Hans moved to Eugene in 2000 to go to University of Oregon and graduated with a degree in Political Science and a Business minor. After graduation he started working for Summit Bank, where he has worked since 2005, working his way from teller to Treasury Management Officer. When he is not at work he volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, working directly with the partner families and their finances, and can be found every October pressing cider for the Mt. Pisgah Mushroom Festival. He also loves going camping with his wife and two dogs while exploring Oregon, or going for a bike ride around town. When not outside he is inside playing board games or looking for the next good book to add to the shelf.

Renée Buchanan is an active member of the Eugene community. An avid long distance runner, she loves the many paved and unpaved trails the area offers. She loves the children’s room at the Downtown branch, where she spent many happy hours with her daughters as they grew up. She works for the Turell Group, where she conducts research for a wide range of organizations wanting to understand what impact they are having. In addition, she teaches at the University of Oregon in the Public Policy, Planning and Management program. Renée received a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Utah.

Jake Eld is the Chief Investment Officer for Sapient Private Wealth Management in downtown Eugene.

He specializes in investment management and research, and he is both a CFA® and CAIA® charterholder. Prior to joining Sapient, Jake spent three years working as an investment professional for the University of Oregon Foundation and nearly a decade working as a community banker. He currently serves on the Investment Committee for the Sacred Heart Medical Center Foundation.

Jake was born and raised in Idaho, and he moved to Eugene in 2006 after receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Idaho State University. Outside of work, Jake enjoys reading and spending time with his wife, kids, and friends playing golf, soccer, guitar, and card games.

Jenna Adams-Kalloch is an attorney in the government relations team at the University of Oregon where she manages relationships with elected officials and advocates for funding from the Oregon State Legislature. She is a Lane County native and UO alum who ventured to Brooklyn for law school. After ten years of working in New York City politics, Jenna returned to Eugene to be closer to family and raise her three young children. Jenna is a frequent visitor to the children’s section of the Eugene Public Library and appreciative of the evolving scavenger hunts and endless chapter book offerings. Jenna supports the library as a place of discovery and connection and also a safe, welcoming space for all who need it.

Sally grew up in the Willamette Valley and has returned to Eugene after practicing at a prominent southern Oregon firm doing complex estate planning, trust and probate administration, and civil litigation. She is currently an Associate Attorney at Hershner Hunter, LLP. Sally constantly seeks new experiences and knowledge, whether that means experimenting in the kitchen, settling in with a historical biography, or traveling the world. She is an avid hiker and is semi-fluent in French. She cares deeply about our beautiful state and for the family, community, and professional ties we build here.

Sylvia has dedicated her career to launching and expanding innovative social initiatives. Born and raised in Eugene, Sylvia left to pursue her undergraduate studies followed by two-decades in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors in Washington DC, San Francisco, and overseas. She is currently the Eugene Chamber’s Homeless Initiative Managing Consultant, following five years leading the fundraising and volunteerism at United Way of Lane County. She also volunteers with Leadership Eugene-Springfield, the Ford Family Foundation, and with her children's soccer club and school. Sylvia comes from a family of educators and librarians, remembers spending countless hours at the Eugene Public Library growing up, and treasures reading with her kids before bedtime (preferably after a long day of hiking, traveling, rearranging furniture, or being anywhere near water).

Originally from Washington DC, Jessica Lloyd moved to Eugene in 2018. She is a urologist, specializing in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, and an owner-partner at Oregon Urology Institute.

Prior to her arrival in Eugene, Jessica lived in Durham, NC, for medical school and urology residency training at Duke University. From there, she pursued two years of advanced studies at the Cleveland Clinic.

Since moving to Eugene, Jessica, her husband, and their two young children have spent countless hours at the Eugene Public Library’s downtown branch – particularly the children’s center! Beyond reading and spending time with her family, Jessica enjoys Crossfit, walking her dogs, and hunting for just the right colorful art and décor for her home.

Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ashley moved to Portland to attend Reed College, where she received a bachelor’s degree in economics in 2007. She now lives in Eugene with her husband and child, where they own and operate a bottle shop/pub. As a family, they enjoy exploring Oregon and appreciate Eugene’s many community gatherings and offerings. For over 15 years, Ashley has worked for The Ford Family Foundation, where she serves as the Scholarship Programs Manager, overseeing policy development, implementation, and adherence as it relates to the scholarship programs, application, operations, and student supports. Ashley also serves on the Board of Directors for Parkside Community Preschool and was previously on the Advisory Board for Eugene Public Library Foundation’s Imagination Library program. She is a huge advocate for both financial and child literacy!

Michele Ward has been a special education and reading teacher over a 25-year period with K-12 students in Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, Virginia and Oregon.  She retired from Willamette High School after teaching high schooler students reading and writing there for 7 years. 

Her travels have taken her to Mt. Everest base camp, Japan, Mongolia, Brazil, Croatia and Europe, as well as throughout the United States north, south, east and west. Learning and experiencing life in other cultures is an ongoing pursuit.

During her 20 years of living in Eugene, the library has given me teaching and personal services and materials. I love my library card. Some other loves of Oregon are the wonderful food, beaches, camping, skiing, hiking, biking, golfing, community and friends. She has a daughter in Los Angeles and a Scottish Terrier named Oban.

Jess Roshak grew up in Pennsylvania, where some of her most perfect childhood memories were spent quietly sifting for knowledge amongst the stacks of books at the public library. She received her B.A. in philosophy and political science from Boston University in 2001. During her work at the University of Pennsylvania earning her Master's in Education in her early years of teaching high school in Philadelphia, she came to see literacy as the most urgent social justice issue of our time -- and libraries as one of the key catalysts. She has devoted her career to teaching and writing curriculum that empowers some of the most at-risk students via skill-building problem-based learning projects.

Jess fell in love with Eugene Public Libary at first sight in 2006 and has been a devoted patron ever since, but especially of the Children's and Non-fiction sections. Currently, she is writing an online philosophy curriculum for young learners and advocates for appropriate structured literacy instruction for dyslexic children. Jess loves spending time with her family and has an affinity for so many things, including serving on the neighborhood board, playing the violin, public transportation, upcycling, design, travel, and breadmaking.

After about 40 years of working in the profession, Judy Reyneke retired from a very rewarding career as a Speech-Language Pathologist, having worked in over 15 schools, most recently in Triangle Lake School. Judy has three older children and two grandchildren. Spending time with her children and volunteering with the youth in the community have been her focus over the years. Judy now spends as much time as possible with her grandchildren. Gardening, touring waterfalls, spending time at the beach, sewing, fusing glass, and making crafts bring her enjoyment. Judy has always felt that all should have the opportunity to read and be provided with the skills to do so. Judy first joined the Friends of the Eugene Public Library about 12 years ago and now after many years as Volunteer Coordinator has now become Vice President. She looks forward to her time on the EPLF Board as the liaison to the Friends.

Caitlin is the Executive & Administrative Coordinator at Eugene Symphony. She moved to Eugene in 2020 to begin the Master of Nonprofit Management program at the University of Oregon (which she’ll complete in December 2023). She is greatly interested in fundraising, development, and researching effective means of nonprofit management. Originally from North Idaho, Caitlin received a B.Mus in Music Business from the University of Idaho and has a long history of spending time in and supporting libraries. Growing up, she spent many hours after school in her public library doing homework, reading YA novels, and viewing the lobby art exhibits. In her free time, Caitlin can be found at home with her husband, Alec, and rescue dog, Benny. She loves playing video games, reading fantasy novels, and spending time outside hiking or kayaking.

Chelle Haynes grew up in the Adirondack Mountains in New York before moving to Eugene in 2015 to attend graduate school at the University of Oregon where she studied law and anthropology. Chelle is an attorney at Gleaves Swearingen LLP. Her fondest childhood memories are rooted in engaging stories told through books, films, music, art, spoken word, and technology. Having grown up within the walls of her local libraries, Chelle is passionate about the role of public libraries as a sanctuary space rooted in curiosity, diversity, equality, and community building. On weekends, you can find her scuba diving, running, hiking, snowboarding, and spending quality time with her partner Michael and their two dogs, Oakley and Maverick.

Heather Kliever moved to Eugene from Medford to pursue her Bachelor of Science, Master in Arts and Administration, and MEd in Curriculum and Teaching from the University of Oregon. She spent twenty years working in the arts and culture sector, most recently at the Lane County History Museum. Heather is currently teaching at a local middle school, integrating her love of reading, history, and poetry into the classroom. She volunteers with her neighborhood association and local education advocacy groups when not teaching. Additionally, she has participated as an advisor for Poet Laureate Joy Harjo's Living History, Living Worlds teacher resource guide for the Library of Congress, and as a design model reviewer for the Smithsonian’s NativeKnowledge360. She looks forward to working with the UOTeach Sapsikwala “Grow Your Own” future Native teachers project each spring. Heather is Chetco/Tututni, Tolowa Dee-ni enrolled.

Originally from a small town in Northeastern California, Grace moved to Eugene in 2018 to attend the University of Oregon where she received a bachelor's degree in public relations in 2022. She is now attending UO for her master's degree in nonprofit management which she will receive in June 2024.

Grace grew up with a love for books ever since her mom started reading The Chronicles of Narnia series to her when she was in preschool. From there, her love for reading grew and so did her passion for public service as she participated in her town's local 4-H club where they were required to obtain a certain number of hours of volunteering. These experiences led her to the Eugene Public Library Foundation where she hopes to help make a lasting impact on her community.

Norma is an enrolled citizen with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. Norma works at the University of Oregon as an Academic Counselor/Native American Retention Specialist.

Prior to working with UO, she worked for her Tribe for a number of years. Currently residing in the Bethel area, she has a senior at Willamette High School. She volunteers with the parent committee at Bethel Native Youth Empowerment. Norma, originally from Salem, has enjoyed getting connected to the Eugene community, finding all the swimming spots, taking her dog out on the trails and of course reading.

Ekaterina Zakharova is a native of Moscow (Russia) and graduated from Moscow State University of Printing Arts. She worked for a decade in publishing, the field of public relations, and also ran a charity organization before moving to Texas. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, Katya pursued her career of language teaching and international education. Aside from that, she has a passion for books and reading which was instilled in her at a very early age. Since her daughter was born, she has made reading a major focus of her upbringing in the two languages spoken in their house - English and Russian. Katya would love the opportunity to put her passions to work in ensuring all Eugenians have access to materials no matter their mother tongue or education level. Outside of work, she loves traveling with her family, exploring new cultures, and spending time with friends.