Special Story Time with Kathy Penge

June 8, 2021

A group of seniors are busting through the digital divide and learning how to use all those devices like phones and tablets that just seemed confusing before. A class being offered at the Manchester Community Library is helping them on the journey.

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(802) 362-2607

Matt has spent a lot of time getting lost and found in libraries. He received a BA in English Literature from Burlington College and since then has been poking around all over the United States. After taking the scenic route for a few years, Matt and his wife finally landed in Southern Vermont. When he’s not at the library, Matt enjoys hiding his nose in books, practicing traditional Korean archery, helping his wife take care of her expansive houseplant collection (with varying degrees of success), and tending to their cat.

Fun Fact: Matt’s cat’s name is Comma.

(802) 549-4581

The MCL’s “jill of all trades,” Jennifer manages a variety of tasks related to the operational aspects of running the library. Whether investigating a complex HVAC issue, hiring a plumber, ordering supplies, reconciling bills, organizing storage space, or shipping out interlibrary loans, Jennifer’s days are never the same. Early in her career, Jennifer worked at Macy’s Herald Square in the Operations and Cash Control departments. When she and her husband moved to Vermont, they ran a motel for sixteen years. These experiences provided excellent preparation for her current position at the MCL. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Allegheny College and has completed her Certificate of Public Librarianship. Fun Fact: Jennifer was a balloon captain in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

(802) 549-4579

Sally brings a long history of non-profit and educational work to this most important role. In her previous position as Director of Communications, Outreach, and Events at Preschool Advantage, Sally focuses on providing low-income children with the opportunity to obtain access to high quality preschool education. Prior to her role at Preschool Advantage, Sally worked and volunteered for numerous organizations that served children and vulnerable populations.

Sally earned an undergraduate degree in business administration at Franklin and Marshall College (where she met her husband) and a master’s degree in International Relations at Drew University. In her spare time, Sally enjoys traveling, gardening, cooking, skiing, and time with her two dogs and two children.

(802) 549-4580

A native Vermonter with B.A. from Middlebury College, Gizelle’s career in public libraries began after a decade of work in the school system. She then spent three adventurous years driving Colchester’s bookmobile and coordinating outreach programming for preschools, daycares, and senior centers before moving indoors to Young Adult Services at the Burnham Memorial Library. Gizelle earned her Vermont Librarian’s Certificate in 2011. In 2014, she assumed the Director’s role at the Morristown Centennial Library. While learning much along the way, the opportunity to return to youth services, her passion and joy, proved irresistible, and brought her to the MCL in 2021. In her spare time, Gizelle enjoys dabbling in writing, kayaking in summer, sharing comfort food recipes with friends, and creating “great messes of paper, glue, fabric, vegetable dyes, wax and other components in the name of folk art.”

Susan McManus joined the MCL Board of Trustees in 2019. Currently, she serves a member of the Advancement Committee.

Susan received a B.A. in English from Fairfield University in 2004. After college, she attended Vermont Law School and received her J.D. in 2007. She was admitted to the Vermont and Connecticut Bar in the Fall of 2007 and is now retired from the practice of law in Connecticut.

After obtaining her law degree, Susan was employed by a private law firm in Bennington, Vermont. In 2010, she left private practice and joined the Office of the Defender General to pursue her passion of criminal defense and public service law.

In 2019 Susan was elected President- Elect to the Board of the Vermont Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and will assume the presidency in 2021. She also served as past Treasurer of the Bennington County Bar Association.

Susan and her husband, Daniel, live in Manchester and have three children collectively. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking and gardening.

Dave Citron joined the MCL Board of Trustees in 2018 and currently serves as the Library’s Treasurer.

Dave and his wife Julie are the co-owners of RE/MAX Four Seasons. Dave is the principal broker for the office and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the office along with his many responsibilities to customers and clients. Dave has owned and operated the office since 2003.

Dave and Julie moved to Vermont from Duxbury, MA in 2003. At that time, their two children, Samantha and Charlie, were four and two years old. Dave left a management position with Fidelity Investments in search of a better quality of life and a community where he could put down roots. He considers it the best decision he’s ever made and believes he couldn’t have found a better place to raise a family. Samantha is currently a Junior at Bucknell University and Charlie is a First Year at Colgate University. Where does the time go?

Dave has served in many local organizations including President of the Manchester and the Mountains Regional Chamber of Commerce, Trustee and Treasurer of the Manchester Country Club, Trustee of the Dorset Church, and Treasurer of the South Central Vermont Board of Realtors. Giving back to the community is an important cornerstone of the lifestyle that Dave and Julie sought when they moved to Vermont.

Clark French has been a Manchester Village resident since 1999. A patron and supporter of both the original Mark Skinner Library and the Manchester Community Library, Clark holds a deep interest in the vitality and relevance of our community library and has also held board and advisory roles in various educational, environmental and arts organizations. Named to the MCL board in 2020, Clark sits on the Advancement Committee.

As the principal of French & Co. Fine Properties, a diversified real estate company, he has achieved sustained success in brokerage, development, hospitality and advisory and has been recognized by publications such as the Wall Street Journal as being among the most successful real estate professionals in America. Clark’s recent Manchester projects include the Taconic Hotel Kimpton and the refurbishment and reuse of the historic original Mark Skinner Library building.

Avid readers and book collectors, Clark and his wife Lu have raised three children in the Manchester school system. They remain deeply grateful for the opportunity to live in and contribute to our vibrant Manchester community.

Appointed to the Manchester Community Library Board in 2020, Fran Fauver serves on the Governance and Finance Committees. Fran moved to Vermont from Chatham, New Jersey in 2018 where she and her husband Chip resided for thirty years.

Fran received a B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross. After a short stint in the non-profit world in New York City, Fran went into sales, initially in the software and computer business, and later in finance on Wall Street.

Prior to moving to Manchester full-time in 2018, Fran actively volunteered in many community organizations including the PTO of the Chatham’s, the Library of the Chatham’s, as well as the Municipal Alliance Counsel for the education and prevention of substance abuse. In addition to her volunteer duties, Fran devoted her energies to the restoration of their 100-year old house which won the first preservation award from the Chatham Historical Society in 2010. Since moving to Manchester, Fran has enjoyed volunteering at MCL with the children’s programs and special events. She also serves on the design review board for her homeowners association.

Fran and Chip have three sons and a daughter-in-law, and all live close to each other in the Bay area of California, making visiting very convenient. In her free time, Fran enjoys reading, traveling, gardening, cooking and hiking. Fun fact: Kate Orme, the President of the Manchester Community Library Board, and Fran swam on the same swim team in grade school. Neither one of them has any recollection of the other……it was fifty-plus years ago!

Drawn to Vermont’s abundant natural beauty and recreational opportunities, and the many charms of Manchester, Kate Orme and her family decided to become full-time Vermont residents sixteen years ago, relocating from Westchester County, NY after having spent many winters before that enjoying skiing together at Stratton. While working at Stratton’s Sales Center for five years, Kate volunteered as President of Stratton Mountain School’s PTA, at the Southern Vermont Arts Center (SVAC), and with Vermont Reading Partners. As a lifelong library lover, though, her most fulfilling volunteer role was with the MCL and she then joined the Board in 2017. After serving on the Advancement and Governance Committees, she became President in 2018.

Before raising two children, Kate had a successful career in publishing and advertising, working for Prentice-Hall, Doubleday, Rapp & Collins and finally as Senior Vice President and Account Manager at McCann-Erickson Direct. She also volunteered as a tutor with Literacy Volunteers of America/Stamford-Greenwich, ultimately serving as Chair of their Board of Directors.

Kate holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and she and her husband George enjoy tennis, golf, paddle tennis, hiking, and spending time with their (now grown) children.

John Clark joined the MCL Board of Trustees in early 2019 after moving to Manchester with his wife Mia from Windham, Vermont, where he had been living year-round since 2011. He serves as Vice President of the Executive Committee, Chair of the Advancement Committee, and as a member of the Governance Committee.

John received a B.A. in American Studies from Yale in 1973. After college, he taught at the Stevenson School (CA) for two years and then at Rochester (VT) High School before pursuing a career in advertising and newspapers. In 1991, he joined Loomis Chaffee (CT) as Director of Planned Giving before leading the Advancement office for 12 years and overseeing the school’s $114 million comprehensive capital campaign. He became Director of Advancement at the American School in London in 2008 before becoming a search consultant at Carney, Sandoe & Associates in 2011, where he helps secure senior administrators for independent schools worldwide.

John and Mia have six adult children and six grandchildren collectively. He also serves on the Board of Grace Cottage Family Health and Hospital (where he also is president of the Grace Hospital Foundation Board) and recently completed a four-year term as a member of the Andover Alumni Council. He enjoys hiking, biking, and skiing.

(802) 362-2607

Judy is the MCL’s Administrative Assistant, and works mostly in Advancement and Adult Programming. You may have met her hosting Manchester Memories or the Community Movie Day. Judy was a frequent and enthusiastic member at the Mark Skinner Library, became a volunteer at Manchester Community Library and then, with great appreciation, was asked to join the staff. And, if asked what her favorite hobby is, she would say “books.” How lucky is that! Fun Fact: For 19 years, Judy had a Maine Coon cat who would answer the phone when she was not at home, surprising the caller who may have heard purring instead of her voice.

(802) 549-4575

The Executive Director position at the Library is like a patchwork quilt—the many facets of the role are as unique as its individual squares. The delicate assembly required to connect the pieces is equal parts art, science, and passion. When done well, the outcome is the creation of a place that is welcoming to all, one that serves the diverse needs of a community as a cultural, literary, and social gathering place.

Violet has devoted her professional career to the not-for-profit sector. Prior to becoming head “quilter” at the MCL, she focused her efforts in higher education and healthcare. Most recently, she served as the Patient Experience Manager at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. In her prior roles she led the Career Development Center at Trinity College, and served as the Assistant Dean and Director of the University of Chicago Careers in Health Professions Program. Throughout her career, Violet recruited and led a talented and diverse team of experienced professionals committed to community building and civic engagement. When not at the MCL, Violet can be spotted exploring nature, the arts, and great food, all of which can be found in many places across her favorite place in the world…Vermont.