Listed below are the candidates for the open positions on the New Members Round Table section executive board.

Vice-Chair/Chair Elect

Rachel Sanders, UNC Greensboro

I have had the pleasure of working with NMRT for the past two years as Secretary/Treasurer and would love the opportunity to continue serving in the Vice-Chair role. I am very involved with NCLA, having participated in the 2018 Leadership Institute program and being a member of the Conference Planning Committee. I enjoy my work with NMRT welcoming new professionals and students to the North Carolina library scene and believe that my experiences mentoring others would help me to continue contributing positively to NMRT in the future.

Michelle osborne, gaston county public libraries

My name is Michelle Osborne and I have been employed at the Gaston County Public Library for 26 years. My current position is Branch Manager at the Stanley Branch Library and I have worked in various departments and branches; therefore, I feel I have the background needed to fulfill this position.   My goal as a librarian is collaboration, partnerships and community involvement.

I am a current doctoral candidate at Gardner-Webb University under the Organizational Leadership Program.  In this program, I learned that as leaders, our goal is to develop future leaders.  I also learned that humility is not thinking less of yourself, but it is about thinking of yourself less.  NMRT is an organization that focuses on building future leaders and I am passionate about helping others succeed. Developing future leaders is important and I feel I have the background needed to fulfill these roles and put my focus on creating a better community for all.

Treasurer/Secretary

Melisa Pressley, buncombe county public libraries

Hello, I'm Melisa Pressley, and I manage the Black Mountain Public Library.

I work more than a 40-hour week; I follow mostly librarian accounts on Twitter (so my scrolling is often spent expanding my PLN); I under-earn, as most of us in this profession seem to do. So why would I want to take on more responsibility, like being secretary of NMRT, with no monetary motivation? Because I love this profession! I've been working in public libraries since 1997, when I thought a paging job at my local branch would be fun while attending college. (It was, for the most part.) Somehow, librarianship STUCK with me. I've been a member of NCLA since 2015 when I was in grad school at UNCG. (Go, Spartans!) So, I'm fairly new myself. Having been in the field for a while, I'd like to help new members navigate the amazing opportunities NCLA offers and connect with librarians in our state, because isn't that what libraries are about--connection and community? I would appreciate your vote, and will work hard for NCLA.&

Director-At-Large

Adrian Zeck, High Point Public Library

I am currently a Senior Library Assistant and head of Teen Service for the Concord branch of the Cabarrus County Public Library System. In my role, I started a teen volunteer-led reading tutoring service for students age 5-12. The program was very successful and we plan on continuing this program every summer with possible opportunities to expand the program to include tutoring during the school year. I also revamped out Teen Advisory Board to give the teens more ownership of the club. We created electable positions in the volunteer teen club with a hope that teens work to develop teen-led and teen-focused programs. Thus far we have had teens develop original displays for the library, create and run original programs, and volunteer to help with larger library programs. Prior to my time in Teen Services, I worked in Children’s Services as a Library Assistant, creating over 35 new programs annually. I develop original marketing material for all of my programs. Some of the more notable programs I was involved with include the following programs. I worked with Concord City Parks Department to create a seasonal Tales and Trails program that engaged our community in physical activity, while also working on literacy skills. I was the branch liaison for the 2017 Solar Eclipse program, hosting more than 350 patrons over the course of the day in educational workshops about eclipses.

Currently, I am a part-time Masters student in the at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. My previous educational background include a Master of Science in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management with North Carolina State and a Bachelor of Arts in History at the University of Florida