WiLS Staff

Jeff Brunner, Cooperative Purchasing Program Manager, helps members obtain the resources they need at prices that they can afford. He serves on the Strategy Group, assisting the Executive Director in setting strategic directions and priorities for the organization. He believes that libraries and other cultural institutions are strong forces for increasing social justice. For fun, he plays all sorts of games, digital and analog, alone and with friends.

Jennifer Chamberlain, Executive Director, has over twenty years of library administration experience in public libraries, academic libraries and public library systems across Wisconsin. Jennifer feels lucky to spend her days supporting the WiLS team and various projects, working with the incredibly wise WiLS board members, exploring strategic opportunities and partnerships, and overseeing the organization’s financial health and sustainability. In her free time, Jennifer likes to test new vegetarian recipes, take her dog Bean on long walks, read books as is the way of most librarians, and listen to live music.

Melody Clark, Project and Consortia Manager, provides consortia management to the members of WISPALS and the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC). She manages WiLS’ administrative team which serves as the backbone to the organization, supporting all staff and ensuring bills get paid – dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s. She also serves on WiLS’ Strategy Group, which focuses on the evaluation of the organization and its strategic direction, and the Staff Development Group, which works towards creating an organization where all staff feel welcomed, supported, and heard. In her free time, she can be found tending to her gardens and plethora of indoor plants, or trying to create things to bring more beauty into the world.

Andrea Coffin, Communication and Consortia Manager, coordinates communications for WiLS and provides consortia management services to the library members of WISPALS and the content partners of Recollection Wisconsin. She serves on WiLS’ Staff Development Group to ensure a positive, welcoming, and supportive workplace for her fellow teammates. She believes strongly in the public good, the value of work, and the vital role of libraries in their communities. In her free time, you can find her cooking and eating, dancing, writing, and enjoying the company of her family and pets and friends.

Laura Damon-Moore, Library Strategist and Consultant, works mainly in WiLS’ consulting area and also assists with WPLC consortium management. Laura’s professional interests include Asset-Based Community-Led Development (ABCD), community-led librarianship and growth mindset in librarianship and library organizations, racial equity and social justice, and the intersection of creativity + libraries. Prior to coming to WiLS, Laura worked as a community engagement librarian at Madison Public Library and as a youth librarian in multiple small Wisconsin communities. Laura is co-instigator of the Library as Incubator Project and @IArtLibraries and is the co-author of two books, Incubating Creativity @ Your Library (ALA, 2019) and The Artist’s Library: a Field Guide (Coffee House Press, 2014).

Sara Gold, New Business Development and Consortia Manager, serves as a project manager for the WPLC and WSDLC consortia, coordinating selection for the two statewide digital library collections and facilitating the WSDLC Board. In addition, Sara develops and enhances relationships with vendor partners for the WiLS Cooperative Purchasing program and continues to work closely with K12 and public library members coordinating their electronic resources subscriptions. Sara’s background in publishing and distribution helps her to bridge gaps between publishers and libraries. Sara loves to create connections between people and ideas and feels fortunate to exercise this skill in her daily work at WILS. In her free time, she is cooking or eating, exploring, volunteering, or hitting the trails with her dog, Max.

Erin F.H. Hughes, Digital and Community Outreach Archivist, supports Indigenous knowledge preservation and language revitalization through the Mukurtu Midwest Hub and the Culture Keepers Digital Stewardship Collective. She helps with digital initiatives, training on the Mukurtu CMS, and facilitates outreach to and communication with tribal archives, libraries, and museums in Wisconsin. Erin strives to raise awareness around equity, diversity, and inclusion within the archival community. In her free time, she loves to read, do all kinds of fiber arts, paint, cook, garden, and spend time with her family and friends.

Kim Kiesewetter, Data Analyst and Consultant, works on a variety of library-centric, data-driven projects with the WiLS consulting team, bringing with her over a decade of research and evaluation experience. Her approach to projects is warm, open, and accessible and focuses on intuitive and accessible deliverables. She also serves on WiLS’ Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Working Group and the annual Ideas 2 Action Fund. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, and kayaking as a complement to her other favorite hobby: eating delicious food.

Tom Klement, Chief Financial Officer, has overseen the finances for WiLS for 16 years and works in the same capacity for Wisconsin Library Association. Tom loves working for the Wisconsin library community and feels that libraries are the cornerstone to every community. Tom was born, raised, and still resides around the east side of Madison, close to most of his family. He enjoys time with his family and loves all Wisconsin sports (watching and playing some) and spending time with friends.

Lisa Marten, Financial Coordinator, provides ongoing financial duties for WiLS and works with members and vendors on invoicing and payment. She also works with our amazing administrative team to ensure WiLS is running effectively and efficiently! Her favorite part of her job is reconciling budgets and investigating any discrepancies. Outside of work, you’ll catch Lisa putting together jigsaw puzzles, reading a good book, or watching Ms. Rachel with her son (their cat, Nox, sometimes joins them for snuggles).

Melissa McLimans, Library Strategist and Consultant, has six years of experience leading strategic planning processes with public libraries and library systems across the state of Wisconsin. Melissa has worked with dozens of libraries and community stakeholders to develop, complete and implement strategic plans that are achievable and reflect the needs of the organization and its stakeholders. Melissa is well-experienced in data collection, including administering community surveys, leading focus groups, and conducting interviews, as well as facilitating planning meetings and writing strategic plans. She has a deep knowledge of library and library system needs.

Rebecca Rosenstiel, Projects Coordinator, is a part of WiLS Administrative Team, supporting her colleagues and many of WiLS’ service areas and projects by coordinating meetings and travel, taking notes and organizing ideas, and ensuring members get answers to their questions. She also works closely with the WSDLC, handling enrollments, renewals, and membership updates, and assists internally with the WPLC and with WISPALS’ shared ILS. Outside of work, she finds joy in knitting and needlefelting, hiking and kayaking, and playing board games with her family.

Nick Smith, Operations Assistant, works mainly on WiLS’s Administrative and Cooperative Purchasing Teams. On the administration side, he takes care of some of WiLS’ day-to-day functions and helps out on projects across WiLS. On the Cooperative Purchasing side, he works mostly with K12 and Public libraries to bring them discounts on the resources their students and patrons use every day. When he’s not working, you can find Nick backpacking, going antiquing, playing tabletop and video games, and relaxing at home with his cats!

Kristen Whitson, Digital Specialist and Consortia Manager, works with local history organizations and Recollection Wisconsin content partners and provides digital projects and archives support to various WiLS initiatives. She has provided assistance on the IMLS Community Memory Project and contributed to the Midwest Hub of the ALA Libraries Transforming Communities project. Kristen is particularly interested in communities of practice and peer-to-peer learning in the archives, and she enjoys making digitization and reformatting achievable for organizations of all shapes and sizes. Away from the computer screen, Kristen and her family enjoy food from start to finish: gardening, chicken- and bee-keeping, harvesting, preparing, preserving, cooking, baking, and of course: eating!