Ann Nixon — President
Ann Nixon brings a wealth of experience in public service, nonprofit leadership, and community involvement to her role as President of the Blount County Friends of the Library. A retired city clerk, she spent 13 years with the City of Oldsmar, Florida, and seven years with the Florida Office of the Auditor General; she has also held leadership roles with several community organizations. Ann has been a member of BCFOL for three years and previously served as Vice President. She believes that staying actively involved and continually finding ways to contribute is the best way to support the organization long term.
Michael Park — Vice President
Michael Park brings decades of professional experience and a strong spirit of volunteerism to his role as Vice President of BCFOL. Before retiring, he spent 47 years working in aerospace materials processing and quality assurance, including as a Special Process Auditor in the aerospace and medical-device industries. Michael has volunteered with BCFOL and Community Food Connection for six years and has held leadership positions in professional societies throughout his career. He was happy to be asked to serve on the BCFOL board and continues to contribute his experience and time to the organization.
Vandy Kemp — Past President
Vandy Kemp is a retired educator with a distinguished career spanning high school and college education, including roles as a high school counselor, assistant principal, principal, community college instructor, and Vice President and Dean of Students at Maryville College. She has served six years on the BCFOL board, including as President, and is active in organizations including Leadership Blount, the League of Women Voters, AAUW, Be Aware Blount, and Public School Strong. Vandy also works as an organizational consultant and facilitator, specializing in strategic and organizational planning. She is proud to serve BCFOL because of its success as a well-run, all-volunteer nonprofit and its vital mission of ensuring that the Blount County Public Library has the resources it needs to serve the community.
Nancy Kissell — Secretary
Nancy Kissell is retired and has been a member of BCFOL for four years, including three years of service on the board. She is passionate about supporting the Blount County Public Library and its outreach throughout the community. Nancy also has a particular appreciation for BCFOL’s used book sales, making her a perfect fit for an organization that brings people together through books while helping strengthen the library.
Valerie Spence — Treasurer
Valerie Spence has fond memories of long afternoons spent in the Blount County Public Library as a child and loves seeing all the ways it continues to grow its support for her community. An enthusiastic reader, she holds a BA in English with a minor in writing from Maryville College and a MA in rhetoric, writing, and linguistics from the University of Tennessee. She’s helped several nonprofits develop from grassroots beginnings to more formalized operations, and welcomes the opportunity to be a part of BCFOL as we continue to build our capacity to serve our neighbors.
Ann Fairhurst — Community Outreach Coordinator
Ann Fairhurst serves as a BCFOL board member and Community Outreach Coordinator, bringing extensive experience in retail, hospitality, tourism, and marketing. A former department head of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Tennessee, Ann was drawn to BCFOL through her interest in helping with the quarterly book sales and putting her retail and marketing expertise to work for the organization.
Alicia Adkins — At-Large Member
Alicia Adkins is a high school English teacher in Blount County and an active member of the BCFOL membership team. A Blount County native, Alicia holds an undergraduate degree in English and advanced degrees in education, and she brings a lifelong love of the library to her service on the board. She believes deeply in BCFOL’s mission and wants to give back to a place that has always been an important part of her life and the community she calls home.
Lelia Fain — At-Large Member
Lelia Fain is an elementary school librarian with Blount County Schools, where she has worked since 2011. Lelia is also an active member and longtime building representative for the Blount County Education Association. She is especially passionate about supporting programs and resources that inspire children to love reading, learning, and discovery, and she deeply appreciates the donors and volunteers who make the library such an important part of the community.
Peggy Jackson — At-Large Member
Peggy Jackson is a longtime bookseller who brings both a love of books and a strong commitment to the community to her work with BCFOL. She has been a member of the organization for two years and has served on the board while also supporting fundraising efforts for the Blount County War Dead Memorial. Peggy believes strongly that everyone should have access to books and to the many valuable services that libraries provide to their communities.
Lisa Misosky — At-Large Member
Lisa Misosky has spent 38 years as a bookseller and book appraiser, making her a wonderful resource for an organization built around a love of books. A BCFOL member for more than 20 years and a longtime board member, Lisa played an important role in creating BCFOL’s eBay operation and book-publishing program and helped develop the Writer-in-Residence program. She joined the board with a desire to strengthen fundraising efforts and has been instrumental in helping BCFOL turn its love of books into meaningful support for the library and community.
Andy Sneed — At-Large Member
Andy Sneed is an attorney who has been involved with the Blount County Friends of the Library for six years. He previously served on the Blount County Public Library Board of Trustees, giving him a unique perspective on the importance of the library and the role BCFOL plays in supporting it. Andy is proud to contribute to an organization that helps strengthen what he considers one of Blount County’s greatest community assets.