Executive Board
Kristin DeSalvio
President
Chair – Resource and Development
Kristin is a recent arrival from the Adirondack Mountains of New York. After receiving degrees in Psychology and Education, she chose to work with the most interesting co-workers: children. Kristin feels blessed to have grown up in a household surrounded by books, readers, and writers. As President of the FoSWL Kristin seeks to support the South Whatcom Library so that others may experience the joy of visiting a library. You can find Kristin walking her golden retriever Rosy, golfing with her daughter and son-in-law, or spending time with her wonderful new friends in Sudden Valley. Kristin has served on the FoSWL’s Membership Committee for the past 2 years.
Ray has been married to Anne for 44 years. They have been living in Sudden Valley since 2017. Ray and Anne have three adult children; two work in Whatcom County and their oldest daughter is married and lives in Italy. The children grew up visiting the library. Ray worked in sales for Sherwin Williams 35 years. Ray has served on five non-profit Boards and is currently serving on the SV Board of Directors. Ray has been an active member of the FoSWL’s Membership Committee for the past 2 years.
Ray Meador
Vice President
Chair – Membership Committee
Diane Devlin
Secretary
Diane has spent a great deal of her life volunteering in a variety of capacities, the most recent as secretary for the Oak Harbor, WA Navy League Council where she served as contact point between the council and the board and for NAS Whidbey Island on-base commands and the national Navy League of the United States in Arlington VA. Amid her years of service Diane enjoyed raising a family and completing her college education. She moved with her husband to Sudden Valley in 2022.
Gena grew up outside New York City in the one traffic light hamlet of Palisades on the Hudson. She completed her B.S. degree in geology at S.U.N.Y Binghamton and moved west to attend graduate school at U.C. Riverside. After completing her M.S. degree, she enjoyed a 37 year career as a Geologist at a major integrated energy company. She moved to Bellingham in 2021 with her husband and adult son to enjoy the beautiful PNW in retirement. She enjoys walking Whatcom trails, reading, and crossword puzzles, as well as visiting the warm and welcoming South Whatcom Library.
Gena Evola
Treasurer
Board Members
Nancy Wyen
Nancy grew up in Ohio. She earned a BA at Kent State University and entered her first professional job as a Child Care Worker at Portage County Juvenile Court. After moving to Seattle Nancy worked at the Seattle P-I and The Seattle Times in advertising sales and management; later joining Macy’s sales staff as a manager in the Bellingham and Burlington stores. Nancy and her husband moved to Sudden Valley in 2008. Nancy is an avid reader, has two grown children and loves gardening with her husband.
Catherine Martin, Ph.D.
Catherine and her husband, and their two dogs, moved to Sudden Valley from the east coast in the summer of 2020 to enjoy retirement. With a doctoral degree in science education, Catherine still works on federal grants serving as an external evaluator, and also as an associate editor for Learning Environments Research: An International Journal. She retired from the university system as a tenured Associate Professor after 20 years in universities in California and Maryland. When Catherine is not out hiking or riding her new e-bike, she can be found in her garage on her pottery wheel.
Alma Deckert
Alma Deckert is probably better known as Alma Alexander (“Duchess of Fantasy” – more about that at www.AlmaAlexander.org, the title is real, if defunct…), author of more than twenty books (and more pending), recipient of the Mayor’s Arts Award for the city of Bellingham, and twice a finalist for the WA State Book Award. Recently widowed, she now lives in a house amongst the cedars with two cats and assorted visiting wildlife; her home is a TARDIS, bigger on the inside, and filled with books.
Sandi Mitchell
Volunteer Coordinator
Sandi earned her IT degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Sandi had worked in schools and public libraries from 4th grade through college and was EXCITED when the Internet came of age and automated so many of her previous jobs. Sandi now works as a pharmacist exchanging patient information electronically throughout the healthcare system for the Veterans Administration. Her grandkids all are passionate readers.
Sarah McMenamin
Sarah grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, as the child of two teachers. As an adult, she earned her BA degree in French from WWU, and then went on to get a Masters in Teaching from WSU Tri-Cities. After teaching for 14 years in K-12 in California and Eastern WA, she worked as Executive Director for a small nonprofit. In 2017 she and her family moved to Dallas, Texas for her husband’s work. During her time there, Sarah worked in teacher preparation for a teacher residency program as both an instructional coach in the classroom and teaching graduate-level coursework to teacher candidates. Additionally, she spent all 6 years as a member of the Audelia Road Library Friends, as both Secretary and as President. Last summer she and her family moved back to Bellingham to be closer to family. Since then she has been working part-time for WWU as a field supervisor with student teachers. She and her husband and son live in Gate 13 in Sudden Valley with their two Goldendoodles, Ellie and Griffey. Sarah is an avid reader and active Libby user, and loves to travel and garden as well.