Officers & Board Members
Tom
Twomey, Chairman of the Board
Tom joined the Board in 1995 and chaired the Capital Campaign that
raised $3.5 million in private donations as a gift to the community
for the 1997 addition. As President since 1998, he has helped raise
an additional $4 million for operating expenses to extend library
hours, purchase books, create library-at-home computer networks, and
expand educational programs for children and adults. He lives in Northwest
and has practiced law in East Hampton for 33 years with Twomey, Latham,
Shea, Kelley Dubin & Quartararo.
Doreen
Niggles, President
Serving on the board since 2001, Doreen has served tirelessly on raising funds to help the library for the Library Society. She was elected to the position of Vice-President in 2005 and in 2007 was elected as President. She spends many hours weekly on library business and overseeing the many committees that are hard at work throughout the year. Her participation for the Authors Night event since its inception, as well as her newest organization of the Authors Guild are among her favorite projects. She volunteers for three months every year in Africa and was made a US Director for Elephant Human Relations Aid, an organization that secures water points in the Kalahari Desert from the destruction of desert adapted elephants for the native bushman and subsistence farmers.
Once there she saw the need at the local school for reading material and that launched the marriage of her two favorite organizations: The East Hampton Library and Elephant Human Relations Aid. Our Books to Africa program was conceived.
Having grown up in East Hampton, Doreen has spent most of her adult life traveling to difficult areas that have unique humanitarian needs. She lives in Wainscott where she has lived all her life and continues to travel and volunteer. When not volunteering she works as a real estate broker at The Corcoran Group where she is a Vice-President and has been in the business for 25 years.
Bruce
Collins, Executive Vice-President
Bruce has been volunteering his considerable talent to the library
for many years. As Co-Chair of the Long Island Collection and Chair
of its Acquisition Committee, he has led the efforts to secure donations
of important rare documents from the old families in town. He is now
Co-Chair of the Capital Building Committee. Bruce has served as the
Chair of The East Hampton 350th Anniversary Committee, has been East
Hampton Town Supervisor, Chairman of the Bank of the Hamptons, a director
of Suffolk County National Bank and a director of the East Hampton
Healthcare Foundation.
Donald L.
Hunting, First Vice-President
Don began volunteering to help the library in 1967 as a member of
the Mens' advisory committee. Since 1990, he has been serving
as Treasurer and more recently, as assistant treasurer donating over
the years hundreds of hours preparing the numerous regulatory reports
required of a library. He has been the guiding hand in the financial
well being of the library. Active earlier in many village organizations,
including the East Hampton Historical
Society, St. Luke's Church and the Chamber of Commerce, Don has steeped down as Chair of the Village Planning Board after 15 years but continues to serve as a member and as a close observer of villiage affairs. Don is
retired from his accounting firm of Hunting Rose
& Wingate located on Main Street, East Hampton.
Stuart
Epstein, Second Vice-President
Stuart has worked energetically for many years to keep the library
on a sound financial footing and one of the best-run libraries in
the county. He is currently President of the East Hampton Business
Alliance. Stuart brought to the table his business success as an owner
of Devlin-McNiff Real Estate in East Hampton Village and previous
to that he was a successful executive at a New York City advertising
agency.
Sara
Davison, Treasurer
A community leader for two decades in East Hampton, Sara has recently
joined the board to continue her commitment to public service. She
has served as the executive director of the local Nature Conservancy
and more recently is the director of the Animal Rescue Fund where
she has just completed re-building its facility in Wainscott. Sara
lives near Three Mile Harbor.
Patti
Ferrin, Assistant Treasurer
Patti has been helping the library for years. She serves on the Library
Society, Building & Grounds and Book Sale committees of the board.
She is the immediate past president of the Ladies Village Improvement
Society and lives in the village.
Bobby
Scheerer, Recording Secretary
Bobby became a supporter of the library at age 6 when her mother was
on the library board. Years later, Bobby became a board member herself
and has been the recording secretary keeping the minutes for the last
25 years. Devoted to the library, Bobby has been Chair of the Book
Sale committee donating thousands of hours conducting the sales four
times a year for the last several decades.
Bobby is on the board of East Hampton Meals on Wheels and has been a driver for almost 20 years. Bobby lives in the Village and is a member of the Village Planning Board.
Kristine
Kennedy, Corresponding Secretary
For the last six years, Kristine has been helping the library expand
its children's programs. She has tirelessly helped organize three huge
Children’s Fairs, raising significant funds for these programs.
Recently joining the board, Kristine is now serving as Co-Chair of
the Children’s Committee and also serves on the Library Society
Committee which raises funds year round for the library.
Board Members
Liz
Carey
Liz Doyle Carey fell in love with the East Hampton Library as a small
child living on Buell Lane. She is now a children's book author, wife,
and the mother of three young boys who share her love of reading,
writing, and the East Hampton Library. After graduating from Phillips
Academy in Andover, Ma, then Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, Liz
was a children's book editor at Addison-Wesley in Boston, then Golden
Books (Editorial Director) and Workman Publishing (Senior editor)
in New York City. Liz's editing career lasted ten years until she
had kids and went freelance.
Ann
Chapman
Has spent hundreds of hours helping the library since 1979. As Chair
of the Long Island Collection for many years, Ann has rejuvenated
the efforts to preserve and expand its extensive archives. As a member
of the East Hampton 350th Anniversary Committee, Ann helped raise
several hundred-thousand dollars which became the core of a special
fund at the library to benefit the Long Island Collection. In addition,
Ann was at the center of the fundraising campaign 10 years ago to
build the 1997 addition to the library.
Ellen
Cromack
Joining the Board in 2003, Ellen has been the prime organizer of the
wonderfully popular Children’s Fair begun six years ago. As Co-Chair
of the Children’s Committee, Ellen has been instrumental in the
hiring of a new Children’s Librarian and reinvigorating the children’s
programs at the library. Ellen and her two young children and husband
have a home in the Village.
Diana
Dayton Deichert
Diana’s dedication to the Library began
in 1989 as a staff page. After obtaining her Masters of Library
Science, Diana is perhaps best known for heading the Long Island
Collection from 1998-2003. It was during her tenure that the East
Hampton Historical Series was published, funding from East Hampton’s
350th Anniversary was received, and the foundation was set for the
digitization project that continues today.
A 12th generation East Hampton Dayton, Diana continues to be involved with several local organizations.
Isabel
Furlaud
Isabel was drawn to the library many years ago when she decided the
library needed a better children’s library for her grandchildren.
Since then, she has worked endless hours to accomplish just that.
Her family’s commitment, led the way to a successful Capital
Campaign in 1997, resulting in the construction of the beautiful Olin
Wing. During this same period, Isabel also served as President of
the Historical Society. She lives in the Village.
Chuck
Hitchcock
Chuck is the retired Dean of Southampton College where he had been a member
of the faculty since 1975. A few years earlier, he earned his PhD
in sociology from New York University. Chuck serves the community
as a member the East Hampton Town Preservation
Advisory Committee and the Town Democratic Committee. Over the years,
he has served as Chair of the East Hampton Zoning Board of Appeals;
President of the Retreat; Co-Chair of the East End Gay Organization;
Chair of the United Campus Ministries of Long Island; and as a Head
Start social worker and as an officer of the Anti-bias Task Force
of the Town of East Hampton. Chuck is also a nongovernmental
delegate for Peace Action International to the Civil Society of the United
Nations.
Barry Johnson
Mr. Johnson was born and raised in East Hampton. After attending the Hampton Day School from 1st grade to 10th grade he went on to attend East Hampton High School where he participated in many organized sports and activities. After graduating in 1987 he attended Southampton College where he received a Bachelors Degree in Social Science in 1992.
Professionally, Mr. Johnson worked at the Bridgehampton Childcare Center as the Recreational Director. In 1993 he was hired as the Recreational Coordinator for East Hampton Town Youth Services. In 1997 he was hired by the East Hampton Town Police Department, and after 6 months training in the police academy, he graduated as an East Hampton Town Police Officer. In 1999 Mr. Johnson was awarded the honor of Police Officer of the Year and since then has received a Top Cop Award. In his current status Mr. Johnson is a CPR Training Officer for the Police Department.
Mr. Johnson lives with his wife and 3 school-age children in the Springs School District.
Jack
Kelleher
Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Jack attended Drexel University
where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Marketing.
He worked his entire career for respected retailers, including Barnes
& Noble where he held positions in merchandising and as Vice-President
of Store Operations. Upon retirement, Jack moved full time into the
Village. Last summer he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps
and began a second career in real estate at The Lamb Agency. Jack
joins the East Hampton Library board with a background and passion
for reading and a keen interest in serving this community.
Howard
Lebwith
Howard has served on the Special Events committee of the board since
2001, helping organize to everyone’s glee, events as diverse
as poetry readings and road races. For many years Howard served as
the Chair of the Springs Citizens Advisory Committee and has been
involved in virtually every community activity in that community.
Gail
Parker
As a former educator and middle school administrator in the East Hampton District for 38 years, Gail was well aware of what the library could and could not provide for students. Two years ago she joined the Library Board to galvanize support for children’s services. She feels strongly that additional space and additional resources are necessary to meet the needs of the youngsters in the community. Currently, Gail serves on the Book Sale, Personnel and Special Events Committees. Having lived in East Hampton more than 40 years, Gail has volunteered her time for a variety of local organizations, the LVIS, Guild Hall, St. Luke’s Church, Fighting Chance, and she presently sits on the board of East Hampton Healthcare. Gail is now pursuing a second career in Real Estate with Hamptons Realty Group in Amagansett.
Sheila Rogers
In 1991, as a volunteer, Sheila helped to convert the library’s book collection from card catalog to the first searchable computerized database in the library. Since then, she has worked as a staff member and consultant for the library’s annual fundraising and capital campaigns. For the past several years as Co-Chair, she has helped to organize the library’s exciting annual Author’s Night event. Prior to 1991, she was Administrative Manager of the New York City office of an international law firm. Now, as Director of the East Hampton Healthcare Foundation, she has her office at the East Hampton Healthcare Center, where she’s in charge of administration and programs. Sheila lives in the Northwest Woods with her family, which includes Oliver, her standard poodle.
Janet
Ross
Janet has served on the board since 1997, lending her insight and
interest. She has served on the House, Long Island Collection and
Budget Committees. Her council and board memberships on the Preservation
League of New York State and the Municipal Art Society in New York
City reflect her interest in civic matters of all kinds. Her affinity
for libraries began in her younger years when she was drawn to, and
spent many hours in the town library in Huntington, West Virginia.
She recalls seeing European refugee families from World War II making
full use of the children's library and thought at the time that they
were perhaps beginning to feel at home.
Charles Soriano
Charles Soriano is one of Long Island's education leaders, currently serving as Assistant Superintendent of Schools in East Hampton, New York.
His educational and professional experience substantial. Charlie earned his doctorate in organizational leadership and education from the University of Pennsylvania, which followed degrees earned at Middlebury College (Masters in English Literature) and Holy Cross College(Bachelor's in English with a concentration in medieval studies). He also holds a second Masters degree from Rutgers University in educational leadership
Based on his academic record, Charlie received a Fulbright Memorial Award for study abroad in Japan's Nagano Prefecture. In addition, he has been the recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant and was named Distinguished Teacher of the Year in the Westfield (NJ) Public Schools where he started his career as a Teacher of English.
Charlie's scholarly interests include board and collaborative governance, practitioner research and international education and literacy. His dissertation work focused on how board members understand their own govenance practices.
Outside of his professional work, Charlie enjoys photography, writing, travel, opera, reading and kayaking.