2008 Networking Summit Facilitator Biographies

Dr. Sandra D. Andrews
Assistant Professor
sdandre2@uncg.edu
University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Dr. Sandra Andrews is an assistant professor at UNCG in the Department of Library and Information Science.  She specializes in school library media and information technology.  Dr. Andrews has worked as a district media supervisor, assistant director of telecommunications, information system specialist and a school library media coordinator in various counties in North Carolina.  She currently is on the ALA Ethics Committee and on the NC State Library LSTA Advisory Committee.

Joseph Barricella
Production Coordinator
barricellaj@ecu.edu
East Carolina University

Joe Barricella is a Production Coordinator in the Digital Collections Department at Joyner Library. He is responsible for facilitating a smooth flow of communication and production information amongst the various staff members and student employees of the department. He has a diverse background in printing and the graphic arts. He worked for the North Carolina Maritime Museum as a Graphic Artist and gained experience in the two dimensional aspects of exhibit design. While working for the museum, he realized the importance of preserving North Carolina’s rich cultural heritage for future generations. He also worked in the graphics department for Kaufmann’s, which is now Macy’s. His printing and copying experience started with Kinkos, where he worked in all the departments before ending up as the Computer Services Supervisor. He spent time in the prepress department of a commercial printer preparing digital files for offset printing.

Martha Blackwelder
School Media Coordinator (Retired)
mbwelder@suddenlink.net

Martha Blackwelder recently retired after 32 years as library media coordinator at E. B. Aycock Middle School in Pitt County.  She received her B. S. in Library Science from East Carolina University.  She began coaching Battle of the Books teams during the 1991-92 school year.  Seven of her sixteen teams won the Pitt County District Competition.  Three of those teams went on to the Region I competition.  Her 2005 BOB team won at the regional level and went on to win the North Carolina State Championship.

Mary L. Boone
State Librarian
mary.boone@ncmail.net
State Library of North Carolina’s Department of Cultural Resources

Mary L. Boone was appointed State Librarian of North Carolina in November 2005.  Prior to coming to the State Library, Mary was a Foreign Service Library and Information Resource Officer with the United States Information Agency and the U.S. Department of State for over twenty years, during which time she rose to the rank of Senior Foreign Service.  Mary’s service included tours in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Washington, D.C.  Mary served as director of the Chapel Hill Public Library from 1978 to 1985 and was a founding member of the North Carolina Public Library Directors Association.  A native of North Carolina, Mary received her BA and MSLS degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  The School of Information and Library Science (SILS) Alumni Association presented her with its Distinguished Alumni Award in December 2003.

Frances B. Bradburn    
Former Director, Instructional Technology
fbradbur@gmail.com
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

Frances Bryant Bradburn, Director of Instructional Technology for NCDPI, is a graduate of Wake Forest University and UNC- G’s Department of Library and Information Science. She has worked at the K-12, university, and state levels in a variety of media and technology positions. The former editor of North Carolina Libraries, Ms. Bradburn is author of Output Measures for School Library Programs, reviews young adult titles for Booklist, and has written a variety of journal articles on both media and technology. Her current professional affiliations are with the State Educational Technology Directors Association, the American Library Association, the North Carolina School Library Media Association, the North Carolina Library Association, and the North Carolina Association of Educational Communications and Technology. Ms. Bradburn was awarded the Mary Peacock Douglas Award in1998, the UNC-G/SLIS Outstanding Alumnus in 1995, the East Carolina University Friend of Education in 2007, and the NCLA Distinguished Service Award in 2007.

Elizabeth Briggs (Beth)
Teaching Instructor
briggse@ecu.edu
East Carolina University

Beth’s background includes 15 years of teaching English and Theatre K-12, and six years teaching undergraduate pre-service teachers technology, storytelling and children’s literature. She is the chair of the Library Science Curriculum Committee and the incoming chair of the ALA Stonewall Book Awards Committee.

Wanda Broome
Scholastic Classroom and Library Group
wbroome@scholasticlibrary.com

Bryna Coonin
Reference Librarian
cooninb@ecu.edu
Joyner Library, East Carolina University

Bryna Coonin has been an academic reference librarian assisting students and faculty for more than twenty years, at the University of Georgia, NC State University, and here at ECU. A graduate of the School of Library & Information Science at UNC-Chapel Hill, Coonin has served as adjunct clinical instructor for that program. She was also an instructor for several years in NCSU’s First Year Experience program, designed to increase retention of university students beyond the often-challenging first year.

Donna Corbo
Media Specialist
dcorbo@currituck.k12.nc.us
Currituck Middle School

As a graduate of ECU (MAEd, 1997 and MLS, 2000) Ms. Corbo considers herself a lifelong learner. Since 2000, she has been the media specialist at Currituck Middle School.  In 2003, she earned her National Boards in ECYA/LM.  She truly loves her profession.  Ms. Corbo lives in Currituck with her husband of 27 years, two children and three dogs!

Ernie J. Cox
Media Specialist
ecox@sttimothys.org
St. Timothy’s School

Ernie Cox is the Media Specialist at St. Timothy’s School (K-8) in Raleigh, NC.  He received his MLIS from the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Iowa.  Ernie is currently serving on the Bechtel Fellowship Committee of the Association of Library Service to Children, and has been on the North Carolina Children’s Book Award Committee since 2005.

Tim DeCresie
Coordinator of IT and Media Services
tdecresie@pitt.k12.nc.us
Pitt County Schools

Tim has worked with the PCS Media and Technology Department for over 4 years. His “big picture” approach to education led to him being named Coordinator of both the IT and Media Departments in August of 2007.  Tim graduated with both his BS and MaED from ECU and has been a part of the PCS educational community since 1992.

Cathy DuPre
Media Coordinator
c.dupre@cms.k12.nc.us
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Cathy DuPre is the Media Coordinator at Oaklawn Language Academy in Charlotte, NC. Through a grant from NCSLMA she attended the AASL Fall Forum on Assessing Student Performance in School Libraries.

Debbie Dupree
Media Coordinator
ddupree@wcpss.net
Davis Drive Middle School

Debbie Dupree received her MLS from UNC-CH in 1997, and earned National Board Certification in 2003. During her ten years experience as a middle school LMC, she has seen the popularity of graphic novels soar.  She possesses a genuine enthusiasm for graphic novels because she has witnessed the positive influence these novels have had on all kinds of readers, from sophisticated to reluctant.

Melissa Fields    
Media Coordinator
mfields@pcs.k12.nc.us
Perquimans Central School

Melissa Fields has been Media Coordinator at Perquimans Central School for the past 10 years.  She is a National Board Certified Teacher and received a Masters of Library Science and Certificate of Advanced Studies in Library Science from East Carolina University.  Mrs. Fields helped lead her school to become one of the first IMPACT Model Schools in North Carolina.  She has presented at several local, regional, and state conferences about the IMPACT Model, flexible access, collaboration, and literacy.  She was the NCAECT Media Coordinator of the Year in 2007.

Deborah Goodman
Educator on Loan, NCDPI
deborah_goodman@dpi.state.nc.us
North Carolina Department Public Instruction

I am an educator from Edenton-Chowan Schools and am presently serving as an Educator on Loan with the Instructional Technology Division at NCDPI.  I provide staff development to educators throughout NC on technological resources that help to prepare our students for the 21st century.

Gail Holloman Holmes
Guilford County/North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
gail_holmes@dpi.state.nc.us

Gail Holloman Holmes is a 27 year veteran teacher with a master of business education degree with an endorsement in computer education. She is presently employed by Guilford County, working as an educator-on-loan for NCDPI. This position provides her the opportunity to travel to counties across the state teaching and modeling technology integration strategies to grades K-12.

Penny Hornsby
Federal Programs Consultant
penny.hornsby@ncmail.net
State Library of North Carolina

Penny Hornsby is Federal Programs Consultant at the State Library of North Carolina where she is one of eight consultants in the Library Development Section. Her primary responsibility is coordination of North Carolina’s federally funded Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) program. In tandem with State Library staff, the LSTA Advisory Committee, and other stakeholders, she helps develop NC’s LSTA Plan, design grant opportunities, review and evaluate applications, and provides day-to-day contact with and assistance to those interested in applying for LSTA grants, or who are implementing funded projects. Penny began working with North Carolina’s federal program in the early 1990’s; prior to that she was a librarian at the NC Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, also a unit of the State Library. A Tennessee native, Penny received her B.S. in psychology from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, and her M.L.S. from Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.