HISTORY OF THE FOUNDATION
History of the Foundation
The St. Tammany Library Foundation was established in 2006, shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast area. One community library was so severely damaged by water and wind it could no longer function as a library facility. Another was completely destroyed by tornado force winds.
The Foundation was founded as a charitable non-profit 501 [c] [3] corporation to support the St. Tammany Parish Library System in its recovery and to promote the long-range growth and development of library resources and services in the future.
Now that a new Library is under construction to replace one of the facilities destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, the Foundation has become re-energized to focus on its broader mission. The Foundation seeks to build private support, enhance the visibility of the St. Tammany Library’s role in the community, and strengthen the public’s support of our library system.
Technology and the growth of information throughout the centuries have compounded the need for library support. Now more than ever, patrons – from infants to seniors– seek library services. The gap between public funding and library services has widened. The St. Tammany Library Foundation’s purpose is to see that our library system continues its mission of sharing the heritage of the past, and meeting the challenges of today and the future.Board of Directors
A volunteer community board directs the St. Tammany Library Foundation. The Board of Directors work closely with the Library staff to identify funding needs. The Foundation is separate from the Friends of the Library, although a member from the Friends sits on the Board of the Foundation.
Members of the Board of Directors of 2012-2013 are as follows:
Michele Avery, Immediate Past Chair of the West St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce, CPA/AVA, CVA, CFFA at LaPorte/CP Associate and Business Advisors.
The Honorable Kevin Davis, Immediate Past Parish President of St. Tammany Parish; Director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP).
Sharon Lo Drucker, Immediate Past President of the Leadership St. Tammany Alumni Foundation; Board of Directors of Safe Harbor; Women of the Storm; Junior League of Greater Covington.
Rose Manchon, Member of the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, and Grant writer for the St. Tammany Parish Hospital Hospice, Nurse Educator.
Argiro Morgan, President of the St. Tammany Parish Library Board of Control; Immediate Past President of the Louisiana Federation of Republican Women; Board of Directors of the Louisiana State Library; Retired Professor Xavier University of Louisiana.
Marie Louise Guste Nix, Attorney; Educator; published author; fundraiser for nonprofits throughout the metropolitan area;
Madlon Nohra, Educator; co-author of the Sex Education Curriculum of the St. Tammany Parish School System; Treasurer of the Slidell Memorial Hospital’s Women’s Health Alliance.
Carrie Lee Pierson Schwartz, Senior Professor of Practice, Media Arts/Digital Design of Tulane University; winner of numerous awards, and whose works have been featured in many exhibits throughout the United States and abroad.
Ann Crigger Shaw, Educator, International Officer of Pi Beta Phi; Literacy activist, Junior League of Greater Covington.
The Honorable Steve Stefancik, St. Tammany Parish Council; employed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company and IT Senior Manager for the Space Shuttle External Tank project at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in Eastern New Orleans.
Advisory Board of the St. Tammany Library Foundation
The Advisory Board members offer the Foundation’s Board of Directors their considerable experience to guide important decisions of the Board. The Foundation is grateful for their generosity of spirit and of time and their commitment to the mission of libraries as resources of lifetime learning in our community.
Members of the Advisory Board of 2012-2013 are as follows:
Mary Jane Becker, St. Tammany community activist.
Lane Carson, LL.D., Director, Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs.
Jeff Crouere, Media Commentator and former Director of the Louisiana Republican
Party.The Honorable Peter Gitz, Mayor of the City of Madisonville
Rebecca Hamilton, Director, State Library of Louisiana.
Pam Ewing Lott, Author, Founder of Northshore Literary Society;
Board of Directors of the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival.The Honorable Tom Schedler, Secretary of State of Louisiana.
Sandra Slifer, President, League of Women Voters of St. Tammany Parish.