SPEAKERS

Pamela Archer Hamlin is the Family Literacy Specialist for the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) in Maryland. With over 30 years of experience in early education, Pam has held roles as an early childhood educator, administrator, teen parent resource and referral counselor, trainer for teachers and child care providers, and public librarian. In her current role, she is dedicated to the successful implementation of library programs and services that support children under five and their caregivers. 

Pam has previously served as a member of the Association for Library Service to Children’s (ALSC) Early Childhood Services and Programs Committee. She has also served as a member  of the 2024 Capitol Choices Booklist Committee, the 2019 Newbery Book Award Committee, and the 2018 Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award Committee. In 2023, Pam was honored to be nominated to the 2023 PBSKids Early Learning Champions Cohort. 

Elizabeth (Liz) Atack works at Nashville Public Library (NPL), where she oversees Bringing Books to Life (BBTL), a literacy outreach program. Under her leadership, BBTL has won local and national awards, including the 2009 Cavendish Award for Excellence in Library Programming from the American Library Association. In 2014, Liz was the first library professional to be named the Toyota Family Teacher of the Year by the National Center for Families Learning. Before coming to NPL in 2007, Liz was a teacher and museum educator.  She graduated from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, and has a master’s degree in Childhood Museum Education from Bank Street College of Education in New York City.  Liz lives in Nashville with her family. 

Maryann Ferro, Director of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library, has dedicated over 30 years to public libraries, beginning as a Clerk at the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library. As she advanced through various roles, she discovered a passion for Children's and Teen Librarianship, eventually becoming Department Head. During her time at Hewlett-Woodmere, she created strong relationships with the local school district, working closely with trained educators to provide students with valuable library resources, literacy programs, and educational support. 

Lori Gerbasi is the Head of Teen Services at the Port Washington Public Library in New York and has been working with teens for over 20 years. She's served on multiple committees for the Nassau County Library Association's Young Adult Services Division (YASD) and currently holds a position on the board of the Port Washington Teen Center. She has been a presenter at both local and state events, covering topics such as collaborations between school and public libraries, effective summer reading programs, and the implementation of a teen calming corner. She is also a New York State trainer with the IMLS/YALSA's Transforming Teen Services, which focuses on providing continued education to library staff connected with teen services. 

Joanna Goldfarb has held many positions in libraries including youth services librarian, teen librarian, and youth services consultant, and is currently the Sustainability Innovation Consultant for the Ramapo Catskill Library System. She holds an MLS from Queens College, and a Sustainable Business Certificate through eCornell. Joanna is an active member of ALSC and SustainRT. When she is not working, Joanna enjoys reading books with dragons, running marathons, and attempting to keep plants alive.  

Caroline Kistin, MD, MSc, is a pediatrician and health services researcher. Her work to date has been funded by grants from NIH, PCORI, CDC, and the USDA. Many of her primary studies have focused on family mental health and more broadly on developing and testing family-focused and community-delivered interventions to improve both parent and child outcomes. Dr. Kistin has previously served as the Primary Investigator and Program Director for a T32-funded fellowship program through AHRQ, where she trained and mentored doctoral students and post-doctoral trainees in health services research, with a focus on health care quality, delivery, and health outcomes specific to low-income populations. 

Karen Keys is Coordinator of Young Adult Services at Brooklyn Public Library where she oversees programs and services for teens at 62 locations. She advocates a for-teens-by-teens service model and provides training, mentoring, and coaching to young adult services staff throughout Brooklyn. Karen is part of the team named Library Journal’s 2023 “Librarians of the Year” for their efforts on the Books Unbanned anti-censorship campaign. 

Lisa Kropp began her career in youth services as a public librarian, a school librarian, and a youth services coordinator at the county library system. She was the early learning columnist for School Library Journal from 2013-17. Lisa is the Director of the Lindenhurst Memorial Library, the third library in the country to achieve Sustainable Libraries Certification. She is a member of the 2026 John Newbery Committee for ALSC and is the Past President of the New York Library Association. Lisa also serves on the Advisory Board of the National Sustainable Libraries Initiative and as a mentor to libraries in five states undertaking sustainable library certification. 

Renee McGrath is the Manager of Youth Services for the Nassau Library System. In her position for 20 years, she is responsible for consulting, advising, and supporting the youth services librarians and staff that work in the 54 member libraries of Nassau Library System. She has served on local, state, and national library boards, and is a member of ALA, YALSA, ALSC, NYLA, and NCLA.  She has presented numerous times at local, state, and national library conferences on many topics related to serving children, teens, and their families in a public library. She was a training cohort for the IMLS/YALSA’s Transforming Teen Services through CE, a multi-year project that focused on the continuing education of library staff related to teen services. She continues to provide that training today. 

Monica McLaurine serves as the Capacity Building and Grants Manager for the Nashville After Zone Alliance (NAZA). In her role, she focuses on creating and implementing professional development initiatives for NAZA's partners and the broader Nashville community. With over twenty-four years of expertise in program management, curriculum design, and project and event coordination, Monica is a experienced facilitator who takes pleasure in engaging with people across all age groups. Monica has also had the pleasure of working at the Nashville Public Library for 20 years. 

Linda Meglio As the Assistant Director of Harborfields Public Library in Greenlawn, NY, I was proud to be part of the team that completed our Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) certification in 2023. Our journey began in 2021, during my tenure as Head of Teen Services. My years of experience working with teens helped shape my commitment to seeking out innovative and inspiring ways to support sustainability in our library and community.

LaTrisha Milton was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she also got her start in libraries. Currently, she is the Youth and Family Services Manager for the Houston Public Library System. She has over 20 years of experience in libraries and has worked on many youth related programs as well as special initiatives such as One Book Baltimore, One Houston One Book, Read to the Final Four and more. Her passions include community outreach, working with teens and exposing young people to authors who write for them. You can connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram (LaTrisha_The_Librarian) 

Dr. Corinthia Price is an internationally recognized scholar, researcher, workforce development expert, and educator. She is a former college executive and public library administrator.  Currently, Dr. Price serves as a school librarian at The Green Vale School in Brookville, NY. She is an Executive Board Member of the American Library Association (ALA) and a former ALA Councilor-at-Large. Additionally, Dr. Corinthia Price is a member of the New York State Board of Regents Advisory Council on Libraries. She previously served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Empowerment Collaborative of Long Island (ECLI) and the Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk (VIBES), as well as a board member of the Suffolk County Workforce Development Board. Moreover, Dr. Corinthia Price is the Founder and CEO of Workforce Career Readiness™ and the “100 High School Students America Needs to Know About”™ event, which recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of high school students across the United States. An award-winning recipient, Dr. Corinthia Price has received the Nassau BOCES Education Partner Award, was named one of Long Island Business News' “Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business,” and won the “Diversity in Business Award. " She has also been recognized by Mogul as one of the Honorees for the Top 1,000 Companies with the Strongest Female Leadership. 

Ada Ren-Mitchell is a Learning Programs Designer at the MIT Public Library Innovation Exchange (PLIX), where she designs cozy communities and creative STEAM learning experiences. Since 2014, her experiences encompass innovative education pedagogy, STEM research, and web and graphic design, weaving together equity, science communication, and community. Celebrating the multidimensionality of life, Ada has been a multimodal gesture researcher for the past 15 years, and pursues hobbies in digital fabrication, data visualization, and paper and fabric crafts. 

Jessica Ralli is the Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs at Brooklyn Public Library, where she manages grant-funded programming for the First Five Years initiative, including Ready, Set, Kindergarten and the Early Childhood Symposium. She holds an M.A. in Early Childhood Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and has taught in museums, schools, and libraries. Jessica co-authored the award-winning First Conversations series (RISE X Penguin Workshop), and received the prestigious Library Journal Movers and Shakers Award in 2020 for her advocacy work in libraries. 

Siva Ramakrishnan is the Director of Young Adult Programs and Services at The New York Public Library where she oversees a team that supports teen-serving staff across NYPL's 89 neighborhood branches through programming, resources, and professional development. She has worked with teens in a variety of educational settings for over 20 years, and enjoys thinking about how libraries can be dynamic spaces where teens can connect with their peers and community, and engage in creative, self-directed learning. Siva served as a YALSA Board Advocate in 2022- 2023, and was a 2023 Library Journal Mover & Shaker.

Kristen Todd-Wurm is the National Coordinator for Family Place Libraries and Coordinator for Early Childhood Services at Middle Country Public Library. She earned a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science along with a Certificate in Library Administration and Leadership from Long Island University in Brookville, NY.   She began her career at Middle Country Public Library as a youth services librarian in 2005 and immediately started working on the Family Place Libraries project.  During that time, Kristen was a lead trainer for the Family Place Training Institute and the coordinator for the Family Center project (social worker integrated into library services). Kristen has served as President of the Children's Librarian Association of Suffolk County as well as President of the Suffolk County Library Association.  She currently sits on the leadership team for Help Me Grow Long Island and the board of the Child Care Council of Suffolk County.  Kristen is passionate about early childhood development and parent support and the library's role in these crucial areas. 

Isaiah West (he/him) is the Teen Services Specialist for the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (MD). With a decade of experience working with teens, tweens, and young adults, he is dedicated to creating empowering spaces and fostering strong community partnerships to support teen-friendly environments. Off the clock, he’s likely over-caffeinated and dancing in his kitchen. 

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