Kathy Klein
Kathie Klein
lives in Atlanta and has been involved in printing and publishing for
over 25 years, with experience in graphic design, offset printing, and
marketing. She is the marketing manager for the Society of Biblical
Literature, whose publications program produces around 30 new titles a
year. Ms. Klein graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in
Anthropology, and attended the Art Institute of Atlanta for training in
graphic design. Her lifelong love of books includes narrating stories at
age four that her father wrote onto rolls of paper leaving room for
illustrations, checking out books at her Ohio village’s one-room stone
WPA library, and now participating in the development and growth of the
Rural Library Project.
Jackie Echols
Jackie Echols is an enviro-community activist and believes that a healthy environment
is a prerequisite for healthy communities. She is a staunch advocate for
citizen involvement and the inclusion of local knowledge and expertise in
governmental decision making processes, and she believes that citizens have a
responsibility to participate in deliberations that affect their health and
well-being.
Dr. Echols was born and
raised in Tuskegee, Alabama, and attended Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee
University) and Atlanta University. She received a Ph.D. in Political Science
from Clark Atlanta University. Dr. Echols taught public administration at
Atlanta University and Clark Atlanta University for over twelve years and
currently serves at Assistant Vice President for Community Development at
Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina.
Jackie has first-hand
knowledge of how important citizen input is for effective policy making, having
served as president of the Underwood Neighborhood Association and chair of the
Atlanta Tree Conservation Commission. She is a founding member of the Peachtree
Woodall Whetstone Watershed Alliance and also served as primary spokesperson for
the Clean Streams Task Force in Atlanta.
Laura Hauser
Laura Hauser lives in Decatur, Georgia, where she is responsible for literacy
services as part of the administrative team for the DeKalb County Public
Library. Before accepting that position, she taught college and high school
English and worked as a private school librarian. Laura earned an undergraduate
degree in English and masters in Library and Information Management from Emory
University. She also has a masters degree and is ABD (all but dissertation) for
a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at Georgia State University.
Laura’s passion for
supporting public libraries is based on her belief that access to free
information in numerous formats is at the heart of a democratic system of
self-government. She also feels that libraries provide a great opportunity for
people of all ages and backgrounds to learn firsthand the value and
satisfactions of sharing resources responsibly with others in their community.
When we enjoy and value what we share, we are more likely to value each other.
Through her active participation in and presentations at various professional
conferences and associations, Laura has come to understand why it is critical
for smaller towns in rural areas to receive extra help and encouragement in
creating their own libraries.
Kenneth Thompson
Kenneth Wayne Thompson
was appointed as Branch Manager for the East Atlanta Branch Library in December
2004. Before joining the Atlanta Fulton County Public Library System, Mr.
Thompson served as a Branch Manager with the Jersey City Free Public Library.
He has also held positions with the Brooklyn Public Library and with the New
School University’s Fogelman Library, both in New York.
Mr.
Thompson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Beulah Heights Bible College
located in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in
Organizational Management from Nyack College in Nyack, New York. He also holds
a Master of Science in Information and Library Science from Pratt Institute in
New York, New York
