EXECUTIVE BOARD ELECTIONS 2023-24
Voting is open! Check your email for the election link and personalized voter key.
The 2023-24 Board Elections will run from March 1st-20th. **The deadline to vote has been extended to noon on Monday, March 20th!
Winners will be announced on March 21st.

MEET THE CANDIDATES

 First vp/president-elect (1-YEAR TERM)

Jeff Cupo, Head of Information & Adult Services
Elizabeth Public Library
Jeff Cupo is the Head of Information and Adult Services at Elizabeth Public Library. He is currently in the process of hiring the library’s first social worker and installing lockers for the use of patrons experiencing homelessness. Jeff has 20 years of library experience, starting as a page at South Plainfield Free Public Library and going on to serve as the Young Adult/Community Services Librarian at Montville Township Public Library. He is the current NJLA representative to ALA’s EDI Assembly, Vice-Chair of the Honors and Awards Subcommittee, and is the Past President of the Diversity and Outreach Section.

Jeff was involved in the following successful projects while President of the Diversity and Outreach Section: Fine-Free Toolkit (Resulting in an NJLA Statement in favor of libraries going fine-free and issuing cards to all); Library Cards for All Survey and Report; Library Services for Patrons Who Use Drugs Info Sheet; Scholarships for Library Workers of Color Mailer Campaign; PSA: Experiences of NJ's Library Workers of Color; Breaking Down Barriers Unconference; Holiday and Observances Calendar, 2022 Edition; Exploratory Research on Library Outreach to Prisons.

My passion has always been serving marginalized populations, and these groups have been especially hard hit by the pandemic. If elected I will emphasize serving ALL of the public and ALL of our library workers. I have already had the opportunity to work closely with Carina González as her Vice President and successor in D&O, and I will bring the same level of hard work, energy, and commitment that made us such a great team in the past.

Will Porter, Director
Sussex County Library System
Will Porter is the Director of the Sussex County Library System. He has served on various roles on the executive boards of several NJ library organizations, including MAIN Library Alliance, LibraryLinkNJ, and NJLA, in addition to numerous NJLA Sections, Committees, and Subcommittees. My vision for NJLA is that it can be among the most dynamic and welcoming statewide professional organizations in the country. We can bring that about by expanding our membership and accessing the deep well of creativity and talent in NJ's many libraries, by facilitating engaging and accessible participation locally and statewide, and by seeking out the resources to feed and foster both.

 Secretary (1-Year Term)

Heather Kristian, Head of Youth Services
Pennsauken Free Public Library
Heather Kristian is the Head of Youth Services/YS Librarian at Pennsauken Free Public Library. She thrives on how no two days are alike in a library environment. While working as a paraprofessional in an academic library, Heather’s first foray into NJLA occurred when she started reading and deliberating for the NJLA Young Adult Services Section’s Garden State Teen Book Awards as a way to stay connected to public library trends. She still continues to participate in the GSTBA year after year because she loves it, and welcomes any opportunity to read and take notes on books under the guise of working. She is the current President of the NJLA Children’s Services Section and serves on two NJLA committees: Member Services and Leadership and Education. She is co-chairing the NJLA Internship Program for the 2022-2023 cycle through the latter. In addition to NJLA, she has been involved with NJALA (NJ Association for Library Assistants) for several years. Currently serving as Liaison, she has held multiple other NJALA Executive Council positions, including President, Treasurer, Conference co-chair, and de facto Secretary. Having a strong belief in supporting library paraprofessionals alongside professional staff wherever they are in their library work journey, Heather feels serving as the NJLA Executive Board’s Secretary will allow her a greater opportunity to share this belief with the NJ library community.A lifelong resident of South Jersey, Heather holds an MLIS from Kent State University and an MFA in Creative Writing—Poetry concentration—from Arcadia University, where she co-founded the "Marathon Literary Review.” She remains active in the Delaware Valley literary scene and sits on the board of the Vegetarian Society of South Jersey where she has held both Secretary and Archivist positions. Professional interests include t(w)een librarianship, academic librarianship, alternative item lending, audiobooks, graphic novels, and promoting diversity, equity, inclusivity, and sustainability in libraries. After years of high school Latin, there is usually a Catullus quote in her email signature.

Rosy Wagner, Lifelong Learning Manager
Burlington County Library System
Rosy Wagner is the Lifelong Learning Manager for the Burlington County Library System. She has been working as a librarian for over 10 years, and spent most of that time as a Teen Services department head before getting the opportunity to lead BCLS's new Lifelong Learning department in Fall of 2021. In her current role she works to expand literacy, enrichment and learning opportunities for library users of all ages. Rosy believes that the core function of libraries is providing access, whether that is to the latest bestseller or to career-elevating computer classes. If elected to the Executive Board for the 2023-2024 season, she looks forward to working with NJLA towards supporting libraries in their services as well as supporting library staff who work so hard to bring them to their communities.

 Member-at-Large (3-Year Term)

Cara Berg, Co-Coordinator of User Education & Business Librarian
William Paterson University
Cara Berg is the Business Librarian and Co-Coordinator of User Education at William Paterson University (WPU), a position she's held since 2014, and has worked as a librarian since 2009. She works to bring information literacy skills to the WPU community and serves as the liaison to the College of Business. She has published in journals including The Journal of Academic Librarianship and The Journal of Information Literacy on topics such as librarian well-being and first year student information literacy initiatives. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in educational leadership at WPU.

Cara believes strongly in collaboration between libraries of all types and believes it to be the key to a healthy and thriving NJLA. She was a member of the NJLA Task Force for School Libraries (2016-2020) and is one of the co-founders of the Wellness Wednesday program held to give librarians a space to de-stress and communicate with each other. She served as President of ACRL-NJ/NJLA CUS in 2019-2020 and continues to remain an active member. Currently, she serves as the co-chair of the ACRL-NJ/NJLA CUS Nominations Committee and a member of the NJLA Conference Committee.
NJLA is a robust organization that should work to empower the library community: the board must support the members and understand that NJLA will only be as good as its membership. If elected to member-at-large, she plans to be an inclusive leader who works collaboratively across libraries and regions while ensuring all voices are heard. She will advocate for librarians, listen to their needs and work to implement initiatives to best serve the NJ library community.

CATHERINE DEBERRY, BRANCH MANAGER
BOUND BROOK BRANCH, SOMERSET COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
I am an innovative, collaborative, and emotionally intelligent library leader with extensive experience in fostering adaptive and comprehensive public library services for all community members with a particular focus on serving underrepresented, special, and marginalized populations. As a collegial, dynamic, and motivational manager who leads by example and inspires colleagues and direct reports to take smart, strategic risks, I would like to take that skill set and support the current and future initiatives and efforts of the NJ statewide library association. I am a firm believer in the role that NJLA plays in supporting librarianship and am incredibly passionate about the work that libraries do in their communities. It is important as a profession to recognize and celebrate all the work we do not just amongst ourselves but throughout the state. Statewide advocacy is critical and if elected I will use my passion and skills to serve the organization and the profession in the same manner that I serve the residents of my library community. My relevant library experience includes serving as Branch Manager of the Bound Brook Library of SCLSNJ since 2020, following a position as Adult Services Supervisor at the Hillsborough Library of SCLSNJ. I am a current member of both PLA and NJLA, where I have previously participated in the Diversity & Outreach Section.

CHIP MCAULEY, REFERENCE LIBRARIAN
HICKORY CORNER BRANCH, MERCER COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Intellectual Freedom is the central issue of our time. Attempts to challenge and ban books are causing the unprecedented need for an organized resistance to defend and educate the public on why the freedom to think is of the utmost importance in maintaining our democracy as a living institution at every level. Librarians are at the frontline of this battle. As a member of NJLA's Intellectual Freedom Subcommittee, I am engaged with our ongoing efforts to confront these issues effectively - as seen in the response to the recent book challenges in Mercer County - and I am committed to being part of the overall efforts in New Jersey and nationwide to successfully defeat book banning efforts.Currently, I am a Reference Librarian at the Hickory Corner Branch of the Mercer County Library System and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Mercer County Community College. My past experience includes not only nearly 20 years in the college classroom - where I taught, among other topics, Media Law focusing on the First Amendment, but time as a journalist and freelance writer. I humbly ask for your vote.

Emily Witkowski, Teen Services Supervisor
Hunterdon County Library
Emily Witkowski is the Teen Services Supervisor at Hunterdon County Library System. She began her involvement in NJLA before even entering her MLIS program at Rutgers when, while interning at a local high school media center as an undergraduate student, the school librarian invited her to attend the annual NJLA conference with her and she saw first hand the value of this professional organization. Since that first introduction, she started attending different section and committee meetings before becoming involved as an intern, then committee member, and finally co-chair of the NJLA Conference Committee 2017-2019. She has also served in the Leadership & Education subcommittee, the Finance Committee, and has been a member of the YA and Reference Sections. She was an Emerging Leader in the 2016-2017 year and is dedicated to expanding the image of the public library, which she recently has the opportunity to do as she graduated with her Masters in Public Health through the Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

GABIE CLARK, ADULT SERVICES LIBRARIAN
CAMDEN COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Adult Services Librarian for Camden County Library System. Formerly employed by NJLA as Program Coordinator for the grant funded Access Navigator Program. 25 years in high level corporate management and operations. 16 years as a member, officer, Foundation Chair, Secretary and committee chair for multiple committees with the Rotary Club of Minneapolis. Former Chair of Volunteers of America MN board. Event Chair for two Rotary District Meetings. Chair of Job Readiness committee of Jeremiah Program. Newsletter Editor for AILO. Outreach committee for SSDN. I enjoyed working with the NJLA EB related to the Access Navigator program as well as with the Policy Committee and the Annual Conference Committee. Hoping to get involved from the membership side!

JOHN WALLACE, SYSTEMS & EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES LIBRARIAN
OCEAN COUNTY COLLEGE
John Wallace is the Systems & Emerging Technologies Librarian at Ocean County College and a Visiting Reference Librarian with the R. Barbara Gitenstein Library at The College of New Jersey. John previously worked at Atlantic Cape Community College, Piscataway Public Library, and Raritan Valley Community College. John is also an adjunct lecturer at Ocean County College where he teaches Library Research Skills and Introduction to Criminal Justice. John has acted as a leader within NJLA for a number of years. He was a graduate of both the NJLA Internship Program and NJLA Emerging Leaders Program. He is a Past-Chair of the Public Policy Committee, where he coordinated the NJ delegation for National Legislative Day and acted as an NJ representative at the ALA Congressional Fly-In advocacy event in Washington D.C. John is also a Past-Chair of the Scholarship Subcommittee, where he played an active role in the development and implementation of the Equity Scholarships. John is currently a Member-at-Large on the NJLA Executive Board and is seeking a second three-year term.

If elected for a second term, my priorities would be transparency, empowerment, and advocacy. The NJLA Executive Board should be open and accessible to all members. If there is an issue that needs to be brought to the E-Board, I want membership to know that I can and will help bring it forward. I think it is also the role of NJLA to help empower members to play a more active role in both the Association and within their communities. NJLA can and should provide additional support in this area—whether it be through training or partnerships. And finally, particularly as our new Executive Director is onboarded, I intend to underscore the critical importance of coordinated advocacy efforts on behalf of the Association, its members, and the NJ Library community as a whole.

Teresa Bayles, Cataloging Supervisor
Somerset County Library System
I received my MLIS from Rutgers University School of Communication and Information in the year 2000. From 2006-2021, I was the Acquisition's supervisor at the Somerset County Library System of NJ within Technical Services, working directly with Collection Development to coordinate the purchase, receipt, and payment of library materials. In 2021 I took over the role of Cataloging Supervisor, handling the cataloging of musical sound recordings, graphic novels, and adult nonfiction materials along with a team of catalogers dedicated to contributing quality records to SCLSNJ's vast library catalog. Prior to my work at SCLSNJ, I was a Media Cataloging Librarian for Baker & Taylor from 2000-2006. I currently serve as the Secretary of the Technical Services and Collection development section of the NJ Library Association. In my free time, I have an active role in my local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism, an inclusive community dedicated to the research and re-creation of pre-17th century skills, arts, combat, and culture, where she helps to coordinate events and an enjoys the challenge of attempting to recreate the art of the Medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscript. As a Member-at-Large candidate with a Technical Services and Cataloging focus, it is my wish to work toward helping NJLA members and libraries find ways to maintain and develop library catalogs that are more inclusive and diverse, which will go a long way to breaking barriers to access and provide a more equitable mode of discovery for our patrons.