Meet the 2009 / 2010 Board of Directors

Click on a board member's name to view his or her individual introduction, or scroll down to view all board member introductions.

A copy of this information, including photos of the board members, is available for download at the bottom of this page.

Ethan J. Allen, PBCLA President
Elena Romeo, PBCLA Past President
Phyllis Lilley, PBCLA President Elect
Cathy Scheid, PBCLA Treasurer
Leah Plocharczyk, PBCLA Secretary
Connie Brain, Director (Public Libraries)
David Pena, Director (Academic)
Cookie Davis, Director (Public Schools)
Karen Spano, Director (Public Libraries)
Liz Locke, Director (At Large)
Maria Treadwell, Director (Academic)

ETHAN J. ALLEN, PBCLA PRESIDENT In the role of President, Ethan’s responsibilities are to set agenda and call monthly Board meetings, introduce program speakers and conduct business at quarterly meetings, and to serve and communicate with membership on an ongoing basis. Ethan’s original hometown is Northbrook, Illinois, but he has lived in Palm Beach County for the last 27 years. He has worked in secondary education, both for the School District and Cardinal Newman High School, with a long period of employment in the document imaging industry. He is currently employed in the position of Library Director at Florida Atlantic University’s John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter, having begun his career at FAU Libraries in 1995 as a senior library technical assistant. He holds graduate degrees in library science and liturgical theology. In addition to his “day job”, he is a devoted volunteer, now entering his 14 th year at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary Library, where he serves as acting archivist. Further, he assists the Catechetical Media Center of the Diocese of Palm Beach with the cataloging of their holdings. Most notably, in 2001, he embarked on a long term project to establish a new library for the Benedictine monks at Norcia, Italy. To date, about one third of their collection is cataloged. His favorite hobby is family history: “The best part of working on a family tree is when you reach the point of making contact with a newly found relative.” Return to the top.

ELENA ROMEO, PBCLA PAST PRESIDENT My interest in libraries began the first time I entered the public library in the small Virginia town where I lived as a child. After earning my MSLS at the University of Tennessee, I began my career with the Palm Beach County Library System. After a few years there, I worked as an information research consultant. After six years, and preferring public libraries, I now serve as the Director of the Palm Springs Public Library. This neighborhood library offers a traditional, friendly, helpful environment combined with the most current technology. My Board involvement is now in the role of Past President, an advisory and support position to the President and Executive Board. I am also the Scholarship Committee liaison to the Board. Return to the top.

PHYLLIS LILLEY, PBCLA PRESIDENT ELECT There are times I still feel strong ties to Connecticut where I was born and raised. My B.S. degree in early childhood education is from Eastern Connecticut State University. After coming back from a teaching assignment in Australia, I went to Library School at Southern Connecticut University. Ironically, my high school librarian discouraged me from entering such a career; it would be interesting to know why. I wonder if she thought the field would not be good for me or I would not be good for the field. I began my library career at the Belle Glade Municipal Library in 1978 as the Children’s Librarian. One week after starting, the Library’s Director resigned and I accepted those duties as well. In 1986 Palm Beach County Library System assumed the responsibility for providing library service to the people of Belle Glade by taking over the operation of the Belle Glade Municipal Library. In 1989 the County Library also acquired the Pahokee Library and in 1992 Palm Beach County built a new branch for the residents of South Bay. I assumed the management of both these branches. Life does not move at great speed in the Glades, but I have been here long enough to see positive changes. The job has had both its challenges and its rewards. In addition to my PBCLA Board involvement which began in 2006, I am also a Board member for the Glades HIPPY, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters program, Secretary for the Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center Board, and am Deputy Coordinator for the Glades Emergency Operations Area. My free time the last three years has been spent in travels to Egypt. I have been very fortunate to have a family connection that has allowed me an opportunity to visit three times, with a fourth trip being planned. Egypt is an amazing place. Return to the top.

CATHY SCHEID, PBCLA TREASURER Cathy Scheid earned her Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Texas in 2001 but her library experience goes back to middle school, where she volunteered typing up catalog cards. Her small town librarians helped to instill a love of learning and a respect for libraries that would lead to a career in the field. She worked for the Jupiter campus of Florida Atlantic University for almost 5 years, working in the diverse areas of reference, circulation, instruction, collection development, and interlibrary loan. After spending one year in records management, Cathy is now the Director of Library Services for Everglades University in Boca Raton. Return to the top.

LEAH PLOCHARCZYK, PBCLA SECRETARY The Secretary of the Palm Beach County Library Association is responsible for all correspondences which include recording and distributing the monthly and annual Board meeting minutes, and the writing of thank you notes to those who present at our programs. I have a B.A. in Sociology from DePauw University in Greencastle, IN and a M.A. in Sociology from Florida Atlantic University (FAU). I recently graduated in August 2007 with my MLS degree from the University of South Florida. While working toward my graduate degrees in both Sociology and Library and Information Science, I worked full time in Access Services at FAU for 6 years. I worked 3 years as the Reserve Coordinator and handled all electronic and print faculty requests. Upon graduation, I transferred to the downtown Ft. Lauderdale FAU campus where I currently work as the Broward Library Services Coordinator. I give bibliographic instruction to faculty and students and serve as the liaison for FAU’s joint use facility at Broward Main Public Library. Time permitting, I have written book reviews and published a few articles for the Journal of Access Services. I am a member of the American Library Association (ALA), Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), serve on the membership committee of Anthropology and Sociology Section (ANSS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries, Association of Architecture School Librarians (AASL), Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA), Palm Beach County Library Association, Broward County Library Association, and on the Broward County Friends of the Library Board. Return to the top.

CONNIE BRAIN, DIRECTOR (PUBLIC LIBRARIES) I began my library career at Palm Beach County Library System in 1989 and have moved through several departments, including the Adult Literacy Project. I obtained by MLS from USF and became Branch Manager for the Wellington Branch for 9 years. During this time I had the privilege of creating Wellington’s building plan using Libris Design software, which was a thrilling adventure. My passion in libraries is found in participatory management, a strong well?weeded collection, and exciting programming that brings people into the building. The challenge is to constantly reevaluate the community’s needs to ensure we are giving people what they want, and to bring non?users into the library. I enjoy cooking, taking motorcycle rides with my husband Stan, and, lately, learning about native and drought-resistant gardening. Return to the top.

DAVID PENA, DIRECTOR (ACADEMIC) David S. Pena, PhD, MLS is the Library/Learning Resource Center (LLRC) director for Palm Beach Community College in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. David previously served as Interim Director at the Kendall Campus library at Miami Dade College in Miami, FL. He earned his PhD in philosophy from Florida State University and his MLS from the University of South Florida. He is the author of Economic Barbarism and Managerialism, and his work has been published in Nature, Society and Thought, Political Affairs and Counterpoise. He is currently editor of the Journal of Access Services. Return to the top.

COOKIE DAVIS, DIRECTOR (PUBLIC SCHOOLS) Cookie, a resident of Jupiter, is the Media Specialist at Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach. She received her M.A. in Library & Information Science from the University of South Florida in 2003. She manages her school collections, which include 15,000 books and media holdings as well as two separate endowment collections: The Bryna Prensky Fine Arts Library and The Clyde Fyfe Music Library. Her Media Center has two computer labs with 60 computers, providing students access to numerous databases provided by public funding. Cookie is also committed to developing a growing collection of electronic books which are accessible to students from home. She also supervises Dreyfoos students in the Florida Virtual School. Cookie has served on the Professional Development Committee at Dreyfoos for five years and served as Chairperson for the past two years. She also serves on the Curriculum Council and the School Advisory Council at Dreyfoos. For the past three years she has sponsored the student ARTS Club, a community service club that offers arts programs to senior citizens and children. The club runs a one week summer Arts Camp for 6?11 yr. olds. This year the Dreyfoos students sponsored 20 campers from a Title I school; an additional 60 campers attended from local area schools. Cookie is a member of the following professional organizations: American Library Association, Florida Association for Media in Education and the Palm Beach County Educational Media Association. She will be presenting a workshop with Janeen Pelser on book challenges at the F.A.M.E. Convention in October (2008). Return to the top.

KAREN SPANO, DIRECTOR (PUBLIC LIBRARIES) I am originally from Westchester County in NY where I worked as a librarian for Reader’s Digest and as a Children’s Librarian for Hiram Halle Memorial Library in Pound Ridge. I came to Palm Beach County four years ago to join the PBC Library System as Head of Youth Services at the Southwest County Regional Library in Boca Raton. Now I am at the new Hagen Ranch Road Branch in Delray Beach where I serve as Branch Manager. I have always loved books and libraries. As a child, I would go to the local public library with my Mom on Saturdays and each of us would check out a stack of books to read for the week. Reading books, especially Young Adult books, is still one of my favorite pastimes. As a librarian I am proud of the fabulous, innovative work the Youth Services team did at Southwest County Regional Library under my tenure and the hard work my current staff and volunteers did as we moved from West Atlantic Branch to our new location on Hagen Ranch Road. They are an awesome group and I am blessed to work with such a great group of people. Outside of work I love to entertain family and friends at my home, serve in the children’s ministry at my fabulous local church, and root for several NY sport teams. It is a thrill for me to serve you and I am very excited to be a part of the PBCLA team. Return to the top.

LIZ LOCKE, DIRECTOR (AT LARGE) After 5 years as librarian at the Junior League of Boca Raton’s Vegso Community Resource Center, I now work as a full-time consultant to  nonprofit organizations and small businesses, primarily in the areas of prospect research and fund development, staff development and training, and using new technologies to reach and engage users.  I am originally from Vermont and Maine and have been living in South Florida since 1990. I graduated from the University of Maine at Orono with a degree in Oral Communications and after several years and careers earned my Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of South Florida in 1999. As a student, I did an internship at the University of Miami in Special Collections, and upon graduation, started working in Special Collections at FAU in Boca Raton, working on the Florida Heritage Project (now part of the PALMM Collection), a digital initiative of the public universities in Florida. I then had the pleasure of working with the Arthur and Mata Jaffe Collection for Books as Aesthetic Objects. In my spare time, I was also a grant researcher/writer for a nonprofit consulting firm in Delray Beach.  On a personal note, I live in Boca Raton with my husband, beagle and cat. I have three kids, 20, 25, and 27. My interests include quilting, genealogy, reading, and going to the movies. Return to the top.

MARIA TREADWELL, DIRECTOR (ACADEMIC) Maria's interest in libraries was sparked as a small child when her mother would take her to the weekly storytelling sessions at her local branch library. That interest was further increased when, as a high school freshman, she was given the opportunity to work as a student assistant in her school library. It was those years in the high school library that shaped her decision for a career in the library profession. A graduate of the then ALA accredited program at Western Michigan University, Maria's professional career has included experience in public, school, and academic libraries. After 32 years with Florida Atlantic University Libraries, Maria left her position to accept the full-time post of Assistant Director for the East Coast program for the University of South Florida's School of Library & Information Science. Return to the top.

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