We recruit the best and brightest library leaders and experts to work with our clients.
Our consultants are library directors, foundation directors, technology experts, marketing consultants and other specialists who know about the day-to-day workings and challenges of the library world.
Our Consultants
Cathi Alloway
Cathi Alloway served as Library Director for the Schlow Centre Region Library (PA) and co-Director of the Federation of Centre County Libraries (PA) for ten years. She brings over thirty years’ experience in library leadership, plus volunteer leadership positions with professional associations and community organizations. Alloway has written and presented extensively on library management, community engagement, outreach services, fundraising, and library trustee roles.
Melissa Brechon
Melissa Brechon is the former Director of the Carver County Library, a suburban Minneapolis library system. Brechon is an adjunct faculty member of St. Catherine’s University in Saint Paul. She has broad experience in community needs assessments, facilitates master plans, and staffing studies.
Beth Burns
Beth Burns is President of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. Her previous leadership roles include Vice President for External Relations (Minnesota Zoo); Director of the Guthrie Learning Center (Guthrie Theater); and Executive Director (Lutheran Music Program). She has extensive consulting and volunteer board experience and is co-founder of the MN Music Coalition.
Kathy Dempsey
Kathy Dempsey has been immersed in library marketing since 1994, working as the Editor of Marketing Library Services, Author of The Accidental Library Marketer, and Founding Chair of the Library Marketing and Communications Conference. She started her own consultancy, Libraries Are Essential, in 2005. Dempsey has published countless articles, and she speaks frequently for state, national, and international audiences.
Nick Dimassis
Nick Dimassis is the Director of the Beloit Public Library. Formerly, Dimassis served as the Deputy Director of Hennepin County Library, Director of Carver County Library, Assistant Director of East Central Regional Library, and past chair of the Public Libraries Division and the Legislative Committee of the Minnesota Library Association.
Wyatt Fertig
Wyatt Rush Fertig is the Learning and Development coordinator at the Hennepin County Library. As a certified Project Management Professional, Fertig has more than 10 years of experience designing innovative learning experiences and managing complex projects. Fertig is also a frequent speaker at national and state conferences.
Cynthia Fesemyer
Cindy Fesemyer is Principal of Fesemyer Consulting, LLC, helping information organizations see the big picture as they strive for equity and social justice. Community engagement, qualitative assessment, strategic planning, engaged leadership, and staff training, are her areas of expertise. Previously she served 2.5 years at the WI State Library and 7 years as Director of the Columbus Public Library (WI). Cindy earned her MLIS from UW-Madison in 2012.
Toni Garvey
Toni Garvey served as the Director of the Phoenix Public Library for 15 years. Garvey has more than 25 years of experience as a public library administrator and has led strategic planning efforts for public libraries in addition to library programming/design/construction projects. She was the 2004 Library Journal Librarian of the Year and President of PLA in 2002.
Sharon Griggins
Sharon Griggins is the former Chief Strategy Officer for The Seattle Public Library Foundation where she spent over 14 years. An accomplished nonprofit executive, she has also owned her own consulting firm and has extensive experience in fundraising, communications, and community relations.
Kim Horton
Kim Horton is the Senior Director of Communications for The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. She has worked in communications for over 15 years, developing branding strategies, marketing campaigns, and customer experiences. Kim has also presented workshops for nonprofits on effective communications.
Natela Jordan
Natela Jordan is a nonprofit and public sector consultant. She has over two decades of local, national, and international experience leading innovative education, capacity-building, and community engagement projects. Projects have included intercultural development and DEI, program and curriculum development, qualitative research and climate studies, communications and community engagement, and more.
Jennifer Patterson
Jennifer Patterson is currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer at YouthCare, a non-profit in Seattle serving youth experiencing homelessness. Previously she served as the State Librarian of Oregon, Public Services Director at Seattle Public Library, Customer Experience Manager at Pierce County Library System, and Dean of Learning Resources at Edmonds Community College. She has over twenty years of library leadership experience.
Saengmany Ratsabout
A former refugee from Laos, Saengmany Ratsabout has over 20 years of experience as a program strategist working on community-engaged programs and projects ranging from public history, strategic planning, to civic engagement. Saengmany has served as a consultant to international media organizations, philanthropic institutions, and civil society on issues relating to immigrant and refugee experiences.
Karen Rose
Karen Rose has been fundraising for over 20 years, serving in development leadership positions for higher education and social service organizations and as a consultant to libraries, schools, museums, social service agencies, churches and youth organizations. She has also conducted strategic planning services to libraries and communities.
Christine Watkins
Christine Watkins has over two decades of experience working as a consultant to libraries and nonprofits on marketing and donor strategies, fundraising and institutional advancement, and project design and development. She has extensive national library experience, including creating the [email protected] effort through ALA.
Pamela Westby
Pamela Westby has over 30 years of experience as a director of public libraries in Minnesota and Wisconsin. She was elected President of the Wisconsin Library Association in 2016 and has experience as a continuing education instructor. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science and is a licensed, K-12 Library Media Specialist.
Della Williams
Della Williams is the VP of Programs for FUSE Corps, a national nonprofit that partners with local governments to solve pressing problems. She leads efforts to expand programming, training, and tools for executive fellows and government partners. Della has 20+ years of IT Consulting experience that spans the U.S., Africa and the Middle East.
Stu Wilson
Stu Wilson is the former Director of Library Strategies Consulting Group, Executive Director of The Friends of the Hennepin County Library and Vice-President of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. Wilson has more than 25 years of fundraising and planning experience and is the founder of Fitzgerald in Saint Paul.
Monique Le Conge Ziesenhenne
Monique Le Conge Ziesenhenne has over thirty years’ experience in local government, as an assistant city manager, public library director, and a city management employee in the arts, sciences, recreation, and parks. She has strong experience working with Friends’ groups and foundations. Ziesenhenne has been actively involved with the American Library Association, Public Library Association (past President), and regional library organizations.
Library Strategies Co-Founders and Consultants Emeritus
Sue Hall
Peter Pearson
Additional Affiliated Consultants
Kate Lucas – Grant Writing
Slade Kemmet – Marketing, Video Production
Our Staff Team
Alayne Hopkins
Senior Director of Programs & Services
Alayne Hopkins is Senior Director of Programs & Services for The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. She has more than 20 years’ experience in public programming and manages The Friends activities as the Minnesota Center for the Book, a Library of Congress affiliate.
David Katz
Programs & Services Manager
David Katz works closely with several long-time clients, including the Minnesota Association of Library Friends (MALF) and the Twin Cities area’s library service agency. He also coordinates Club Book and the Minnesota Book Awards program.
Wendy Werdin
Programs & Services Coordinator
As a Programs & Services Coordinator, Wendy Werdin facilitates literary programming for libraries in Saint Paul and around Minnesota and serves as a project manager for Library Strategies. She also coordinates the e-newsletter.
Kia Xiong
Programs & Services Manager
As a Programs & Services manager, Kia Xiong coordinates information requests for new and prospective Library Strategies clients, manages consultant and client relationships, and oversees ongoing communications, including the e-newsletter.
Our Partners
Literacy Minnesota serves learners and organizations through direct service at six learning centers; thousands of volunteers trained per year; thousands of curriculum downloads per month; AmeriCorps VISTA members working on literacy initiatives across Minnesota; and a digital-literacy learning platform, Northstar, utilized in all 50 states and several countries. Literacy Minnesota is recognized as a local and national leader and a driving force behind the latest developments in literacy learning. Visit Literacy Minnesota.
Rainbow Research, Inc. is a not-for-profit evaluation and research organization committed to improving the effectiveness of socially concerned organizations and initiatives for over 40 years. In partnership with Library Strategies, Rainbow Research conducts evaluation of Library Strategies’ literacy and capacity building projects at community, state, and regional levels. Visit Rainbow Research.
