VAASL Election Slate
Read about all of our candidates for our VAASL Board!
President - Elect
Carl Harvey II
Carl A. Harvey II is an associate professor of school librarianship at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. His career began as a school librarian in 1998 at Lowell Elementary School in Indiana. In 2002, he moved to North Elementary School in Noblesville, Indiana to be the school librarian where, with his teaching colleagues, they built an award-winning school library program. The school library program was recognized with the Blue Ribbon for Exemplary School Library Programs in Indiana (2005) and the National School Library Program of the Year (2007) from AASL. Some of his other awards from Indiana include Outstanding New Library Media Specialist (1999), Outstanding Media Specialist (2007) and the Peggy L. Pfeiffer Service Award (2007) . In 2015, he saw a posting for Longwood University. He decided to apply and six months later he was moving to Farmville to help prepare future school librarians in Virginia. Also in 2015, he joined School Library Connection as one of the editors of their practitioner journal. After coming to Virginia, he was a recipient of the VAASL Rutherford Award.
Carl has been active in state and national school library work for over 20 years. While in Indiana, he served as chair of the Young Hoosier Book award, AIME Conference Chair, and President of the Association for Indiana Media Educators. He also was Conference Chair and President of the Indiana Library Federation. From his work in Indiana, he moved on to being active in AASL, where he served as chair of the Affiliate Assembly, chair of the 2007 AASL Conference in Reno, NV, and as President of AASL in 2011-2012.
His first work with VAASL (VEMA) was long before he moved to Virginia when he was invited to provide the keynote address for the 2010 conference. In 2015, he presented for VAASL at the summer workshops in Roanoke and Loundon County. During his first year at Longwood, he was the keynote speaker for two of VAASL regional conferences. He has presented annually at the fall VAASL conference since starting at Longwood University. Carl is passionate about the important professional organizations like VAASL provide. He believes that the time and financial resources are worth every penny and help to make him a better school library professional.
Education:
Ph.D., Old Dominion University, Education – Instructional Design, in progress.
M.L.S., Indiana University, Library Science, 2016.
M.S., Indiana University, Elementary Education focusing on Instructional Technology, 2004.
B.S., Ball State University, School Media Services, 1997.
Professional:
State:
Association for Indiana Media Educators, 1995 to present.
Read Alouds Too Good To Miss Committee, 2002, 2004-2010.
Survivor: Library Media Specialist Workshop
Committee Member, 2008-2010.
Chair, 2006.
Co-Chair, 2003.
AIME Board Member, 2002-2007.
President-Elect, 2003-2004; President, 2004-2005; Past-President, 2005-2006.
Data Survey Committee, 2003-2005.
Annual Conference Chair, 2003-2004.
Young Hoosier Book Award Committee, 2000-2003.
General Chair, 2002-2003.
Hamilton County Reading Council, 2002-2015.
Planning annual author program, 2003-2015.
Recording Secretary, 2003-2005.
Indiana Library Federation, 1998 to present.
2nd Vice President, 2006; 1st Vice President, 2007; President, 2008; Past President, 2009.
ILF Board Member, 2003-2005, 2006-2009.
ILF Conference Co-Chair, 2007 .
Strategic Planning Committee, 2004-2007.
Committee on Organization, Evaluation, and Structure, 2002-2006.
Committee Secretary, 2004-2005.
Indiana State Reading Association, 1999-2015.
Virginia Association of School Librarians, LIFE Member, 2015 to present.
Virginia Library Association, 2018 to present.
Virginia Society for Technology in Education, 2019 to present.
Virginia State Literacy Association, 2021 to present.
National
American Association of School Librarians, 1999 to present.
Educators of School Librarians Section Member, 2015 to present.
Supervisor Section Member, 2011 to present.
AASL Distinguished Service Award Task Force, 2021.
Leadership Development Committee, 2018-2019.
Standards Crosswalk Task Force, 2018.
65th Anniversary Celebration Chair, 2014-2017.
Alliance for Excellence, 2016-2017.
AASL Presidential Initiative Task Force, Leslie Preddy, 2015-2016.
National School Library Media Program of the Year Committee, 2007-2008, 2015-2016.
Roald Dahl Miss Honey Social Justice Award, 2013-2015.
President-Elect, 2010-2011; President, 2011-2012; Past-President, 2012-2013.
Board of Directors
Executive Committee, 2009-2013.
Member At Large, 2008-2010.
Appointments Committee, 2008-2010.
National Conference Reno 2007 Committee, Co-Chair, 2006-2008.
Special Committee on Advocacy, 2005-2007.
Web Advisory Committee, 2002-2005.
Annual Conference Committee, 2003-2005.
National Conference Indianapolis 2001 Committee, Co-Chair for Local Arrangements, 2000-2001.
Affiliate Assembly
Chair-Elect, 2006 / Chair, 2007.
Recording Secretary, 2004.
Indiana Delegate, 2003-2005.
American Library Association, LIFE Member, 1999 to present.
Committee on Organization, 2022 to present.
1876 Club / Legacy Society, 2021 to present.
Executive Director Search Committee, 2019.
Library Instruction Round Table, 2018 to present.
Library Research Round Table, 2018 to present.
Budget Analysis and Review Committee, 2017 to present.
Planning Budget Assembly, 2009-2012, 2017 to present.
Nomination Committee, 2015-2016.
Candidate for ALA Council, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019
Library Advocacy Committee, 2013-2015.
Appointments Committee, 2011-2012.
Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2018 to present.
Association for Library and Information Science Education, 2020 to present.
Association for Library Services to Children, 2012 to present.
Randolph Caldecott Committee, 2014.
Freedom to Read Foundation, 2020 to present.
Krug Fund Education Committee, 2022 to present.
International Literacy Association, 2002-2018.
International Society for Technology in Education, 2005 to present.
Affiliate Representative, 2005, 2006.
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Library Media Standards Revision Committee, 2009-2010.
School Library Media Specialist Cadre, Indiana Department of Education, 2001-2008.
Young Adult Library Services Association, 2015 to present.
Lara Ivey
Being a part of VAASL has been instrumental in helping me grow as a leader and librarian. I have spent the last nine years as an elementary librarian and will step into the world of middle school librarian in the fall! Prior to joining the library world and earning my Masters from Longwood University, I was a classroom teacher for 20 years. Having the classroom lens as well as the library lens has proven to be a gift in connecting with teachers.
I am an active member of VAASL, currently as a member of the IGNITE Committee and the Conference Planning Committee (CPC). I am the past director of the James Region and have been on the CPC each year since 2017 serving in various roles. In 2017, I was tasked with reimagining the Student Media Festival into something that would take the work librarians were already doing with inquiry and showcasing it. In partnership with a dynamic committee, VAASL now has IGNITE…inquire, inspire, change the world where the IGNITE Award has been given annually since 2019. I continue to serve on the IGNITE Committee as it evolves to stay current with topics and trends in our field. As a member of the VA Reads Middle Grade Committee (2021-Present), I have been able to connect with librarians around the state and surround myself with diverse books. I am a previous VAASL Librarian of the Year (2018) and a two-time finalist for the REB Award for excellence in teaching.
At the national level, I have been an active AASL member since 2013. I was appointed to the Induction Task Force Planning Committee and the Induction Task Force Implementation Committee for Developing Library Leaders (2017-19). This committee gave me the opportunity to design learning modules that would build leaders within our libraries to take on larger roles at the state and national levels. I also served on the School Librarian Job Description Task Force (2018-2019) for AASL.
As VAASL President Elect, I would work to continue supporting librarians with the necessary tools to navigate book challenges, curriculum needs and supporting the overall freedom to read in Virginia. I believe that at our core as librarians, we are meant to be relationship builders, connecting students, teachers, and the community to bigger ideas and empowering one another to be leaders and risk-takers. Librarians are the “golden ticket” in our schools and communities. We hold the key to reaching all students, weaving in inquiry and helping students achieve to levels they never imagined.
Education:
Masters of Education in School Librarianship/ Longwood University/ 2015
Bachelor Science in Elementary Education/ James Madison University/ 1989
Professional:
Member of AASL
Member of ALSC
Member of ALA
Member of VAASL
VAASL Past James Region Director
VAASL IGNITE Committee Chair and Current Member
VA Reads Middle Grade Committee Member
Flip Ambassador
National Geographic Certified Educ
Secretary
Jessica Landon
I have been in education since the start of the 2001-2002 school year. I served as a Business and Information Technology teacher from 2001-2014. In May of 2014, I graduated with my Master’s degree from Longwood University. Since August of 2014, I have been working as a high school librarian. I have served in various leadership positions within the Associated School Librarians of Fairfax County. For the past three years, I have been a part of the planning committee for the VAASL Annual Fall Conference. If you’ve attended recently, you’ve seen me on stage with the “Wheel of Names.”
Janice Raspen
Janice Raspen is a resource acquisitions support specialist in Chesterfield County Public Schools, moving into this position after 30 years in the classroom and library. For 22 years, she was a librarian in Stafford County Public Schools, having served at both the elementary and middle school levels. Before that, she was a classroom teacher for eight years in South Carolina and Virginia. Janice has been active in VEMA and VAASL over the years, as a frequent presenter at the annual conference and also as Rappahannock Region director some time ago. Additionally, she served as secretary of VAASL once before, working under past-president Dee Griffith. Janice's hobbies include teaching piano lessons, crochet, gardening, and of course, reading. Her long commute has made her a fan of audiobooks, especially those that are exciting enough to make the drive go by quickly.
Clinch Regional Director-Elect
Tara Williams
Hello, my name is Tara Williams. I am a member of the Clinch Region of VAASL, in addition to being a member of ALSC, ALA, ALA’s GameRT (Gaming Round Table), and the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE). I have a B.A. in English from Virginia Tech, completed my English Education certification at Radford University, and completed my Master’s in Education with a concentration in Library Science from Old Dominion University. I was awarded Teacher of the Year at my previous school in the 2020-21 school year. I am currently the Library Media Specialist at Watauga Elementary School in Washington County Public Schools.
I have diverse interests, with certifications in English, Visual Arts, Computer Science, and middle school Mathematics in addition to my Library Media certification. Over the past thirteen years, I have taught all grades PK-12, and my favorite thing about being an educator is reading with kids and talking about books. I have served on YALSA’s Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults committee, I have been a judge four separate years for the Benjamin Franklin Awards, given by the Independent Book Publishers Association, and I wrote reviews for School Library Connection for a few years. I’ve also presented sessions at the regional and state levels for VAASL.
In the school library, I love that I get to be at the center of the school’s learning, helping students find books they love and helping teachers find books that align with their curriculum. I get to teach reading, critical thinking, and STEM skills every day and see students use their problem solving skills and creativity in fun ways. While our profession faces many challenges, it is also the greatest and most rewarding. I hope to help our region have a strong voice and be an important part of our state organization.
James Regional Director-Elect
Tiana Addai-Mensah
Tiana Wilson Addai-Mensah, M.Ed, is a Reading Specialist as well as the administrator of the Library Media Program at 5 Preschool Learning Centers in Richmond, Virginia. She has been a Library Media Specialist for the past 8 years. Prior to running the libraries, she spent 13 years as a general education teacher in the metropolitan areas of both Cleveland, Ohio, and Richmond, Virginia. She is currently the Preschool Library Media Specialist in the Richmond Public School District. Looking to include more than just academic rigor in her elementary Library Media curriculum led her to The University of Richmond’s Partners in the Arts program and the Wolftrap Foundation for Performing Arts with her preschool aged students. Through her work in the programs, she has since discovered that art integration is an ideal concept to foster deeper learning for her students. Tiana has won numerous awards and grants for her work in education including Top-Ten Teacher of the Year in Richmond Public Schools, the first librarian to win the prestigious R.E.B. Award for Teaching Excellence, the Laura Bush Award for Librarians, a Golden Apple Nomination, and the National Mathical Award for Libraries. Just recently, she won the honor of being her school’s Teacher of the Year and her school division’ Tiana is now pursuing publication of her manuscripts that are based on her experienc placed in Richmond City’s division’s 2023 Top 5 Teacher of the Year. Tiana is a newly published author of A Book Is Like a Baby, a fun nonfiction approach to book care for readers of all ages. She is now pursuing publication of other manuscripts based on her experience as a teacher, mother, and librarian.
Potomac Regional Director-Elect
Lyndsay Friedman
I am running for VAASL Regional Director-Elect (Potomac Region). Currently, I am a Teacher-
Librarian for Loudoun County Public Schools. Before moving to Loudoun County Public
Schools, I was a high school AP/Honors/Dual Enrollment English teacher in Fairfax County
Public Schools for eight years. Through conversations with my mentor, who moved from
classroom English teacher to high school librarian, I realized my passion was to work with
students in the larger role of school librarian. In January 2017, I began my M.S. Ed in Library
Science, PK-12 at Old Dominion University.
In August 2019, my school, Independence High School, opened its doors, and I had the honor
of creating and implementing the library program from the beginning as the sole librarian there.
My library assistant and I made sure from the first day we opened to make our library a warm
and welcoming space, from makerspace activities to breakout games to inclusive window and
book displays, for students, staff, and community. Starting in the 2021-2022 school year, my
friend and library school classmate joined me as my co-librarian. With her, I have developed an
even stronger library program, and we have widened our reach to every department in the
school. Next year, I look forward to new challenges as the Head Librarian at Fairfax High School
in Fairfax, VA.
To ensure that school libraries in my district continued to be inclusive spaces for all students, I
became the Advocacy Chair for the Loudoun Association of School Librarians (LASL) in my first
year as a librarian in Loudoun County. Currently, I am the LASL President, a role I have held
since December 2020.
I presented at the VAASL state conference in November 2017 on reaching reluctant readers in
the high school library, and again, this past November with my co-librarian, I presented on using
breakout games in the library to foster collaboration with faculty and staff. Providing meaningful
and engaging professional development for my colleagues at the school-, district-, and state-
level is very important to me. If elected, I would strive to ensure the efforts in the Potomac
region to provide advocacy and professional development opportunities would continue to
support school librarians both in and outside of school.
I have three children, identical twin 8 year olds and a 6 year old, who attend elementary school
in Prince William County. My husband is a high school English teacher in Fairfax County. We
live in Gainesville with our 3 year old chocolate lab-pitbull mix, Mattie.
Education:
M.S. Ed., Library Science PK-12, Old Dominion University, 2018
M.Ed., Curriculum & Instruction-Secondary English, George Mason University, 2012
M.A., English & Irish Literature and Culture, Boston College, 2007
B.A., Psychology-Child and Adolescent Development, University of Miami, 2004
Teaching Experience:
2019-Present: Teacher-Librarian, Independence HS, Loudoun County
2011-2019: High School English Teacher, Fairfax County
2009-2011: 4th grade long-term substitute teacher, Falls Church City Public Schools
2007-2009: 3rd Grade Teacher, Private School, Fairfax County
Professional Library Experience:
Member: VAASL, ALA, AASL, LASL
Wendy Knox
My name is Wendy Knox. I am currently in my 5th year as a librarian at Robert E. Aylor Middle School in Frederick County. I am a proud Longwood University School Librarianship alum. Before becoming a librarian, I worked for Continental Airlines, where I was able to not only read a lot at work, but also do some traveling. I am passionate about connecting students with reading material that they will find engaging. I also love having a library that represents the world and a place where students feel safe. VAASL has always been an important part of my learning and professional network. I would love to represent the Potomac Region as Director Elect.
Rappahannock Regional Director-Elect
Lisa Trout
My name is Lisa Trout and I am new to librarianship. I’m finishing up my MLIS with my initial teacher’s license at ODU this fall while I work at Fredericksburg Academy, a pre-k thru 12 private school in Fredericksburg. I am the ODU-ALA student chapter Treasurer and I have been the VAASL eNews editor for the past year and a half. I have two high schoolers and two Boston Terriers—all of whom bring me lots of joy. I am excited to be the Rappahannock Regional Director-Elect.
Roanoke Regional Director-Elect
Lia Fisher-Janosz
Lia Fisher-Janosz is the school librarian and instructional technology resource teacher ("book wizard" not being a standard job title) at Sharon Elementary in Clifton Forge, VA; she began her librarianship journey there during the 2018-2019 school year. An ALA/AASL member, Lia was the recipient of an ALA Libraries Transforming Communities grant in 2021. She also received VAASL's Dickinson Scholarship in 2021, and was acknowledged as the Roanoke Region's Librarian of the Year in 2022. Lia received Longwood University's Lancer Graduate Award in 2021 and graduated from Longwood's School Librarianship program in 2022. She loves to write and sometimes blogs for Knowledge Quest, and recently had an article published in the May/June 2023 issue of its print journal. Lia is passionate about aesthetics, equity, intellectual freedom, social-emotional learning, and a host of other topics. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram, where her handle is @lebfj, or on her website, www.reginalibris.org.
Kate McDaniel
Kate McDaniel is currently the Library Media Specialist at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Roanoke, VA. She has spent the past 21 years in education in four divisions across Virginia. She graduated with her MLIS from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2014 and moved into a library position the following school year. Throughout her time in education, Kate has participated in several school-based committees and held various leadership roles. Additionally, she has not only been a member of VAASL and attended state and regional conferences, but also served on award committees and volunteered on a conference committee. Kate continues to use her position as a Library Media Specialist to encourage all students to find books they love to read and to ensure they have access to those books. In her spare time, Kate enjoys watching her niece and nephew play soccer, cooking, reading, and hanging out with friends and family.
Shenandoah Regional Co-Directors-Elect
Carlene Lantz
I've been a librarian at my small school, Lacey Spring Elementary, since 2008. Before becoming a librarian I taught second grade for two years and first grade for seven years in the same school. I recently served three years on the Virginia Readers' Choice primary book committee. I am a member of VaASL and VSLA. Historical fiction is my favorite genre but I have found stories I love in every genre. I love to incorporate STEAM into my library lessons whenever I can. I'm a sucker for any creatively illustrated picture book.
Amy Simmers
I am the librarian at John C. Myers Elementary School in Broadway, VA. I taught kindergarten and first grade for 12 years and just finished my 8th year as the librarian. I received my undergraduate degree from JMU and my Master's in Education from Longwood University. I love being able to teach so many topics and introduce new concepts to my students. I am passionate about helping our students expand their horizons through books. Picture books are my weakness-- I love using them with all grade levels!
York Regional Director-Elect
Jennifer Clements
Jennifer Clements serves as a Coordinator of Instructional Technology for Virginia Beach City Public Schools in Virginia Beach, VA. In her current position, she supports the division’s 86 schools and their Instructional Technology and Library Media Specialists in the integration of technology and information literacy skills and innovative teaching and learning. A 25 year veteran in education, she has served as an English and French classroom teacher and a middle and high school library media specialist. Jennifer has presented at state and national conferences including VAASL, VSTE, and FETC. She is passionate about promoting a lifelong love of reading and future readiness by providing educational experiences that are both authentic and personalized.