Three candidates have filed for two full two-year terms on the Salado Public Library District Board of Directors: Susan Starnes, Nancy Mills Mackey and Theresa Howard.
As a manner of introducing them to our readers, we asked the following information. Their responses are below in the order they appear on the ballot: Name; Years Residency in Salado Library District; Family Information; Education; Professional Information; Personal Information, to include civic clubs, religious or church affiliations, if any, school organizations and groups, professional groups.
Why are you running for Salado Library Board?
What characteristics, skills, and/or qualifications will you bring to the board, if elected?
What is the role of a Library Director?
Susan Starnes
Years Residency in Salado Public Library District: 18
Family Information: Married to CW5(R) Willie E. Starnes. We have a blended family Alycia Dukes-Johns, Jacquelynne Dukes, Dominic Dukes, Cynthia Starnes, Susanne Starnes, and 5 grandchildren.
Professional information: I retired from the State of Texas after 10 years in July of 2016 as a Health and Human Services Benefit Specialist. Prior to that, I was a Claims Supervisor for Worker’s Compensation Claims for MWR Civilian employees on Army Bases worldwide. I currently serve as an Election Clerk for Bell County.
Personal Information:
Active member of Salado Public Library Friends for past 15 years. Currently on the SPLF Board as Chair of the Adult First Wednesday Arts and Crafts three years ongoing. Member of St. Stephen Women Society for the past seven years and was President 2016-2017. As chair, I coordinated a successful on-line auction during the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 that raised over $7k. Our fundraising benefited our St. Stephen Catholic Church, Heart and Hands, and Salado Family Relief.
Why are you running for Salado Library Board of Trustees? My passion for our wonderful library made me put my name on the ballot. I want to ensure our library continues to grow and add value as our village does. In my humble opinion, despite technology providing new approaches to gathering information; storytelling and conversation are the root of education. The Salado Public Library encourages all of that to exist and I will do my best to preserve it.
What characteristics, skills, and/or qualifications will you bring to the Board if you win the election?
Volunteering at the library over the past 15 years has given me a greater understanding as to how a library is run. I learned firsthand by shelfing books in the main library, preparing new audio books and DVDs as they were purchased to be shelfed, cataloging information, or helping the Head Librarian sort through donated history books. I enjoy rolling up my sleeves and helping. Working the front desk taught me to appreciate the librarians greatly.
What is the role of a Library Director? A visionary leader who guides library operations and is committed to equal access to information and resources thus, positioning the library to be a community anchor. A Director must also stay current on library trends and best practices, so it meets the community needs.
Nancy Mills Mackey
Years of residency in Salado Public Library District: 7-3/4 years
Family (50 words max): My parents, Jackie and Denver Mills, have lived in Salado for almost 35 years. My husband, John H. Mackey, Jr., and I have been married for 43 years. We have five grown children and nine grandchildren. Our youngest daughter, Charlotte Baird, and her family live in Salado.
Education: In 1976, I earned a Bachelor of Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin. I worked on The Daily Texan as a reporter. I am a life member of The Ex-Students’ Association at UT Austin.
Professional Information: In careers as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, communications executive, and volunteer and professional fundraiser, I was blessed to be able to translate complex information into compelling messages that inspire and transform lives. For 13 years, I managed award-winning public relations, marketing and development communications for Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple. I then managed fundraising for two Dallas area non-profits and wrote for the Texas A&M Foundation’s Spirit magazine and its Web site. For 12 years, I voluntarily conducted Tablerock Festival of Salado, Inc. membership drives and the Denver Mills/Tablerock Golf Tournament.
Personal Information: When I am not spending time with family, I am usually at church, the library, reading or gardening. A member of Christ Episcopal Church in Temple, I have served on the vestry (leadership) and annual and capital fundraising committees. Currently, I participate in the women’s study group and Daughters of the King. As a member of the Friends of the Salado Public Library, I have shelved books at Book Ends and served as board president and publicity/outreach chair. In 2016, I was elected to the Salado Public Library District Board of Trustees and have served as member-at-large, president and treasurer.
Why are you running for Salado Library Board?
I want to ensure that our library remains vibrant and relevant to our community, because public libraries and reading are near and dear to my heart. I believe that if you can read, then you can do and be anything! Libraries are a community refuge and gathering place, a space to explore and discover, an incubator to instill the love of reading and learning in children, and a free university for life-long learners. As Andrew Carnegie said, “A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never-failing spring in the desert.”
What characteristics, skills, and/or qualifications will you bring to the board, if elected? I bring passion and experience, which includes seven years serving our community through the Salado Public Library and 25 years serving the Temple Public Library. As a trustee of the Foundation of the Temple Public Library and 1991 board president of the Friends of the Temple Public Library, I helped with the multi-million-dollar effort to relocate the library, doubling its size. In October, I will complete a second term as the Temple Friends president. In addition, my professional background has enhanced my skills in leadership, consensus building, strategic planning, budgeting, fundraising and communications.
What is the role of a Library Director? The library director manages the day-to-day library operations. With experience as a librarian and as a manager/administrator, the director plans, organizes, staffs, coordinates, budgets and evaluates the library’s services and programs while managing its collection. The director reports to the library board and keeps a finger on the pulse of the community’s needs, as related to the library, by acting as a liaison with other community groups.
Theresa Howard
I have been a part of Salado since the early 2000s, when I worked as a Case Manager, and later Director, for Circles of Care foster agency on Main Street. Life and work led me away for a time, but my family and I have been thrilled to call Salado home since 2018.
I have master’s of science in psychology and have been a Licensed Professional Counselor since 2008. In a therapeutic capacity, I spent most of my time working with and advocating for children and the elderly. Currently, I enjoy being self-employed as a Certified Personal Trainer, turning my long-time love of physical fitness into a way of helping people of all ages reach their personal health goals. This new occupation allows me the flexibility to spend more time with my family as well as devote time to helping our community.
In 2021, I co-founded Legacy Salado Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit, whose mission is to enhance the public spaces in the Village. Presently, I am working with the other members of the Legacy board to organize two separate events that will help fund the second phase of the all-abilities playground being built in Pace Park. Additionally, I was recently appointed as the Treasurer for the Salado Youth Baseball and Softball League, a role I was happy to take on as a way of supporting the efforts of others in the community that make it possible for my daughter to play a sport she thoroughly enjoys.
Why are you running for Salado Library Board? Dr. Seuss could not have put it any better when he said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” As the mom of a school-aged child, I firmly believe that a good public library plays a vital role in providing young learners with resources that will set them up to excel in life. I want to be a part of helping to ensure that we continue to provide the best services to our community in a fiscally responsible and technologically savvy manner.
What characteristics, skills, and/or qualifications will you bring to the board, if elected?
Drive and perseverance are the characteristics that I credit for allowing me to attain numerous professional and personal goals. I’ve owned and successfully run multiple businesses while simultaneously managing our rentals and being a devoted mother and wife. My years of experience as an agency director, licensed professional counselor, business owner, and logistics administrator have endowed me with a wealth of knowledge in advocating for others, working with public and governmental entities, and optimally managing finances. The combination of my personal attributes, professional experience, and desire to advocate for Saladoans undoubtedly makes me an asset to the board.
What is the role of a Library Director?
The director position is one of significant import, having the responsibility of planning, strategically, for the library’s annual operations as well as it’s growth. Duties include overseeing the management of employees, creation of the annual budget for board review and approval, acting as the liaison for governmental and public interactions, and providing the board with regular reports regarding the operation and activities of the library. Having attended recent board meetings, I would say that our current director, Mrs. Lively, provides reports that would indicate that she takes her duties with the utmost gravity.