Shaping the Future for Your Friends of the Library - A Retreat for Friends Groups

Deborah Doyle
Chair, Sonoma County (Calif.) Library Commission
2024-2026 President, United for Libraries
Deborah Doyle is a writer, editor, and fundraiser as well as an active library advocate at local, state, and national levels. Her work experience includes roles at the Defense Nuclear Agency, the Council on Economic Priorities, Dolby Laboratories, Heidrick & Struggles, and Booz Allen. She played board and staff roles at Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and was actively involved in helping to create San Francisco’s well-funded modern library system. She has served as President of the California Library Association (CLA) and is the only person to receive CLA’s President’s Award twice – the highest honor given to an individual for significant contributions to libraries. She currently sits on the United for Libraries board, the ALA Committee on Legislation, the CLA Advocacy and Legislative Committee, chairs the Sonoma County Library Commission, and is a past president of California Public Library Advocates. She also serves on United’s Intellectual Freedom/Advocacy Committee. Deborah holds a BA from the University of Virginia (high honors) and an Executive MLIS from San Jose State University. She is also a performer and serves on the boards of the Living History Centre and the Guild of St. George in California.

Madeline Jarvis
Director, Two Harbors (Minn.) Library
United for Libraries Board Member
Madeline Jarvis is the Director of the Two Harbors Public Library in Two Harbors, Minn. Madeline holds a BA in Sustainable Community Development from Northland College and an MLIS from the University of Iowa. She became involved with United for Libraries as an Emerging Leader in 2018 and with the team of Lina Bertinelli, Kathy Kosinski, and Tess Wilson, co-authored the United action planner All Ages Welcome: Recruiting and Retaining Younger Generations to Library Boards, Friends Groups, and Foundations in 2020. She also serves on the boards of the Minnesota Association of Library Friends and the Northland College Alumni. Madeline is proud to bring a rural lens to the United board and can be found enjoying parks and pizza across Minnesota with her family.

Kathy Kosinski
Member Services and Outreach Manager, Califa Group
United for Libraries Board Member
Kathy Kosinski is the Member Services and Outreach Manager at Califa Group. She is also a Board Member At-Large for United for Libraries, a division of the American Library Association. She became involved with United for Libraries as an Emerging Leader in 2018 and with the team of Lina Bertinelli, Kathy Kosinski, and Tess Wilson, co-authored the United action planner All Ages Welcome: Recruiting and Retaining Younger Generations to Library Boards, Friends Groups, and Foundations in 2020. She lives in Berkeley, Calif., but stays true to her Midwest roots by keeping up with the latest porch goose fashions.

Amelia Aldred
Deputy Director, State and Local Advocacy
American Library Association Public Policy and Advocacy Office
Amelia N. Aldred is Deputy Director of State & Local Advocacy in the Public Policy and Advocacy Office (PPA) at the American Library Association. She joined ALA in April 2024 and is based in Chicago. Prior to joining ALA, Amelia worked in advocacy communications and fundraising; her work has involved forest preserves, gun violence prevention, food access, veteran suicide prevention, and the arts. In her role at ALA, Amelia provides and advances resources, support, and communication for library advocacy, assists state and local library entities in building library-friendly public policy and combating adverse policy, and staffs the Unite Against Book Bans initiative.