About Us

Arthur H. Rogers III, president of our board, is the principal at Eno Ventures, a real estate investment firm. He has served on the board/executive committee for American Dance Festival for the past decade. He is also on the boards of Nasher Museum Friends and KIPP NC Public Schools. “I spent time at the public library in my hometown,” Arthur says. “It was an interesting modernist building – the only one in town.”

Liz Gustafson, vice-president for the Foundation, has recently retired as associate dean for academic affairs and counsel to the dean at Duke Law School. She previously served on the Durham Academy Board of Trustees and as a Senior PharmAssist Board member. She received Duke Law School's A. Kenneth Pye Award for Excellence in Education in 2021.” As a young child, I loved the agency, independence, and opportunity to explore all kinds of worlds through books that my library card provided me,” Liz says.

Sam Nichols, treasurer of the Foundation, is senior vice president of First Citizens Bank. He previously served on the board of the Durham Chamber of Commerce and the Regional Transportation Alliance. He is following in his family’s footsteps: “My grandfather helped fundraise and get a public library started in a small town in the Piedmont,” Sam says.

John Bowman is a partner with Maxwell, Freeman, and Bowman, P.A. He is hopeful that his background and training, including service on a number of different boards, will allow him to assist in furthering the mission of the Foundation. “My earliest and best memory of a public library is from growing up in Richmond and obtaining my first library card,” John says. “It was empowering, and I enjoyed going to the local branch for reading or research for school projects. It was also a good learning experience when I was late returning a book and having to come out of pocket for a late fee!”

Carl S. Brown coordinates and leads initiatives focused on expanding and deepening Self-Help's community relationships nationally, partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and technical assistance, preserving the legacy of MDI financial institutions and organizations. He founded Exert 360 LLC, a boutique brand strategy and communications consulting firm based in Durham. He also serves as a board member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Durham & Orange Counties. His earliest library memory dates back to his elementary school days when he visited East Baton Rouge Parish Library's Jones Creek Branch to obtain his library card, which allowed him to participate in the Summer Reading Program.

Robin Hill-Emmons is an award-winning social entrepreneur, consultant, and visionary who founded the nationally recognized non-profit organization, Sow Much Good, Inc. She has been recognized by Athena International, CNN Heroes, 50 Most Influential Women, 25 Women in Wellness to Watch, and has been covered by multiple national and local media outlets. Her areas of expertise focus on non-profit strategy / scale up, fund development, strategic partnerships, programmatic design, finance, and operational excellence.

Steve Keir is a professor of neurosurgery and a brain tumor researcher at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke. He has previously served on the boards of the Friends of the Durham County Guardian ad Litem and Caring House. “Growing up in a small community, I remember when the Book Mobile would come to town and how much fun it was to go and get books. Programs such as this provided access to books and library services to those living in a rural setting. Today, libraries continue to serve their communities in new and innovative ways.”

Kate Medley owns Medley Media, a media production and communications company in Durham. She has served as a longtime volunteer and contributor to the Southern Foodways Alliance and James Beard Foundation. “As a child growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, our regular excursions downtown to the Eudora Welty Public Library were lessons in a) being quiet (shh!) and b) feeling rich in information, helpful people, and books,” Kate says.

Desiree Palmer, who owns her own general dentistry practice in Durham, is also a board member with Community Health Coalition, Local Start Dental, and The Links, Inc. Her first library memory? Going with her mom to get her library card at a young age.

Gloria Quick, a retired speech language pathologist who describes herself as a lifelong educator and learner, has served as a board member and coordinator for the Parents for the Advancement of Gifted Education Program. She was president of the Speech Language and Hearing Area Resource Exchange in 2012-2013. She is active with St. Joseph A.M.E. Church and is director of the North Carolina Delta Kappa Gamma Educational Foundation. “Growing up in segregated South Carolina, I was not permitted to utilize the public library as a child,” Gloria says. “My best memory of the public library was taking our first born to the Wake County Library and watching with delight as he selected books such as Anatole, Dinosaurs, and Spiders. These trips to the library exposed him to new ideas, expanded his knowledge base, and increased his vocabulary.”

Judith Ruderman is a retired vice provost and adjunct professor of English at Duke University. She is chair of the marketing committee at The Forest at Duke and has previously served as president of the congregation at Judea Reform Congregation. “I am 80 years old but can conjure up, in my mind's eye and my bones, the public library in my hometown when I was a girl,” Judith says. “My parents, educated through high school, loved to read and we discussed books at the dinner table nightly. Decades later, through the worst of Covid, my public library branch in Durham kept me sane by providing services!”

Willis Whichard is a partner at Tillman Whichard & Cagle, PLLC. His role is as the liaison to the DLF board from the library board of trustees. He was the founding president of DLF. The North Carolina Collection at the Durham County Library is named for Willis and his wife.

Tia Barnes is Senior Director of Gift Planning for Duke Health Development & Alumni Affairs. She supports grateful patients of Duke Health and alumni of the School of Medicine and School of Nursing in making estate gifts, life income gifts, and gifts of complex assets. She is also a member of the boards of directors for Excelsior Classical Academy and B&D Integrated Health Services. Tia has lived in Durham since 2010, and her family frequents the East Regional Library.

Josh Crowell is a Vice President at Colliers Mortgage where he advises commercial real estate investors and developers through an array of financing capabilities. Previously, he had a career in commercial banking with BB&T and Truist assisting local businesses and non-profits. He has been a resident of Durham since 2018 and is a frequent visitor to the Downtown Durham library with his wife and two young children.

Tom Hadzor joined the Durham Library Foundation Board in 2024. He’s retired from a 43 year career in fundraising in universities and independent schools. Tom has served on boards of the Red Cross, Caring House, his Church, and is the current President of the Board of Regents at Mercersburg Academy. "I enjoyed introducing my children to libraries in Pennsylvania. The Children’s Librarian at the Back Mountain Memorial Library had an important influence on their lives."

Steve Pike is retired from Investors Trust Company which he co-founded and served as president. He previously served on the Board of Durham Library Foundation and is looking forward to rejoining the organization because of its continuing contribution to and impact on the Durham community. “The new downtown library is a perfect example of how the Durham Library has evolved to meet the changing needs of our community.”