclusive capital access and national innovation strategy. That experience strengthened my appreciation for public accountability and the complexity of cross-sector collaboration. The district's ongoing work with the City and County requires not just financial fluency, but the ability to navigate public institutions constructively. I am comfortable operating in those environments. Plus, I am easy to get along with and have a good head on my shoulders.

As one of fewer than 1% of Latina venture capitalists managing a 3. The BPLD envisions building fund over $50M I take representation and expansion of and maintaining an equitable library system for all patrons and opportunities seriously. I understand firsthand the importance of access in leadership and capital systems, and I have set up our residents. Please provide internship program at the fund to give opportunities to examples of your past underserved groups - a foot in the door, so to speak. In addition, experiences in promoting fairness and inclusivity and how our fund is majority woman-owned and diverse from the top you would help build an equitable down. I strongly believe a diverse team delivers better outcomes. library system to serve the plans In the context of the library district, equity can mean: of the library district. -Ensuring programming, volunteering opportunities, and hours reflect working families. -Evaluating facility investments across neighborhoods. -Allocating resources intentionally toward underserved residents. With equity, it's critical to measure outcomes, not just intentions, and it must be sustainable for the organization to maintain.

4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

The board's most important responsibilities are: -Financial stewardship and transparency. -Disciplined capital and asset management. -Governance clarity, proper oversight without micromanaging. -Long-term adaptability in programming and technology. -Maintaining public trust. In my experience building and scaling a $100M+ platform and sitting on dozens of non-profit and for-profit boards, I have learned that durability comes from disciplined governance, creativity and openness for new ideas, guided by our community.

5. Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision as part of a group or board. How did you balance differing viewpoints?

During one portfolio crisis, I stepped in as interim executive when leadership instability threatened enterprise value. Board members differed sharply on whether to inject additional capital or restructure aggressively. Rather than allowing polarization, I led a careful analysis of risk, scenario modeling, and shared the long-term portfolio impact. We phased capital deployment, imposed governance guardrails, and stabilized the company. The company preserved value and avoided a full write-down. Difficult decisions require slowing down and anchoring the group in shared long-term objectives. The best thing leadership can do is ensure that there are many stakeholders around the table and that they all hold the organization's best interests at heart. I believe having different viewpoints helps challenge traditional thinking and many times results in better outcomes. As long as disagreements are shared respectfully, and we all row together after decisions are made, they tend to be a positive thing.

6. Are there any current or past relationships, affiliations, or business interests that you believe might create a conflict of interest in your role as a member of the board? If so, how do you plan to manage or mitigate these potential conflicts to ensure your decisions align with the best interests of the organization?

I am not aware of any conflicts of interest that would impair my ability to serve. If any potential conflict arises, I will disclose it and recuse myself as appropriate. I operate daily in fiduciary environments and understand the importance of transparency and public trust.

Top priorities include: -Ensuring equitable access across Boulder's neighborhoods. -Stabilizing and maintaining facilities responsibly. -Expanding programming thoughtfully as financial capacity allows. -Building operational resilience as an independent district. During periods of decreased tax revenue and rising costs, I would advocate for scenario modeling, phased investments, and clear prioritization of core mission services. Not every worthy initiative can be funded at once. Strong governance means sequencing intelligently and communicating tradeoffs transparently. I have spent my career balancing ambition with fiscal discipline. I would bring that same mindset to the district.

1. Why are you interested in serving on the Library District Board of Trustees?

Public libraries serve a pivotal role in creating and supporting communities. They provide services and resources to families and underserved communities. Libraries have become more than repositories of books. Increasingly libraries are resources for upskilling, accessing new technologies and provide maker spaces and remote or co-working opportunities. While the 21st century role of libraries is more varied and dynamic than in the past, they continue serve as a cornerstone of early childhood development and community for many families. I grew up in Boulder, on 6th and Dewey Street. The Boulder Public Library was my local library, providing a respite from our crowded house and opening up worlds of imagination and possibility which eventually led to a career in foreign affairs. Serving on the Board I will have the opportunity to help develop the modern roles of a public library as a broad based resource while guarding its status as a nursery of hope and inspiration for future generations.

2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

In 1999, terrorism was becoming an increasing concern overseas accelerating the closure many of our overseas libraries and shutting public access to USIA facilities in Embassies. To continue outreach efforts we had to find innovative ways to push resources about U.S. history, culture, and educational opportunities out to the community. We began opening American Corners in spaces provided and managed by partners, usually universities or local governments. The agreements provided them with access to resources, and gave us a presence that ranged from a couple of bookshelves in an actual corner to maker spaces and conference facilities where we could offer classes and speaker programs. I negotiated and opened our first American Corner in Dar-es-Salaam. Later I oversaw regional budgets for American Corners, making resource decisions as our budgets tightened. Innovative private-public partnerships can be tools to expand our reach and support our communities in Colorado as well.

Creating a welcoming space that provides access and 3. The BPLD envisions building opportunities for disparate user groups can be a challenge. Our and maintaining an equitable library system for all patrons and YouLab Pistoia in Italy was envisioned as a maker space to engage teens and young adults, but at the time a wave of residents. Please provide immigration from North Africa created a real need for English examples of your past language classes. Creative scheduling helped reduce congestion experiences in promoting fairness and inclusivity and how (and friction) between user groups while allowing us to continue you would help build an equitable providing services. In conducting assessments of Foreign Service library system to serve the plans candidates we tried to structure all of our interactions to reduce bias, conscious and unconscious. In background materials we of the library district. avoided biographic cues that could indicate race or class, though frequently candidates inserted those cues in the biographical statements. Interview questions were scripted and scored against specific rubrics. I think it is critical to recognize different user groups may have different and even conflicting needs, and take steps to ameliorate potential conflicts without introducing bias.

4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

It is not enough to serve community needs, we need to be perceived as a resource and point of pride in the community. Part of that is what services we provide, early reading classes, job outreach resources, ample resources for study and entertainment, community spaces to bring people together, the whole menu of modern library services. Another part of it is the image we project, by having beautiful and welcoming public spaces, well maintained facilities and grounds, professional and helpful staff, and a safe and secure environment. And most importantly you have to listen to the community, to give it the opportunity to tell you what it values most, what it expects and wants to see from the library district. Once you have those things, there is a need to promote them, to tell the community this is what we do, this is who we are, and most importantly this is what you are getting for your money.

5. Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision as part of a group or board. How did you balance differing viewpoints?

Budgeting decisions are always difficult, and sometimes painful. In Mexico we were supporting a network of a dozen binational centers - independent and autonomous local organizations that taught English and U.S. culture. However, many of them had poor management, were facing stiff competition from private English teaching institutes and frankly were poor representatives of the bilateral relationship. Some people on the staff felt we couldn't pull our support from failing centers without losing influence or prestige while others wanted to abandon the binational model as outdated. We did a review, and in coordination with our library director, English language specialist and the Country Public Affairs Officer decided to refocus our resources on three centers. Two were already high-functioning, we required the other to do a reorg of their board before signing a new contract. This compromise allowed us to support some key allies while cutting non-performing partners.

6. Are there any current or past I do not believe this to be the case, however I stand ready to relationships, affiliations, or recuse myself from any issue in the event a conflict, or the business interests that you appearance of a conflict, is identified. believe might create a conflict of interest in your role as a member of the board? If so, how do you plan to manage or mitigate these potential conflicts to ensure your decisions align with the best interests of the organization? 7. Regarding unmet community needs, what do you see as the top priorities for the board of trustees? How would you approach balancing these priorities during times of decreased tax revenues and increasing costs?

I returned to Boulder in September 2025 after probably 35 years, between attending college and my career with the Foreign Service. I am working hard at understanding which issues the board and the library have been facing over the last couple of years. It is clear the library has been making substantial efforts to support the Spanish speaking population in the county, and I have seen a lot of teens and young adults making use of the facilities at the main branch and the Meadows branch where I currently live. I strongly support those efforts which I see as addressing valid needs. Finding ways to keep citizens abreast of technologies impacting their lives is critical. As with the internet, Artificial Intelligence is a tool that whole generations will struggle to integrate, the library could play a role there. I will give a lot of weight to the opinions of our professional staff, volunteers, and other board members as I develop my priorities and my approach to service on the board of trustees.

1. Why are you interested in serving on the Library District Board of Trustees?

Education, more than anything else, has shaped the person I have become. I do not say this as a platitude. I say it because when I look back at the circumstances of my childhood, I am not sure what else could have done it. I grew up in an inner neighborhood of Mombasa, Kenya. Running water came and went. Electricity was rationed. But the material scarcity, I think now, was not the deepest thing. The deepest thing was what I saw when I looked at the adults around me. Most of the men I knew were unemployed or underemployed. Many had taken the detours that poverty makes available. The women fared differently but not better - early motherhood and that was usually the end of whatever else they might have become. When you are a child in a place like that, you see everywhere examples of what you do not want to become. But you do not see many alternatives. One of the few places that offered a viable alternative was my primary school. The school was sponsored by a small American organization called E3, based in Fredericksburg, Virginia. They provided supplies and, most importantly, a fully stocked library. My parents worked late, so I stayed there most afternoons, reading. I loved it. Reading became a kind of escape - a way to live, for a few hours, in worlds that were not mine. My favorite was Great Expectations, the story of a boy whose life is transformed by a mysterious benefactor he has never met. I did not know then how closely my own story would come to resemble his. That library was a portal. It is not an exaggeration to say that it set in motion a chain of events that eventually led to a full-ride Lincoln Scholarship to Centre College, a Data Science degree, and a career I could never have imagined from the streets of Mombasa. I am now living and working in Boulder, and I feel acutely the debt I owe to the institutions and people who invested in me before they had any reason to expect a return. Serving on the Boulder Public Library District Board of Trustees is, for me, an opportunity to repay a small part of that debt. Not abstractly, but practically - by helping to steward an institution that does for families in Boulder what that library in Mombasa did for me. Every child who walks into a Boulder Public Library branch is, in some sense, who I was. I want to be part of making sure those doors stay open, those shelves stay full, and those spaces stay welcoming - for everyone.

2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

I want to start with some context, because I think it shapes everything else I have to offer. I grew up in Mombasa, Kenya, in circumstances that made a career in data science, finance, or institutional governance seem not just unlikely but essentially unimaginable. The path that brought me here - a Lincoln Scholarship to Centre College in Kentucky, a degree in Data Science, roles at Bank of America, Microsoft, Sterling Rice Group, and most recently as an Investment Analyst supporting the management of nearly half a billion dollars in client assets - was not a straight line. It was made possible, at each step, by institutions and people who invested in me. A library was the first of them. I say this not to make my background the centerpiece of my application, but because I think it is relevant to how I would serve. I did not come to care about equitable access to public institutions through a policy brief. I came to it because I lived the difference it makes. That shapes my judgment in ways I think are genuinely useful to a board. That said, I also bring concrete, applicable skills: Data-driven financial analysis and strategic modeling. In my professional work as a Data Scientist at Sterling Rice Group and previously as an Investment Analyst at Black Swift Group, I have built a strong ability to turn complex data into clear, actionable insight. I design Monte Carlo simulation models, forecasting pipelines, and the kind of rigorous quantitative analysis that supports sound financial decisions under uncertainty. Before that, at Microsoft, I helped lead data-driven decision-making for a $1B+ cloud migration project - work that required translating technical analysis into strategic recommendations for non-technical stakeholders. A library board faces real questions about budget allocation, program ROI, and long-term capital planning. I can help the board ask sharper questions of its data, stress-test financial assumptions, and communicate findings to the public in ways that build rather than erode trust. Governance experience and portfolio stewardship. As Vice President of the Centre College Investment Society, I helped govern and manage a $250,000 student investment portfolio, achieving approximately 20% returns over 18 months. That role required exactly what board membership demands: evaluating competing priorities, conducting due diligence, building consensus among stakeholders with different risk tolerances, and holding myself accountable to a fiduciary standard. I understand what it means to make decisions on behalf of others - and to do so with discipline and transparency. My earlier internship at Bank of America similarly required me to build tools and pipelines that other people depended on to make consequential decisions. I do not take that kind of responsibility lightly.

A perspective shaped by the full arc of this journey. I am a first-generation college graduate. I am an immigrant. I am someone who was profoundly changed by a library. I now live and work in Boulder, participating in a community that gave me opportunities I will spend a long time trying to earn. That lived experience is not a substitute for the technical and governance skills described above - but it is, I think, a genuine complement to them. It means I will never lose sight of who the library is ultimately for.

Equity is not an abstraction to me. It is the difference between a 3. The BPLD envisions building child who has access to books and one who does not - and I have and maintaining an equitable library system for all patrons and been on both sides of that divide. residents. Please provide My most sustained equity-focused work has been through the examples of your past HeadStart Fellowship, a mentorship program connecting experiences in promoting fairness and inclusivity and how underrepresented students to technology careers. As a Junior you would help build an equitable Board Member and Mentor, I helped design and deliver eight library system to serve the plans skill-building workshops reaching over 75 fellows, with a focus on students from communities historically excluded from the tech of the library district. industry. I worked closely with senior professionals to build structured development roadmaps for mentees - and watched 80% of them go on to secure internships and full-time offers at major technology companies. This work taught me that equitable outcomes require more than good intentions; they require intentional design, sustained relationships, and accountability to results. At Centre College's Learning Commons, I served as a peer mentor with a particular focus on neurodivergent students - who made up 40% of my mentees. This required me to adapt my approach significantly: different students learn in fundamentally different ways, and an institution that serves everyone must design for that heterogeneity, not despite it. Over my time in that role, my mentees achieved an average GPA improvement of half a point. The lesson I carry from that experience is that equity means meeting people where they are - not where it is convenient for the institution. As a trustee, I would apply these lessons directly. I would advocate for library programs designed around the actual diversity of Boulder's population - including multilingual services for immigrant families, accessible programming for people with disabilities, and outreach to communities who may not currently see the library as a space designed for them. I would push for the board to measure not just aggregate usage, but equity of access: who is using the library, who is not, and why.

4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

I see three core responsibilities that, if fulfilled well, ensure a library district remains essential across generations: First, libraries must continue to serve as the great equalizer of information access. In an era when reliable internet access, digital literacy, and access to quality information are increasingly prerequisites for civic and economic participation, the library's role as a free, open, neutral space is more important than ever not less. The most important thing a board can do is protect that core function and resist pressures to narrow it. Second, libraries must evolve their programming to reflect the real needs of their communities, not the assumed needs. This requires genuine community engagement - listening to residents, tracking usage patterns, and being willing to retire programs that no longer serve their purpose in order to invest in ones that do. A data-informed approach to programming decisions, rather than purely tradition-driven or anecdote-driven ones, helps boards make these calls with confidence. Third, financial sustainability requires proactive stewardship, not reactive management. Boards must build reserves, diversify revenue streams through foundation partnerships and grants, and model long-term scenarios honestly. Waiting until a budget crisis forces cuts is a failure of fiduciary responsibility. The board's job is to see the challenges coming early enough to address them thoughtfully.

5. Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision as part of a group or board. How did you balance differing viewpoints?

As Vice President of the Centre College Investment Society, I was part of a student board responsible for managing a $250,000 real investment portfolio. The decisions we made had real consequences - not hypothetical ones - and that weight was felt differently by different members of our group. One of the harder decisions we faced involved a significant position in a sector that had performed well for us but where our internal analysis was beginning to suggest elevated downside risk. The portfolio had meaningful exposure, and the question of whether to reduce that position divided the board. Some members felt strongly that our data warranted trimming the position - that our job was risk-adjusted returns, not momentum chasing. Others pushed back: the position was performing, the thesis hadn't been definitively invalidated, and reducing it felt premature to them. There was also, underneath the technical disagreement, a real difference in risk tolerance and investment philosophy that the debate was surfacing. What made it genuinely difficult was that this wasn't a case where one side was clearly right. Reasonable people, looking at the same information, were reaching different conclusions - and the decision had to be made. I tried to move the conversation away from advocacy and toward shared analysis. I put together a scenario model - essentially a simplified stress test - that walked through what the portfolio looked like under a range of outcomes, rather than arguing for a single forecast. That reframing helped. Instead of debating who was right about the future, we were asking a question everyone could engage with: how much of this risk are we comfortable holding, given our mandate? Framed that way, the group converged more naturally. We reached a consensus to reduce the position partially - not a full exit, but enough to reflect the uncertainty our analysis had identified - and documented the reasoning so we could evaluate the decision on its merits later. The position did pull back in the following months. But more important to me than being right was the process: we made a reasoned, well-documented decision that everyone on the board could stand behind, even those who had initially disagreed. That, I think, is what good group governance looks like.

I am not aware of any current or past relationships, affiliations, or business interests that would create a conflict of interest in my role as a board member. I have no financial ties to library vendors, contractors, or related organizations, and no family members employed by the Boulder Public Library District or its foundation. I take the concept of fiduciary duty seriously. If any potential conflict were to arise during my tenure, I would disclose it promptly to the full board, recuse myself from any relevant deliberations and votes, and document my recusal in the board record. I believe transparency is the foundation of public trust, and I would hold myself to that standard consistently.

Based on what I have observed in Boulder and from my broader experience thinking about equitable access to public institutions, I see three priority areas that the board should address: Digital equity and digital literacy. Access to technology and the ability to use it effectively are no longer optional for participation in modern civic and economic life. The library has a unique role to play in ensuring that gap does not widen along economic or generational lines - not just by providing computers and internet access, but by offering structured digital literacy programming for adults, particularly older residents and recent immigrants who are most likely to be left behind. Services for unhoused and housing-insecure community members. Public libraries are often the most accessible public institution for people experiencing homelessness. Rather than managing this reality defensively, the library can lean into it with intention - through partnerships with social services, staff trained in trauma-informed approaches, and programming designed to help people navigate available resources. Multilingual and immigrant services. Boulder's population is more diverse than its civic institutions often reflect. Expanding multilingual collections, programming, and staffing - and actively recruiting library users from immigrant communities - would meaningfully expand the library's reach and impact. On fiscal constraint: I believe the honest answer is that not everything can be done at once, and that saying so is a form of respect for the community. When revenues are constrained, I would advocate for a transparent prioritization process - clearly articulating the board's values, presenting trade-offs openly to the public, and making decisions that can be explained and defended. I would also push for a proactive approach to alternative funding foundation grants, public-private partnerships, and community fundraising - so that the board is not perpetually forced to choose between equally important needs. The worst outcome in times of fiscal pressure is death by incrementalism, where everything is slightly degraded rather than hard choices made and honestly communicated.

2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

I am a certified public accountant who loves working with numbers and building financial analysis. During my career as an auditor I spent a summer working on a university which exposed me to fund accounting. In my most recent role I helped small businesses build financial statements and helped them to improve their processes to save them time and money. In order to perform these accounting tasks I have proven to be organized, detail oriented, and good at multitasking.

In my role as a revenue accountant at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, I 3. The BPLD envisions building led a cross functional team that had to work together to solve a and maintaining an equitable library system for all patrons and complicated forecasting issue that had large implications for three different departments. My job was to find a better way to residents. Please provide interpret data and create an estimate that served the needs of all examples of your past three departments. In order to achieve the goal, I had to meet experiences in promoting fairness and inclusivity and how with all three departments regularly and then collaborate with the you would help build an equitable IT department to implement the model. At the conclusion of the library system to serve the plans project I had developed a model that all the groups agreed upon and found valuable. of the library district.

4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

Financial performance is crucial to long-term sustainability. Ensuring that funds are put to use effectively and efficiently will help the library to achieve it's goals and serve the community well. Managing expenses and improving efficiency will also help the library perform at a high level in the future.

5. Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision as part of a group or board. How did you balance differing viewpoints?

When I was president of Kappa Alpha Theta at Lehigh University I was part of a disciplinary committee that had to enforce university rules in our dormitory facility. We had to approach a member about inappropriate behavior that was grounds for removal from the facility. We had an honest conversation and listened to her perspective but ultimately had to remove her due to safety concerns for others. We also sought to support her by getting her help from a professional. It was extremely difficult to approach a peer and a friend about this issue but ultimately the committee sought to protect the safety of the larger group while still supporting the individual as much as possible.

I do not believe I have any conflicts of interest. 6. Are there any current or past relationships, affiliations, or business interests that you believe might create a conflict of interest in your role as a member of the board? If so, how do you plan to manage or mitigate these potential conflicts to ensure your decisions align with the best interests of the organization? 7. Regarding unmet community needs, what do you see as the top priorities for the board of trustees? How would you approach balancing these priorities during times of decreased tax revenues and increasing costs?

Fiscal responsibility is an excellent way to ensure that the library is meeting the needs of the community. I have a lot of experience with budgeting and cash forecasting from my work with small businesses. I understand how to prioritize and make financial decisions that result in a balanced budget and can set the library up for future success.

1. Why are you interested in serving on the Library District Board of Trustees?

I am interested in serving on the Board of Trustees to leverage my executive leadership experience to give back to a community resource that has profoundly shaped my life. As a lifelong learner, voracious reader, and active user of library systems from my hometown to my university years and now in Boulder, I view public libraries as foundational community assets. They are vital equalizers that provide crucial knowledge and resources to the underprivileged and those who might not otherwise have access. My interest in joining the Board right now is driven by three specific goals for the newly established Library District: Fostering Accessible Education: Navigating a non-traditional educational path, from earning my GED to completing a Bachelor of Science at the University of Michigan, taught me the critical importance of self-directed learning and accessible knowledge. I want to ensure the library remains a robust bridge for others pursuing their own unique paths. Ensuring Long-Term Sustainability: The transition to an independent Library District requires strategic planning, structural modernization, and financial oversight. Having served as a Chief Technology Officer for the past seven years, I bring extensive experience in building and operating under sustainable, long-term models. I want to apply this executive perspective to help the District optimize its operations and ensure fiscal responsibility during this critical foundational phase. Representing the Broader County: As a resident of the foothills, I recognize that the newly formed District serves a much wider geographic area than just the city grid. It is crucial that the interests, access challenges, and perspectives of residents living in the county and foothills are adequately represented. I want to ensure our long-term operational model effectively and equitably serves our entire community.

2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

Beyond my experience in executive leadership and engineering management, I have spent my career navigating high-pressure roles that require calm problem solving and effective conflict mediation. I believe the lessons learned from my diverse professional background and volunteer experiences will translate directly to the immediate challenges facing the new library district. Two specific examples include: Operational Problem Solving in Austere Conditions: During my time as a field site manager in Ethiopia, I was responsible for logistics and daily operations in a highly unpredictable environment. This required the ability to make sound, pragmatic decisions under pressure with limited resources. I can bring this same adaptable, resource-conscious approach to the Board as we navigate the operational and financial realities of establishing an independent district. Conflict Mediation and Labor Relations: Governing a newly independent district involves navigating complex community feedback, budget debates, and current labor relations, such as the ongoing discussions regarding the library workers' union. While at the University of Michigan, I served as a student arbiter with the Office of Student Conflict Resolution (OSCR). My formal mediation background equips me to facilitate productive dialogue, approach labor and community discussions with an open mind, and help the board reach consensus efficiently. I try to always act in a manner that is open, kind, and high-integrity. I fully intend to bring this collaborative and respectful mindset to the Board of Trustees if selected for this position.

Promoting fairness and inclusivity requires both intentional 3. The BPLD envisions building system design and geographic awareness. In my professional and and maintaining an equitable library system for all patrons and personal life, I have focused on building and advocating for systems that serve populations often overlooked by traditional residents. Please provide infrastructure. examples of your past experiences in promoting fairness and inclusivity and how Inclusive System Design: For the past seven years as CTO at you would help build an equitable SpankChain, I have built technical and financial systems library system to serve the plans specifically designed to serve marginalized groups who are frequently de-platformed or excluded from traditional banking of the library district. services. This experience taught me how to identify systemic barriers and design solutions that prioritize safe, equitable access for vulnerable users. I will bring this same analytical lens to the library district to ensure our digital and physical systems do not inadvertently leave any demographic behind. Geographic Equity and Access: Living in unincorporated Boulder County has given me a firsthand understanding of the access barriers faced by residents outside the immediate city limits. An equitable district must serve the entire tax base, not just the urban core. To achieve this, I will advocate strongly for expanding and optimizing our electronic resources so patrons who cannot easily commute to a physical branch still have robust access to our catalogs, databases, and educational tools. Mindful Infrastructure Planning: As the district expands and considers its long-term footprint, I will champion data-driven planning for the location of future branches, drop boxes, and mobile services. We need to ensure that physical resources are distributed equitably across the county to serve populations with the greatest need and the least current access.

4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

Ensuring long-term relevance and sustainability requires a dual focus. The district must maintain rigorous financial stewardship while simultaneously evolving its services to meet the changing realities of our community. I see four primary responsibilities to achieve this balance. Prudent Financial Management: Sustainability starts with the budget. The board must be highly strategic about capital expenditures and rigorous in managing recurring expenses. In my career as a Chief Technology Officer, I have had to constantly balance innovative growth with strict fiscal boundaries. The district must adopt a similar mindset to ensure our foundational operations are never compromised by overextension. Expanding the Definition of a Library: To remain relevant, we must look beyond traditional media. Providing non-traditional resources transforms the library into a highly practical community hub. Offering tool libraries, passes to state and local parks, or even musical instruments like I experienced during my time at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, creates everyday value for patrons and draws in new demographics who might not otherwise engage with our system. Anticipating Demographic Shifts: True relevance means serving the community we have today and the one we will have tomorrow. With an aging population across the country, the district has a responsibility to proactively invest in accessibility. Ensuring we have adequate supplies of large print books, braille materials, and physical magnifiers will keep the library welcoming and usable for seniors and differently-abled patrons. Prioritizing the Digital Footprint: Finally, long-term sustainability requires a robust digital presence. As I noted regarding geographic equity, expanding our electronic resources is not just a convenience; it is a necessity. For patrons with mobility challenges or those living far from a physical branch, a strong digital catalog ensures the library remains a relevant, daily resource.

5. Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision as part of a group or board. How did you balance differing viewpoints?

During my two years managing the Gelada Research Project field site in Ethiopia, I faced a significant budget and personnel decision that required carefully balancing conflicting perspectives. We relied heavily on three full-time Ethiopian field assistants who were the backbone of our data collection. As the local currency steadily devalued, they approached me to request a raise so their wages could simply maintain their previous purchasing power. A graduate student on our team was diametrically opposed to the request because granting the raise would result in the most senior local assistant earning a higher rate than my own managerial stipend. I made sure to actively listen to her perspective and validate her concerns about maintaining a standard pay hierarchy within the team. To bridge the gap, I helped reframe our definition of equity. I pointed out that my compensation was primarily experiential as I was building my resume for graduate programs, whereas the field assistants relied on this salary as their fundamental livelihood. I also introduced a pragmatic business reality to the ethical discussion: these young men were highly skilled and could easily leave our project for more lucrative roles in the local tourism industry. By validating the graduate student's initial concerns while laying out the ethical necessity and the operational risk of losing our core team, I was able to guide us to a consensus. She ultimately supported the decision, and we successfully secured the raises. This experience taught me how to mediate sensitive financial disagreements by keeping a team grounded in both ethical obligations and practical realities, a skill I plan to bring directly to the library district's budget and operational discussions.

I do not have any current or past relationships, affiliations, or business interests that would create a conflict of interest in my role as a member of the Board of Trustees. For full transparency, I am currently launching Morris Mitigation Services, a drone-based wildfire risk assessment and reporting service for mitigation planning and verification. Because this business focuses on property risk assessment and operates entirely outside the realm of public library services, it presents no conflict with the district's operations. Similarly, my ongoing role as a Chief Technology Officer is in the financial technology sector and does not overlap with the library's vendors or community interests. Should a situation ever arise where a potential conflict of interest was even perceived, my approach would be immediate and full disclosure to the board, followed by formally recusing myself from any related votes or discussions. I am fully committed to ensuring that all of my decisions align strictly with the best interests of the Boulder Public Library District and the community it serves.

The board's primary responsibility is to ensure that the library remains a resilient resource through both economic booms and downturns. I believe the top priority should be the expansion of high-impact, low-cost services that bridge current gaps in access, particularly for our geographically isolated and aging populations. To address these needs while maintaining fiscal health, we must adopt a strategy of mindful allocation that prioritizes long-term efficiency over short-term expansion. During periods of stable revenue, I would advocate for investing in infrastructure and resources that reduce our future liabilities. This involves prioritizing lower-cost, high-benefit services such as our electronic resources and digital catalog. These tools provide an exceptional return on investment by offering wide community access without the heavy overhead associated with expanding a physical footprint. Furthermore, when the district does engage in capital projects, we must be disciplined in selecting easier-to-maintain alternatives. Minimizing unnecessary recurring expenses now is the most effective way to protect our core services during future times of austerity. Finally, I believe that proactive maintenance is a critical component of financial sustainability. By addressing major capital needs promptly and efficiently, we avoid the risk of those projects becoming expensive emergencies when funding is tight. Balancing our priorities requires the foresight to fix the roof while the sun is shining. By professionalizing our maintenance cycles and focusing on scalable digital growth, we can ensure the library district remains a reliable and equitable asset for all of Boulder County, regardless of the economic climate.

1. Why are you interested in serving on the Library District Board of Trustees?

I have been an avid user of libraries since childhood. I think they are essential to one's personal education, to the well-being of our communities, to our citizens' intellectual literacy, and to the vitality of our democracy. I also associate libraries with freedom, because from the age of ten, I was allowed to ride my bicycle alone to the library, stay awhile, and fill the basket with books to bring home to read. (Also, the library was air-conditioned, making it an especially appealing refuge during Arkansas summers!) The library was my first venture toward independence. Libraries are places for independent browsing and research into all the fields of knowledge. Now they are also places for independent learning of arts and crafts and languages and other activities. I see libraries as safe havens where all individuals are free to pursue whatever interests and knowledge they seek. Libraries are places where intellectual curiosity can be satisfied by the discovery of facts, evidence, history, science, beauty, and stories of human experience from all cultures and types of people, free from interference. I think it is the Board of Trustees' leadership and stewardship responsibility not only to attend to financial, administrative, and property matters but also to advocate for the basic philosophy of libraries, encourage and develop sound policies, and ensure inclusive access to libraries as a fundamental public service for all readers, researchers, and lifelong learners. Since moving to Boulder, I have had the pleasure of bringing my young grandchildren (ages two and seven) to the library to check out books, play games, see programs and movies, do crafts, attend music recitals, and enjoy the playground. It is important to me and their parents to instill a love of learning and love of libraries in their formative years. The libraries are already places the children are eager to visit. My beliefs about the purpose and value of public libraries align with the Guiding Principles expressed in the 2018 Library Master Plan.

2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

I have a long academic resume, but it may not be as relevant as this professional profile which shows the scope of my past experience: https://airandspace.si.edu/people/staff/valerie-neal (excerpted below in this application). If I am interviewed for this position, I will be happy to provide the full resume, which is mainly a record of my publications and lectures. My education is in the liberal arts (English, history, American culture, art and architectural history, foreign languages, history of science, constitutional history), with Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD degrees. I had a 10-year career working with NASA as a writer and editor of public information and a 30-year career with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum as a curator of space history. I have researched and published on a variety of spaceflight-related topics; acquired and stewarded space history artifacts for the national collection; developed public engagement strategies through exhibits, documentaries, live and recorded public programs; given lectures in the US and abroad; represented the museum in local, national, and global media; trained docents and interns; managed professional departments, including budgetary and personnel oversight; traveled widely; taught at four universities; been accountable for meeting ethical standards, and always felt that I was involved in public education. Like libraries, the Smithsonian is an essential public institution that is committed to the increase and diffusion of knowledge. It was a privilege to work to fulfill that mission and serve the many stakeholders who trust and support the institution. I have also served on boards and leadership positions in professional societies, homeowner associations, and my church. Dating back to my college years, I served on the student board of the honors program, was president of an honor society, served on the committee that selected cultural programs in the arts to perform on campus, was an officer in my social sorority, and had similar roles. In graduate school, I served on curriculum committees and was a member of the teaching associates/teaching assistants group. During my work career, I served on a variety of program, planning, policy development, and selection committees within the Smithsonian, some of them extramural with membership drawn from the many museums and offices that make up the Smithsonian. My personal characteristics include a calm and open demeanor, the ability to listen carefully and speak thoughtfully, a commitment to civility, teamwork and communication skills, a practical approach to problem-solving, and a servant leadership style. I have served on many committees and teams; I have managed a writing/editorial team and a scholarly department; I have often risen into leadership positions as a volunteer board

member (homeowner's association, church, civic groups). Excerpt from airandspace.si.edu/people/staff/valerie-neal: Dr. Valerie Neal is an emerita curator in the Department of Space History. She joined the Museum as a curator in 1989 and was responsible for human spaceflight artifact collections from the Space Shuttle era and International Space Station, most prominently the orbiter Discovery. She led the Museum's effort to prepare shuttle test vehicle Enterprise for public display and to acquire Spacelab, SpaceShipOne, the Manned Maneuvering Unit, the space-flown IMAX camera, and personal effects from astronauts Sally Ride, Kathryn Sullivan, Pamela Melroy, David Brown, Tom Jones, and Danny Olivas for the national collection. She worked closely with NASA and Museum staff to orchestrate the transfer of Discovery to the Smithsonian and the release of Enterprise back to NASA in 2012. Neal has curated three major exhibitions: Where Next Columbus? on the challenges of future exploration; Space Race; and Moving Beyond Earth about spaceflight in and beyond the Space Shuttle era. She chaired the Museum's Space History Department from 2015-2019. Dr. Neal's publications include On a Mission: The Smithsonian History of US Women Astronauts (2025), Spaceflight in the Shuttle Era and Beyond (2017), recipient of the AIAA Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Literature Award; Discovery, Champion of the Space Shuttle Fleet (2014); and two edited books on space exploration, Spaceflight: A Smithsonian Guide (1995); and Where Next, Columbus? The Future of Space Exploration (1994). Her articles on shuttle history have appeared in History and Technology and Space Policy. She has been instrumental in the production of eight Smithsonian Channel documentaries about the shuttle and other major engineering projects for space exploration. Before joining the Museum, Dr. Neal spent a decade as a writer, editor, and manager for some 25 NASA publications on shuttle and Spacelab missions, the Hubble Space Telescope and other great space observatories, the space sciences, and NASA history. She also participated in underwater astronaut-training activities and worked on the mission management support team for four shuttle missions. She earned a Ph.D. in American studies from the University of Minnesota, following an M.A. in American studies from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in English and history from Texas Christian University, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, with honors. She has taught at the University of Minnesota, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Vanderbilt University, and Georgetown University. Dr. Neal retired from the Museum in 2019.

My main example is being a manager, with responsibility for 3. The BPLD envisions building hiring, mentoring, evaluating, and advancing other individuals in and maintaining an equitable library system for all patrons and a professional environment. I have developed hiring priorities, evaluated applications and resumes, conducted interviews, made residents. Please provide hiring decisions, developed performance plans, counseled with examples of your past staff members, evaluated performance, rewarded achievement, experiences in promoting fairness and inclusivity and how and advanced people in rank. I did this on the basis of merit, you would help build an equitable looking for education, relevant experience and ability, initiative, library system to serve the plans and demonstrable success, without bias or favor to sex, race, ethnicity, or other factors. As a supervisor and manager, I of the library district. believed that my chief responsibility was to support each individual in becoming what he or she aspired to be, to help them meet their goals, not by micromanaging but by encouraging self-motivation and direction of their projects to the best of their abilities. I also interacted with all my peers and superiors on the basis of respect, with a sense that each of us has certain gifts and abilities that contribute to the success of the whole. I adhere to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion as personal and professional standards. In the role of manager, I also bore responsibility for developing and implementing strategic plans and policies that enabled us to carry out our mission fairly, equitably, and ethically.

4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

I am not sure yet how to distinguish between the responsibilities of a district and the responsibilities of the Board of Trustees, so I will respond to the latter. In matters of governance, I think the Board is a position of stewardship based on trust, and to maintain the community's trust they must: • Ensure that the libraries are on sound financial, property, staffing, and legal status to provide the community with continuity of services. • Advocate for the basic mission of libraries to include and enable all types of users to explore knowledge and learn freely. • Ensure that libraries are safe, welcoming places for community members to gather, do research, read, study, find information, meet, and participate in activities, and programs. • Monitor and listen for new community interests and needs that libraries may serve. Be alert to any barriers to accessibility and inclusiveness, ways to expand services or outreach, and foster new partnerships.

5. Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision as part of a group or board. How did you balance differing viewpoints?

When I was a member of the board of my church, a couple of factions arose in the congregation about the performance and tenure of the minister and about the maintenance/expansion of the facilities. As chair at the time, I led the board and congregation through a series of listening sessions to understand better the various grievances and arguments. We then formed some task groups to investigate the issues and bring forth evidence (as opposed to opinions and rumors) that would help us evaluate what we had heard. The process continued with discussion sessions involving anyone interested in both the arguments and the evidence, which we facilitated with the hope of bringing the congregation together to avoid a fracture and encourage working together on resolution of the tensions. It was a deliberative process that required listening, empathy, patience, and cultivation of understanding between the factions. In the end, we all learned how to remedy the situation by improving communication, hearing the voices of the discontented, involving them in the resolution, and finding what we could agree on in common that gave everyone a stake in the outcome. Resultant actions were grounded in those common understandings and in the grace that unites a religious congregation. To resolve the ministerial issue, we worked with the senior minister to enhance preparation of the associate minister for future service as a senior minister; this included rebalancing responsibilities for worship services and scheduling more time in the pulpit for the associate. The senior minister retained his dignity and leadership, the associate minister gained more experience and career growth, and the congregation was happier with the adjustments. The property issue was likewise resolved amicably by making adjustments to goals, design, and costs. The congregation did not fracture and the improved listening and communication proved beneficial in addressing other issues as they arose. I think the key points of our experience were our commitment to evidence-based decision-making, becoming more inclusive in our communication, becoming more skillful mediators, and strengthening our community. We emerged more cohesive and more tolerant.

No. I moved to Boulder upon retirement during the COVID pandemic. As a result, I did not immediately join any organizations or begin to volunteer. Thereafter, I was researching and writing a book (my fifth) and spent most of my time absorbed in that while working at home. Although I have not yet developed professional affiliations locally, it has been my plan all along to seek an opportunity for public service. I come with no strings attached, other than my beloved family who also reside here.

I think the current board in conjunction with the City Council and County Commission has done a great service in establishing the NoBo and Gunbarrel branch libraries to meet community needs. If there is another area hungering for a library, that should be evaluated as a new priority. The strategic plan is the roadmap for balancing priorities as costs and revenues evolve. User surveys and focus groups, as well as consultation with civic stakeholders, can be helpful in generating new ideas or adjusting priorities. Monitoring other libraries in similar circumstances around the country also may yield new ideas and solutions. As the library director has noted, the digital revolution has transformed many aspects of libraries and the services they provide. No one knows yet what the impact of artificial intelligence may be, and there are likely other unforeseen revolutions on the horizon. Climate resilience may grow in importance, or a profound change in local or national economies. Part of the strategic plan is to stay attuned and try to spot new trends before they become crises. As revenues decrease and costs increase, it will be necessary to develop new fundraising strategies and perhaps not rely solely on big donors but find ways to invite users to share in supporting the services and programs they value. We take free public libraries for granted, but there are relatively painless ways that patrons can help when revenues dip, whether by helping to decide what needs to be trimmed or by participating in fundraising activities themselves. People are generally willing to pitch in and help for a cause that matters to them. For example, my alma mater and my social sorority each now schedule an annual Giving Day, literally a 24-hour period when stakeholders are invited to donate any amount and designate its use within the institution/organization. These fundraisers are well-promoted and remarkably successful in receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars, mostly in small contributions, from individual donors. There may be new partnerships to be forged or new grants to seek, new outreach strategies or new service models to try to sustain the libraries through periods of leaner funding.

2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

1. I'm an experienced nonprofit Board member. I currently sit on two Board in the ADK - the Adirondack Center for Writing as Chair and the Adirondack Housing Development Corp as immediate Past Chair. 2. I've spent my entire working career in nonprofit management and I'm very familiar with budgeting and finance, as well as Board-staff relations and responsibilities. 3. My experience and success as a fundraiser is an asset.

In my career, I spent 12 years at Homeless Solutions, Inc. (HSI) 3. The BPLD envisions building raising money to provide shelter and affordable housing for the and maintaining an equitable library system for all patrons and unhoused working poor in our community. At HSI we made a point to serve ALL in the community; immigrants and US citizens, residents. Please provide cis and transgendered, gay and straight, singles and families and examples of your past those struggling with mental illness. experiences in promoting fairness and inclusivity and how you would help build an equitable As a "privileged, older white woman,' I see the importance of library system to serve the plans bringing the voices of those the library is committed to serve into the conversation, especially in leadership positions. of the library district.

4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

Two thoughts: - Even though the library is primarily funded through tax dollars and not dependent on the generosity of donors, I think its important the library remain "fiscally" strong through well thought out budgeting. - To ensure the library is meeting changing community needs, the leadership should undertake a Strategic Planning process every five years. The process should include information gathering from as many different stakeholder groups as possible including municipal government, faith communities, schools, library members and non-members alike in every age range.

5. Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision as part of a group or board. How did you balance differing viewpoints?

While I was Board Chair, the Adirondack Housing Development Corp (AHDC) received a donation of a single-family house, badly in need of renovation. The donor indicated she didn't care what we did with the house, either renovate or sell it and use the funds for future affordable housing projects. So the Board had a decision to make. Several strongly believed that our mission to increase the amount of affordable housing in our community demanded we should renovate, no matter what the cost (estimated to be in the $400 - $500,000 range.) Others believed we should sell for the assessed value of $80,000 and move on to a more cost-effective project. The Board spent 2 meetings outlining the pros and cons of each "side." Everyone had a chance to present their view. Much persuasion ensued. At the end of the process, we held a vote. The wisdom of selling the property prevailed and the Board voted unanimously to sell.

6. Are there any current or past I have no conflicts. relationships, affiliations, or business interests that you believe might create a conflict of interest in your role as a member of the board? If so, how do you plan to manage or mitigate these potential conflicts to ensure your decisions align with the best interests of the organization? 7. Regarding unmet community needs, what do you see as the top priorities for the board of trustees? How would you approach balancing these priorities during times of decreased tax revenues and increasing costs?

Has the Board identified unmet community needs through a Strategic Planning process? If so, I'm guessing those needs include: more news and information for non-English speaking community members; upgrading technology to be as fast and user-friendly as possible; positioning the library as the source for hyper-local community news and local event information. How to prioritize programs to get the most "bang" for limited "bucks" is a systemic issue for all nonprofits. in order to do so, an outcomes measurement system can be used to track number of clients served as well as gauging each program's success in meeting its objectives. Working closely with the Library Foundation to communicate our stories to the public will help in increasing the amount of donations they receive to fund library programs.

1. Why are you interested in serving on the Library District Board of Trustees?

Boulder Public Library made me a librophile. Did I just make up a word? Yes, but the word "bibliophile" just doesn't cut it. It wasn't until I began spending time at Boulder Library that I really started to understand the important role that libraries fill in our communities. They are the peak of accessibility when it comes to community hubs that offer residents a portal to resources as well as connection. I truly believe that libraries are at the heart of thriving communities and I'm an avid proponent of their importance and active supporter of their services, serving as a Home Delivery Volunteer for Boulder Public Library since 2021. I have also lived in Gunbarrel since 2019, and I am an enthusiastic patron of Boulder Public Library District's newest branch. As a longtime Boulder resident, and current participant in the Denver Metro Chamber's Leadership Denver program, I am actively seeking ways to get more involved in civic service, and I couldn't think of a better fit for my skills and passion than joining the Boulder Public Library's Board of Trustees.

2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

My focus and passion is building communities, and I accomplish this by investing in the people that make up these communities and helping them achieve their full potential. Whether by finding shared experience and consensus amongst populations with different priorities, or by building partnerships with likeminded stakeholders to maximize shared outcomes, I think my people skills will be my biggest asset in this role. I'm a born communicator and I care about ensuring important information is relayed in a way that is both accessible and meaningful. Evidence of my passion for community building can be seen throughout my resume, in my professional roles at Downtown Boulder, Greenwood Wildlife, and particularly in my current role at the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, as well as my volunteer roles with Boulder Public Library District and Groundwork Ranch Equine-Assisted therapy. I regularly attend community events and actively advocate for the wide-range of community opportunities and resources that are available to us just by living in Boulder. I'm also an experienced project manager and marketing professional, I'm highly organized and capable of simultaneously managing multiple tasks and deadlines. I believe in my ability to prioritize my responsibilities as a library trustee, while managing other professional and personal commitments. I feel that I'll be able to contribute to the board of trustees' effectiveness by ensuring momentum towards our annual goals, within the complex context of the greater library operational structure and strategic plan. As both a former nonprofit Board Member and current nonprofit employee, I understand what it's like to be on both sides of a Board-governed organization. This experience allows me to bring a balanced perspective to the table, understanding the implications that Board decisions have for the individuals (specifically, employees) who have to execute on these strategic determinations. The final thing that I'll add is, as a working professional in the civic technologies space, I have robust knowledge about existing and emerging technologies that exist to help address challenges in communities and this context is something that I'm happy to offer and provide insight about when it is beneficial to the work of the Board of Trustees.

Promoting equitable access to opportunity has been a consistent 3. The BPLD envisions building theme throughout my professional and volunteer work. In my and maintaining an equitable library system for all patrons and professional roles as Marketing and Program Director for the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance and Development Manager at residents. Please provide Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, I leaned on my examples of your past experience to develop and maintain a wide array of tools to experiences in promoting fairness and inclusivity and how effectively communicate to distinct audiences. I value DEIA you would help build an equitable principles and make an active effort to continue my education in library system to serve the plans this space, ensuring that I create diverse content and practice inclusive leadership that enables everyone to feel heard and of the library district. respected. At the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, I led outreach for the first cohort of our Smart Futures Lab incubator and accelerator, a federally funded program designed to support New Majority entrepreneurs, which we defined as women, individuals with disabilities, and Black, Hispanic & Latino, Indigenous American & Pacific Islander founders. Through a comprehensive marketing, communications, partnership and media strategy that actively sought out underrepresented communities by leveraging non-traditional channels, I'm proud to report that our first year's cohort in 2023 consisted of companies that were 100% New Majority-led. To continue this work as a Member of the Library Board of Trustees, I would focus on thinking critically and creatively about how to reach underserved communities through our existing programming and ensuring everybody in the Boulder community is equipped with the tools and knowledge to access the libraries resources. One example of this would be leveraging some of the library's existing bilingual events, like Conversations in English (CIE) groups, to remind members of the public that they are welcome to speak to the Board to express opinions about library issues that either are on the agenda that evening or matters of general importance to the library. My volunteer work with the library's Home Delivery service has also highlighted for me how critical it is to ensure library resources reach patrons who may face mobility, health, transportation, technology, language, or other barriers.

4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

I think the most important responsibility of a library district towards ensuring long-term relevance and sustainability is "future vision", which I define in this case as "understanding that a library is part of an ever-evolving landscape shaped by humans and informed by technology; and awareness that a decision that has community appeal today might not necessarily be the best choice to sustain future needs." Ultimately, the library needs to remain a mission-centered organization, maintaining the focus on being a destination for human connection, life-long learning, civic engagement, and creative exploration; while also adapting, planning, and evolving to respond to the unique circumstances that factor into the annual budget, long-term Master Plan, and ongoing community needs.

5. Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision as part of a group or board. How did you balance differing viewpoints?

One of the most complex decisions that I've been involved with was during my time with Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center when we were evaluating whether to open a second location in the Denver Metro Area. As the only wildlife rehabilitation center treating wild birds, waterfowl, and mammals along the Front Range from north or Pueblo to the Wyoming border, many of our intakes ("patients") came from the Denver Metro Area and further south. Additionally, we saw concerning discrepancies between the number of calls about distressed wildlife in the Denver Metro Area and the number that were actually brought to our center to be treated. This information, along with a number of other factors, provided a compelling argument in favor of establishing a second location to better address the needs of humans and wildlife in the Metro Area. Greenwood began exploring this idea while I was still a Board Member, and the decision making process was completed during my time as staff, therefore I had the unique experience of evaluating this potential capital campaign and capital improvement project from both the perspective of a Board Member and then as staff. There were a lot of unique priorities and perspectives that came into play during this decision making process, as well as strong emotions and personal feelings that governed how people expressed their viewpoints. In order to balance differing viewpoints, as well as my two different stakeholder perspectives of former Board Member and current staff, I started off with active listening. I wanted to make sure I understood the complexities of opinions as well as the unique system of factors that would inform this decision. That being said, it was important to maintain boundaries around that listening, ensuring that there was structure and deadline for each feedback period. After developing an understanding, I set about researching, both independently and as co-lead on the feasibility study for which we retained an external consultant. Finally, I presented those findings to the Board in a way that conveyed both the context that I got from listening as well as the conclusions from the research to address many of the questions and concerns surrounding the entire process and results. Ultimately, I think that my most important takeaway from this experience was that a robust decision-making process like this isn't going to leave everybody totally satisfied, but there are a lot of ways to approach it that make stakeholders feel seen and understood.

I have no current conflicts of interest. My current employer, the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, has a government membership model, which offers unpaid and paying tiers of membership. Boulder Public Library District is currently an unpaid member, however there is potential that they could explore paid participation in the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance in the future. If this scenario were to occur and be elevated to a Board of Trustees decision-making level, I would recuse myself from such conversations and decisions. I am happy to provide more information about this potential future conflict of interest at any point in the Board of Trustees vetting process.

It's important for the Board of Trustees to be flexible, adaptable, and creative in order to address unmet community needs during a time of decreased tax revenue and increasing costs. Thanks to my previous experience as Marketing Manager at the Downtown Boulder Partnership, which has an organizational structure that includes a Business Improve District and is funded by property taxes similar to the library district, I understand the complex nature of budgeting in this environment. I think this complexity should be a consideration for every major budgeting and strategic decision, so I would make sure to prioritize this context if I were to serve as a Trustee. I'm aware that the district's operating budget has decreased slightly for 2026 and, although the district no longer has the capital expenses due to the Gunbarrel expansion, I am sure it was a challenge to make adjustments to account for the decrease in property value assessment and estimated abatements while continuing to scale services and programs. All of these factors highlight the complicated nature of ensuring community wide accessibility of services and programming, while also having to be fiscally conservative and responsible. I appreciate the idea of developing new models for collaboration/partnership that can help sustain the library, like the idea to rent space to Sundance as an exception to the existing formal collaboration policy. I also think it's important to remember that policies exist for a reason and these exceptions, while necessary, should be rare. All of these examples give reasons why it's important that the Board of Trustees be flexible, adaptable, and creative in order to ensure that they are maximizing the library district's service to the community and its role in meeting community needs.

CHELSEA (BARRETT) RICHWINE

(SHE/HER)

PARTNERSHIP BUILDER · ENGAGEMENT LEADER · COLLABORATIVE CREATOR · PROJECT MANAGER EXPERIENCE Colorado Smart Cities Alliance | Denver, Colorado Marketing and Program Director, January 2025 - Current Marketing Lead, DEI-Focused Smart Futures Lab Program, September 2022 - Current Director of Marketing & Communications, January 2024 - January 2025 Sr. Marketing & Communications Manager, January 2023 - January 2024 Communications Manager, April 2021 - January 2023 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Produce and execute the annual KPI-driven strategic communications and engagement plan driven by the objectives and tactics outlined in the organization-wide strategic and operating plan Collaborate with Alliance staff, partners and membership to monitor and promote their initiatives Manage all communications channels including social media, website, e-newsletter, events, etc. Drive multi-channel communications campaigns to promote multiple initiatives simultaneously Generate accurate written and visual content to promote programming and increase engagement Complex project management including civic innovation challenges, library challenges, and more; challenge-based procurement programs which have resulted in 20+ tech-driven implementations Organize and lead regular discovery meetings with partners to understand their evolving needs Prioritize process improvement through strategic management, regular training and innovation Point person for 35+ municipal members, ensuring that their evolving priorities are met Oversee public relations including press releases and liaise with local and industry media contacts, (earning a total of 40 articles across 20 different publications) Coordinate with Alliance staff to plan events including production of agenda and related marketing Implemented a KPI dashboard using a visualization tool to enhance and refine marketing tactics, increased LinkedIn followers by over 30% each year, quadrupled email contact list over four years Designed and built new websites for three initiatives and created content strategies to drive traffic Led cross-organizational efforts to market and recruit for US EDA-funded Smart Futures Lab incubator/accelerator program with a focus on reaching and cultivating underrepresented groups Deadline-driven organizer with the flexibility and adaptability to meet evolving priorities

Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center | Longmont, Colorado Development and Marketing Manager, August 2018 - August 2020 Communications Manager, February 2018 - August 2018 Board Member, January 2016 - February 2018 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Developed the goal-based annual communications plan with input from the Board of Directors Drove implementation of communications plan across all media (digital and print) through the use of a detailed content calendar and generated monthly data reports and evaluation Supervised Marketing Coordinator, volunteer Marketing Committee and non-standard staff (interns) Collaborated with key stakeholders to develop a comprehensive set of brand and voice guidelines Primary creator, editor and publisher of all communication content including website, social media, email marketing, blog and print collateral such as flyers, postcards and direct appeals/newsletters Built and maintained a catalog of multi-channel communications assets including stories, photos and videos with help from photographers, videographers and other expert content creators Managed advertising initiatives starting with strategy and concept development to execution Monitored and responded to digital marketing trends. Utilized innovative approaches and platforms Prepared and managed marketing and communications line items within organization’s budget Coordinated with other departments to develop key messages and meet outreach goals Point person for public relations, including press releases, earned media and letters to the editor Project manager with the ability to organize a high volume workload by delegating and multitasking Helped lead event planning including conceptualization and logistics to achieve the goals of raising funds, facilitating partner development and strengthening community relationships

Stantec: Visioning, Brands, Experiences | Boulder, Colorado Marketing Coordinator and Project Assistant, January 2017 - February 2018 ● ● ●

Marketing and business development lead responsible for the Boulder office Synthesized complicated concepts in a concise manner for project proposals and award entries Ambassador for Stantec at industry, community and public events

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Organized new and existing internal marketing resources (project profiles, images, etc) Collaborated with an international marketing team to maintain and refresh the Stantec brand throughout the company's promotional efforts Audited and progressed staff communication efforts including important announcements, surveys Coordinated and created new content for the Visioning, Brands, Experiences page on Stantec.com Worked with internal graphic designers to create or update new or existing project sheets, photography, presentations and other marketing materials

Downtown Boulder Partnership | Boulder, Colorado Marketing and Communications Manager, August 2015 - November 2016 Marketing and Communications Coordinator, August 2014 - August 2015 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Managed internal and external communication strategies including oversight of the 600+ page website, a bi-weekly email blast, other digital promotions, incoming inquiries and more Managed Downtown Boulder Twitter account (follower count of over 21K, 15K at start of position) Managed Downtown Boulder Instagram account (almost quadrupled follower count from 1,200 when I started to over 4,000 as of Jan 2016) Assisted with Downtown Boulder events including planning, marketing, and day-of support Collaborated closely with several City of Boulder departments including Parks and Recreation and Community Vitality to cross-promote community efforts Coordinated and interpreted marketing research to assess community needs and response to programs and events (including user intercept survey) Generated monthly website, gift card and social media reports using various tracking tools Launched and coordinated a new responsive design for the website and bi-weekly email blast Designed and published graphics for the digital signage located at the Visitor Center Fostered relationships by attending events, volunteering and engaging with community

EDUCATION University of Colorado Boulder · BS, Advertising and BA, Sociology Honors: Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, SJMC Dean’s Scholar, SJMC Dean’s List Danish Institute for Study Abroad, Copenhagen, Denmark · May 2013 - July 2013 VP of Public Relations · CU Boulder Senior Class Council · August 2013 - August 2014 Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation · Leadership Denver · August 2025 - present Leadership Denver is the region’s premier professional leadership program, teaching engaged civic leaders to become champions for their communities University of Colorado Denver · Building Denver Leadership Seminar · January 2023 - May 2023 A non-credit course offered by CU Denver’s College of Architecture and Planning for Denver’s leaders who want to learn about the built and natural environments and the city-building process Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation · Impact Denver Alum · January 2019 - June 2019 Impact Denver teaches up-and-coming professionals about local issues, helps discover their leadership style and requires the completion of a community project

VOLUNTEER Home Delivery Volunteer at Boulder Public Library · February 2023 - Present Board Marketing Chair at Groundwork Ranch, Equine-Assisted Therapy · November 2020 - October 2023 Board Marketing Chair at Greenwood Wildlife · December 2017 - February 2018 Board Fundraising Chair at Greenwood Wildlife · December 2016 - December 2017

SKILLS Google Ads · Google Suite · Google Analytics · HTML/CMS website · Hootsuite · Adobe Creative · Canva

Form Name: Submission Time:

Board of Trustee Application March 5. 2026 5:31 pm

Application Information

Applicant Contact Information Name

Marc Rosenberg

Email Address

Boulder, CO 80303 Phone Please upload your resume, including volunteer work.

Demographic Questions What is your age range?

65 or older

Which race or ethnicity do you identify with most?

White

Application Questions 1. Why are you interested in serving on the Library District Board of Trustees?

The public library system provides an important public service. Everyone in our family uses the Boulder Public Libraries, including our two grandchildren who started coming well before they could read. Some years ago, my father served on the library board for my hometown in Pennsylvania. I would be honored to follow in his footsteps.

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2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

I have a masters degree in public administration and served in management roles at businesses and trade associations for many years. I believe my management training and experience will be useful in helping to oversee a large and complex organization like Boulder Public Library District. I have also served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, most recently chairing Colorado's Consumer Insurance Council. Aside from raising three kids of our own and being involved with our grandchildren, I was an adult leader in Scouting for more than twenty years. Serving school age children and youth is an important part of the libraries' mission and I have plenty of experience with that audience.

3. The BPLD envisions building When I was vp of the Insurance Information Institute, I did a lot of and maintaining an equitable consumer outreach and education, much of which was directed at library system for all patrons and minority communities. This included working with the National residents. Please provide Consumer League to develop a series of educational pamphlets examples of your past for young adults. In my volunteer work on the local board of the experiences in promoting National Kidney Foundation, there was a constant focus on fairness and inclusivity and how improving service to minority communities as they are you would help build an equitable disproportionately affected by kidney disease. And as a member library system to serve the plans of the local board of the Boy Scouts of America, I took the lead in of the library district. advocating for greater participation by LBGTQ youth and adults.

4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

The library district must meet the needs of its community, making sure that it serves all members of the community. As the community changes and needs evolve, the library's mission must also evolve. There is the potential to provide many services beyond just lending books. BPLD is a leader in offering additional services to the community and I would expect that to continue.

5. Tell us about a time you had to I have served on a variety of boards, ranging from local make a difficult decision as part homeowners associations, to non-profit community organizations, of a group or board. How did you to county and state advisory bodies. Respect for others is crucial to maintaining a functioning board. Also, understanding that balance differing viewpoints? compromise is not a bad thing; it helps get stuff done. A key role of most boards is setting budget priorities, balancing competing needs against fiscal realities.

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No conflicts. 6. Are there any current or past relationships, affiliations, or business interests that you believe might create a conflict of interest in your role as a member of the board? If so, how do you plan to manage or mitigate these potential conflicts to ensure your decisions align with the best interests of the organization? 7. Regarding unmet community needs, what do you see as the top priorities for the board of trustees? How would you approach balancing these priorities during times of decreased tax revenues and increasing costs?

There is a significant homeless population in the Boulder community. There are many services that the BPLD can and does provide to this population, but this must be done in a way that does disrupt these of the libraries by the rest of the community. A second area of personal interest to me is making sure that BPLD is offering books and programs that represent not just the local communities that it serves but the whole range of the American experience It is important that people are encouraged to learn about the world (and the universe) beyond their personal experience. Balancing priorities and managing budgets are key roles of any board. Getting input from the public and from the various communities that are being served is an essential part of this process.

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1. Why are you interested in serving on the Library District Board of Trustees?

Serving on the Board would allow me to combine my passion for books and libraries with my professional experience in business, finance, governance, and strategic planning. Libraries have always been important to me. I maintain a home library of about 3,500 books, and built my own software to manage it, which I recently published online (mybooksathome.com) to help others organize their own collections (this is a beta version, a big update will be made in April). Beyond my personal interest in books, I care deeply about the role libraries play in communities. Libraries provide access to knowledge, a place for shared learning, and opportunities for growth and exchange of ideas. Ensuring that future generations continue to benefit from these resources is something I feel strongly about. When my family and I first arrived in Boulder, living in a hotel room, the Boulder Library was our resource for photocopies and essential administrative tasks - the staff even allowed us to use the telephone... Maintaining strong libraries requires thoughtful governance and strategic planning to navigate technological and societal change. I would welcome the opportunity to contribute my experience in support of the library district's mission.

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2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

I bring extensive leadership and governance experience that would help the Board guide the library district strategically. First, I have served as CEO of both large organizations (3,000+ employees) and smaller companies (around 100 employees). In those roles I was responsible for setting long-term strategy, managing resources responsibly, and navigating economic and political challenges while maintaining a strong focus on people and service. This experience gave me a broad perspective on how organizations can adapt and remain sustainable over time. Second, I currently serve on the boards of two medical companies in the areas of neurological rehabilitation and lung health. Board service requires thoughtful oversight, constructive discussion, and collaboration with leadership to guide an organization's direction while respecting operational expertise. I believe this governance perspective would translate well to supporting the mission and long-term success of the library district. Public libraries face similar long-term questions around sustainability, community service, and adapting to technological change.

3. The BPLD envisions building My success in previous roles has come from valuing and including and maintaining an equitable diverse perspectives. Teams that bring together people from library system for all patrons and different backgrounds, disciplines, and experiences consistently residents. Please provide achieve more than any one individual could alone. I've been examples of your past fortunate to work in global organizations where hearing and experiences in promoting respecting every voice was not just encouraged, but essential. fairness and inclusivity and how you would help build an equitable I believe the same principle applies to libraries. A library thrives library system to serve the plans when it welcomes people of all ages, social backgrounds, and of the library district. levels of technological experience. It should be a place where everyone feels they belong, can explore, learn, and share ideas freely. As a trustee, I would support policies and planning to ensure inclusive, welcoming spaces and resources that meet the community's needs.

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4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

Libraries must adapt to remain relevant in a world where books are increasingly supplemented by electronic and immersive media. The Boulder Library is a wonderful example architecturally inspiring, with spaces that encourage learning, exchange, and community connection. I am impressed by the team's work to create such an inviting environment. To ensure long-term relevance and sustainability, I believe a library district's most important responsibilities include strategic planning, financial stewardship, and fostering inclusive access. Trustees should guide the library's direction, supporting innovation in programs, technology, and services while ensuring resources are used responsibly. By balancing inspiration with sustainability, the library can remain a vibrant hub for generations.

5. Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision as part of a group or board. How did you balance differing viewpoints?

Board decisions often involve balancing competing priorities and perspectives. For example, we recently implemented a cost-reduction initiative to free cash for strategic investments. These decisions impact people, but by listening to differing viewpoints and keeping long-term objectives in mind, the board reached a decision that balanced short-term concerns with overall growth. Experiences like this have reinforced the importance of thoughtful deliberation and collaboration - skills I would bring to the library district as a trustee.

6. Are there any current or past None. I am committed to ensuring all decisions are made in the relationships, affiliations, or best interest of the library district. business interests that you believe might create a conflict of interest in your role as a member of the board? If so, how do you plan to manage or mitigate these potential conflicts to ensure your decisions align with the best interests of the organization?

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Without full insight into the library's financial or governance constraints, it's difficult to specify exact priorities. In general, I believe the library should proactively embrace a future where printed books are complemented by digital media accessible beyond the library walls. Equally important is providing welcoming spaces that encourage learning, exchange of ideas, and community engagement. Lifelong learning and inclusivity should remain central to the library's mission. With limited resources, the board must balance maintaining high-quality core services with adding new programs that meet emerging community needs. I would approach this collaboratively, working with fellow trustees, staff, and the community to ensure that the library continues to evolve, remain relevant, and serve the community for years to come.

1. Why are you interested in serving on the Library District Board of Trustees?

Public libraries are among the most important civic institutions in any community. They provide equitable access to information, foster lifelong learning, and create welcoming spaces where people from all backgrounds can connect with ideas and with each other. In a community like Boulder, the library plays an essential role in supporting both individual opportunity and community cohesion. My interest in serving is both professional and deeply personal. I am a frequent user of the Boulder Public Library system, and when my children were younger it was a central part of our weekly routine. We would often borrow 30 or more books at a time for nightly story time. Those experiences reinforced for me how powerful early access to books and reading can be in shaping curiosity, imagination, and lifelong learning. Reading has always been hugely important to me, and I believe strongly in supporting institutions that make that access available to everyone in the community. Professionally, I bring more than 20 years of leadership experience in Boulder-based organizations focused on community engagement, programming, and partnerships. In my current role as Vice President and General Manager of Events and Experience at Outside Inc., I oversee a large portfolio of programming and manage complex budgets, partnerships, and operations. Serving on the Board of Trustees would allow me to contribute that experience in strategic planning, financial stewardship, and community collaboration to help ensure the Boulder Public Library District continues to thrive as an accessible and relevant resource for residents across the district.

2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

I bring a combination of strategic leadership, financial oversight, and community partnership experience that would support the board's governance responsibilities. First, I have extensive experience with financial stewardship and organizational strategy. In my current role as Vice President and General Manager of Events and Experience at Outside Inc., I oversee a large portfolio of programming and manage complex budgets and revenue streams. This work requires balancing mission-driven programming with responsible financial management and long-term sustainability, skills directly relevant to a library district board that must oversee budgets, planning, and resource allocation. Second, I have significant experience building partnerships that expand community access to programming. Throughout my career I have worked with nonprofit organizations, local governments, and private partners to deliver events and initiatives that bring people together around shared interests. These collaborations require listening to diverse stakeholders, aligning goals, and building programs that serve broad audiences; an approach that would be valuable in helping the library district deepen its connection to the community. Finally, I tend to approach leadership with curiosity and collaboration. I value listening carefully to differing viewpoints, asking thoughtful questions, and working toward solutions that reflect both the mission of the organization and the needs of the people it serves.

Throughout my career I have worked in organizations focused on 3. The BPLD envisions building expanding access to experiences and opportunities that might and maintaining an equitable library system for all patrons and otherwise be difficult for many people to access. In the outdoor recreation and wellness industries, this has increasingly meant residents. Please provide thinking intentionally about inclusion and reducing barriers to examples of your past participation. experiences in promoting fairness and inclusivity and how you would help build an equitable For example, through my professional work and community library system to serve the plans involvement I have collaborated with organizations that focus on adaptive recreation and youth support, including Adaptive of the library district. Adventures and Attention Homes. These experiences have reinforced how important it is to design programs and services that meet people where they are and ensure that barriers, whether financial, physical, or cultural do not prevent participation. I also serve on the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Community Engagement Council, where the goal is to help expand equitable access to outdoor recreation opportunities. That work involves listening to community voices that may not always be represented in traditional planning processes and ensuring that programming reflects a wide range of lived experiences. As a Trustee, I would support an equitable library system by encouraging strong community engagement, supporting programming that reflects the diversity of the district, and ensuring that access to library services (whether through facilities, technology, or programming) remains inclusive and welcoming for all residents.

4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

The most important responsibilities of a library district board are stewardship, strategic vision, and community accountability. First, trustees must ensure strong financial stewardship. Because library districts rely on public funding, the board has a responsibility to manage resources carefully and transparently so that the community can trust that tax revenues are being used effectively to support services. Second, the board should help guide long-term strategic planning. Libraries are evolving rapidly as technology changes how people access information and learn. Ensuring the library remains relevant means supporting innovation while preserving the core values of free access to knowledge, literacy, and community space. Finally, trustees play an important role in maintaining strong connections between the library and the community it serves. Libraries succeed when they remain responsive to community needs, whether that involves educational programming, digital access, cultural events, or safe public gathering spaces. Balancing these responsibilities helps ensure the library remains both sustainable and central to the civic life of the community.

5. Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision as part of a group or board. How did you balance differing viewpoints?

In my current role I often work with cross-functional leadership teams responsible for making decisions about new initiatives and large-scale programs. One example involved the development of a new large public event that required significant investment and carried both financial and reputational risk. Within the leadership group there were differing viewpoints. Some colleagues were enthusiastic about the opportunity to expand our community footprint, while others were concerned about financial exposure and operational complexity. To move the conversation forward, I focused on ensuring that each perspective was fully heard and grounded in data. We reviewed financial projections, potential partnerships, and operational scenarios together. I also encouraged the group to separate the shared goals such as community impact and responsible stewardship from the specific tactics we were debating. Ultimately we agreed on a phased approach that allowed us to launch the initiative while managing risk and building support incrementally. The experience reinforced for me that strong decisions in group settings often come from careful listening, clear information, and solutions that incorporate the best elements of multiple viewpoints.

At this time I am not aware of any relationships or business interests that would create a direct conflict of interest with the Boulder Public Library District. In my professional role I work with a variety of organizations and partners across the outdoor recreation and media industries. If any situation arose where a potential conflict could exist, I would follow the board's conflict-of-interest policies by disclosing the relationship and recusing myself from any discussion or decision where appropriate. Maintaining transparency and public trust is essential for any public board, and I would take that responsibility seriously

Libraries today serve a wide range of community needs beyond traditional book lending. Some of the most important priorities include access to digital resources and technology, educational programming for all ages, welcoming community spaces, and services that support lifelong learning and civic engagement. As communities grow and change, the board will need to continually assess where the greatest needs exist and how the library can provide meaningful services within available resources. During periods of financial pressure, I believe the board's role is to focus on core mission impact while remaining transparent and thoughtful about trade-offs. That means prioritizing programs and services that deliver the greatest community benefit, seeking partnerships that expand the reach of library programming, and supporting operational efficiencies where possible. By combining careful financial stewardship with creativity and collaboration, the library district can continue to serve the community effectively even in challenging fiscal environment.

1. Why are you interested in serving on the Library District Board of Trustees?

I am deeply passionate about libraries because they are the heart of the community-open to everyone, supporting literacy, lifelong learning, creativity, and connection. Libraries are not just repositories of books; they are hubs for exploration, discovery, and civic engagement, welcoming people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. I have been involved with the Boulder Public Library system for over a decade through service on the Library Commission, the Boulder Public Library Foundation board, the community campaign to establish the Boulder Public Library District, and the LDAC. Through these roles, I have seen firsthand how libraries transform communities, spark curiosity, and enrich lives. Over the past two years, while on sabbatical from Boulder, I continued to engage with mission-driven organizations, including Alaya Preschool and Roots Foundation, further strengthening my understanding of nonprofit governance, program development, and community engagement. I also have children in three Boulder schools, giving me direct insight into the educational needs and priorities of families across the community. I am excited to bring this experience and perspective back to Boulder to help the library district thrive, remain sustainable, and continue serving as a welcoming hub for all residents.

2. What skills, experience, or personal characteristics do you have that will help the board of trustees guide the library district? Please provide at least two examples.

I bring a combination of governance, nonprofit leadership, and communications expertise to the board. Governance and nonprofit experience: My service on the Library Commission and Foundation board provided hands-on experience reviewing budgets, evaluating programs, participating in grantmaking, and providing strategic oversight. At Alaya Preschool, I helped lead a multi-year transition, including raising $2.2 million to secure the school's future, establishing a new governance structure, and ensuring continuity for families and staff. At Roots Foundation, I supported early-stage project development, program planning, and community engagement for an international school. Communications and marketing expertise: My professional background in communications, marketing, and public relations enables me to help libraries connect with the community, raise awareness of programs, and foster public trust, ensuring services reach and resonate with everyone in the community. Additionally, my experience raising support for educational nonprofits, combined with my direct connection to Boulder families through my children in three local schools, gives me insight into community priorities, educational needs, and strategies for broad engagement. These skills and experiences position me to help the board guide the library district strategically, equitably, and sustainably.

During my time on the Library Commission and Foundation board, 3. The BPLD envisions building I supported and championed initiatives that expand early literacy and maintaining an equitable library system for all patrons and and learning opportunities across the community. I supported programs such as Reading Buddies, which pair young readers residents. Please provide with mentors, help build confidence and literacy skills while examples of your past providing supportive relationships that many children may not experiences in promoting fairness and inclusivity and how otherwise have. I have also supported and volunteered at the you would help build an equitable Book-Rich environment program, a program that ensures that library system to serve the plans children and families across the district have consistent access to books and learning materials that support early development. of the library district. Equity also requires a willingness to explore new approaches to reach communities that traditional programs may miss. For example, the Early Literacy App initiative represented an effort to extend literacy resources beyond library walls and into homes through technology. While the project ultimately did not succeed as intended, it reflected an important commitment to innovation and learning from experimentation in order to better serve families. My professional communications background has also helped ensure that library programs and resources are clearly explained and widely visible so that all community members-especially those who may not already see the library as a resource for them-feel welcomed and informed. As a trustee, I would continue to support policies and investments that expand access to literacy, technology, and lifelong learning opportunities, while ensuring the library district remains inclusive, accessible, and responsive to the diverse needs of our community.

4. What do you see as the most important responsibilities of a library district in ensuring the library’s long-term relevance and sustainability?

Sustaining a library that thrives requires visionary governance, strategic planning, financial stewardship, and strong community engagement. Libraries are more than books-they are living centers of learning, creativity, and connection. From my experience on the Library Commission and Foundation board, I have learned that strong governance, clear policies, and careful budget management are critical for public trust. My work with Alaya Preschool and Roots Foundation reinforced the importance of engaging communities, strategic planning, and continuity for programs that serve families. Having children in three Boulder schools also informs my understanding of how libraries support education, enrichment, and lifelong learning. My communications and marketing expertise ensures that libraries can effectively share their programs, highlight their impact, and cultivate strong community relationships-essential for sustaining support, participation, and relevance. I would approach this responsibility by balancing fiscal responsibility with bold, forward-looking initiatives, keeping the library relevant, vibrant, and inclusive for all residents.

5. Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision as part of a group or board. How did you balance differing viewpoints?

While chair of the Library Commission, the Main Library faced a methamphetamine contamination incident in December 2022, just a month after voters approved Boulder Measure 6C, placing the library under intense public attention. The situation required balancing staff and patron safety, maintaining access to an essential community resource, and ensuring transparent communication. Commissioners, library leadership, and city officials requested different types of information to guide reopening and remediation decisions. As chair, I supported the library director in decision-making, reviewed data and information throughout the process, and helped the board communicate with the community to correct misinformation and maintain trust. The library temporarily closed and reopened once it was safe. This experience reinforced the importance of strategic oversight, collaborative governance, and clear communication-all essential skills for helping a library thrive under pressure.

I am not aware of any conflicts that would interfere with my 6. Are there any current or past service. Should a potential conflict arise, I would disclose it and relationships, affiliations, or recuse myself as appropriate. business interests that you believe might create a conflict of interest in your role as a member of the board? If so, how do you plan to manage or mitigate these potential conflicts to ensure your decisions align with the best interests of the organization? 7. Regarding unmet community needs, what do you see as the top priorities for the board of trustees? How would you approach balancing these priorities during times of decreased tax revenues and increasing costs?

Since the 2018 Master Plan, top priorities for the Boulder Public Library Board include equitable access for all residents, lifelong learning and literacy programs, community engagement, and adapting facilities and services to a growing and changing population. After the successful passage of Measure 6C in 2022, trustees had to balance the 2018 strategic plan goals with campaign promises, restoring services, expanding programming, and opening new facilities. The upcoming 2026 strategic plan will provide an opportunity to align the library's goals, address remaining unmet needs, and set priorities for the coming years. During times of decreased tax revenues and rising costs, I would focus on maintaining core services, leveraging partnerships with schools and nonprofits, using program attendance, facility usage data, and community feedback to guide investments, and ensuring long-term financial sustainability. My experience guiding Alaya Preschool through a governance transition and fundraising campaign, along with work with Roots Foundation, provides insight into balancing community priorities with fiscal responsibility. Additionally, having children in three Boulder schools, along with strong connections and regular interaction with many community groups, gives me firsthand insight into families' educational and literacy needs, helping guide equitable and impactful library services.