About
Mission
The Friends of the Truckee Library support the cultural, social, and educational wellbeing of our community by advocating for the current Truckee Library and working to build a larger, modern library facility.
We are striving to increase community awareness and support of the new library campaign, LibraryUP!
Vision
Does anything define care for a community better than a library?
More than a space to borrow books, libraries offer story time, literacy programs, book clubs, Wi-Fi, access to technology, a meeting space, a co-working space, resources for research, and so much more. Our Truckee Library is a treasure trove of resources, information, and community connection, but unfortunately, it’s outgrown its current 4,500 sq ft space, constructed in 1975.
We are working towards the vision of a 20,000 sq. ft. modern library that will serve as the community hub for connection, creativity, and collaboration. A larger space will serve our whole community in access to dreams and opportunities, technology, resources and services, each other, and so much more.
This community is ready for a new library that will be a lasting legacy benefiting our region for decades to come.
Connection
Creativity
Collaboration
Community
Board of Directors
As an elementary school teacher for 27 years, Louise advocated statewide across districts and organizations for full inclusion classrooms in California. She also taught math workshops for school districts throughout the U.S. When she and her husband moved from Davis to Truckee in 2010 to be closer to children and grandchildren, Louise continued her educational journey by becoming a literacy tutor and joining the Friends board in 2014. An avid reader, gardener, quilter, and hiker, Louise’s favorite accomplishment was hiking the John Muir Trail twice — once with her daughter and then with her husband.
Louise Zabriskie
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
A bachelor's degree with graduate studies in Economics and a Master of Corporate Real Estate designation has propelled Amy’s 27-years-and-counting career at Oracle where she has worked in Accounting/Finance and Corporate Real Estate with a focus on sustainability, communications, and information security, among others. Her passion for leading and innovating flows into her extracurricular endeavors as a Women of CoreNet Committee member, past Treasurer of the Placer Hills Youth Soccer Club board, and now Vice President of the Friends of the Truckee Library. Amy’s mother inspired her love of literature at a young age, and Amy’s international, blended family lends well to her love of travel and learning new things.
Amy Aves
TREASURER
Mary Ellen moved to Tahoe Donner in 2001 as a part-timer from the Bay Area. She retired from Intel Corporation’s Treasury Department in 2008 after 26 years where she specialized in corporate cash and investment management, and Investor Relations in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Mary Ellen is excited to help bring the vision of a new library to fruition because of the many ways it can help the entire Truckee community. An avid tennis player, downhill skier, and golfer. Mary Ellen is a loyal supporter of the Humane Society and personal chef and playdate/walk coordinator for Rosie the Rat Terrier Hearing Dog.
Mary Ellen Clifford
SECRETARY
When she was a kid, Rebecca hatched a plan to start in the A section of her town’s library and read her way through the entire young adult collection. This was thanks to her former high school English teacher mom who instilled in her a love of reading and literature. Reb works to educate young people about climate change and empower them to take action as Head of Education & Storytelling at Action for the Climate Emergency. As a wife and mother, she is committed to getting a new Truckee library built before her avid reader son, Huck, graduates from high school in 2028!
Rebecca Anderson
BOARD MEMBER
Ever since Kathleen Eagan moved from San Francisco to Truckee in 1986, her primary passion has been working to enhance our region’s health and quality of life. As a retired Bank Vice President, Kathleen brings a background in lending, finance, and strategic planning to her many community service endeavors which include: spearheading Truckee’s incorporation and becoming the town’s first mayor; being a founding board member of the Truckee River Watershed Council and the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation; and, as an elected airport board member, helping the The Truckee Airport District become more community-focused. Kath also enjoys skiing, fly-fishing, and backpacking.
Kathleen Eagan
BOARD MEMBER
Of all the things Lizzy Gardner has done, she is possibly most proud of being named a “Stupendous Reader” at Crescent Park Elementary School’s library when she was in sixth grade. Some time after that achievement, Lizzy enjoyed a career in international affairs, working for the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. Government in foreign and defense policy. Her international work continued in executive roles at USC and Stanford University, where she collaborated with faculty and students on global programs. Most recently, Lizzy was COO and Interim CEO of AnnieCannons, which teaches software coding to survivors of human trafficking. For years, Lizzy’s volunteer activities have spanned the library and political worlds: She was an adult literacy tutor in the Los Angeles and Mountain View library systems, and is the co-founder and former leader of two political advocacy organizations.
Lizzy Gardner
BOARD MEMBER
Joan Jones was born and raised in Truckee and graduated from Truckee High. Joan attended UC Davis and transferred to California State University, Sacramento where she completed her studies of Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting. Joan returned to Truckee and worked for Northstar at Tahoe from 1984-1997 as Director of Food and Beverage. In 1997 she became General Manager of GarWoods Grill and Pier. In 1998 she joined Corda Construction. In 2012, Joan earned her contractor’s license, and she became partner with John Corda, forming Jones Corda Construction. In 2016, as John retired, she took the role of President and sole owner of Jones Corda Construction. In 2018, Joan became licensed in Nevada. She is married to Russ and has one daughter, Katy, who together run the other family business, Truckee River Winery. She is very active in the community and was on the Truckee Town Council from 2008-2016 serving as Mayor twice.
Joan Jones
BOARD MEMBER
Mike is a passionate believer in community libraries – he is convinced that libraries should play a vital role in forging the towns and neighborhoods into very active, collaborative, and creative places for their citizens. Mike and his wife Carol both grew up in small towns in New Mexico where libraries were literally community houses for local activities. Since then, they have lived in Denver, Colorado; Birmingham, Michigan; Fairfield, Connecticut and San Jose, California – and in each they have seen the libraries play an essential role in bringing people together – becoming the very fabric that helped make each town unique.
Professionally, Mike has experience in the hard charging world of start-ups where every hour in every day counts. He also had leadership positions in small and large globally focused advertising, media and software service companies. He loves the outdoor lifestyle that Truckee has to offer and takes full advantage of its trail systems for biking; its mountains for skiing and hiking, and -- of course, he has a few favorite fly fishing spots in the general vicinity.
Mike Rogers
LibraryUP Team
LIBRARYUP CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR
April's primary role is to manage the big picture and drive the effort to get this much-needed space built!
April's personal experience with her own local library not only enriched her life, but opened up her world to endless possibilities, driving her belief that libraries have the power to change lives and enrich communities. As a child, the library was a space that inspired her to dream big and work towards those dreams
April Cole
Advisory Council
The FOTL Advisory Council is a distinguished group of library supporters who provide professional, pro bono advice and services to advance the mission of building a new Truckee library.
A long-time veteran of the technology industry, Dan has a track record of launching new products, managing programs, and contributing to the startup teams of several internet companies. After retiring, he followed his heart to Africa, where he trained management teams, launched new businesses, and has actively contributed to wildlife conservation projects for the past 15 years, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, based in Namibia.
Dan Beringer
With over 28 years of experience in entertainment and advertising retouching, Lisa began her journey with formal photography training at the Art Center College of Design. She has made a significant mark in the field as a Photoshop instructor and was honored to be a member of the Adobe Photoshop Advisory Council in 2020. Lisa specializes in the entertainment industry, beauty, and advertising.
Lisa Carney
Tom, a Certified Public Accountant with over fifty-six years of experience, boasts a rich professional background, including work with one of the nation’s largest CPA firms and a Fortune 500 corporation. A US Army veteran and a Truckee resident for 10 years, Tom has volunteered his expertise to over 20 charitable and religious organizations. In addition to his professional achievements, he has made over 200 blood donations.
Thomas E. Conk
Dana (Gunders) Rivero moved to Truckee with two very young kids and has been a regular at the library ever since. She is a national expert on reducing food waste, and is the Executive Director of ReFED, an organization entirely focused on the topic. She has testified in Congress, authored a book, and appeared in hundreds of media outlets. In her role at ReFED, she has grown the organization to six times its size. She is thrilled to apply her experience in organization building and fundraising to help FOTL thrive.
Dana Gunders
With a background in working with public, private, and nonprofit groups throughout North America, Claudette brings extensive experience in building collaborative teams, enhancing group communication, and furthering professional learning. As an author and skilled facilitator, Claudette engages groups with an invitational style, bringing out strengths, creativity, and consensus. Her teaching experience includes leaders in businesses such as Intel, KPMG, Oracle, Via Rail, school districts, and the University of California.
Claudette Landry
Before retiring, Violet Nakayama served as the legal and policy coordinator for the 41-reserve University of California Natural Reserve System, the world's largest such system. Her expertise spanned real estate transactions, land management, environmental laws, and natural resource conservation, including negotiations with local, state, and federal agencies, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and private donors. Over three decades, she also dedicated her time to the board of Alameda County Legal Aid Services, now known as the Economic Justice Center, and locally, on the Tahoe Forest Hospital’s Patient and Family Advocacy Council.
Violet Nakayama
With 30 years in the healthcare field, including roles as a scientist at the Stanford University Sleep Disorders Center and hospital administrator at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, Bob brings a wealth of expertise. He founded Healthcare Business Development Associates (HBDA), a consulting firm specialized in the design, implementation, and governance of complex healthcare service delivery partnerships. Bob served on the board of directors for John Muir Health System and later became the President and CEO of Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California.
Bob Phillips
Katie Shaffer is CEO and founder of East River PR & Marketing. Prior to starting her own business, Katie worked for a magazine in New York City and a textbook publisher in the Bay Area. She also directed a scholarly book publisher’s marketing department, worked as a journalist and columnist for Swift News and as a director with Switchback PR + Marketing. She currently serves as a director on the Truckee Chamber of Commerce board and chairs the CATT marketing committee. She also is past board president of Truckee Community Cares and founded and runs the micro outlet Sierraville.org. Katie is proud of the talent she has attracted to her firm and to be providing a dozen professional jobs in Truckee. She has lived and/or worked in Truckee for the past 42 years.
Katie Schaffer
Practicing law in Truckee, Lake Tahoe, Northern Nevada, and the Lost Sierra, Craig is an experienced litigator and transactional attorney. Collaborating closely with local business owners, Craig helps establish, grow, and protect their businesses. His expertise extends to addressing nuances in phantom stock programs, profit-sharing agreements, and restrictive stock units in family law. Craig leverages his considerable experience in complex, high-dollar divorce cases involving the valuation of family-owned businesses and fractional ownership interests.
Craig C. Weaver
Born and raised in California, Doug has had strong ties to Truckee since childhood. As a full-time resident, he embraces an active lifestyle as an avid skier, rock climber, kayaker, mountain biker, and hiker. Initially rooted in business ownership and investments, Doug's focus has shifted full time to landscape and astro photography, reflecting his deep connection to nature and exploration.
Doug Weiss
Debbie embarked on her career in publishing, marketing, and communications, notably launching Price Club’s member magazine, The Price Club Journal. Transitioning into program development and non-profit management, Debbie has combined her passion for education and community service as a literacy tutor for the Truckee Library.