We’re the Wellesley Free Library Foundation
The Wellesley Free Library Foundation is a private, 501(c)(3) corporation supporting the mission of the Wellesley Free Library. Our goal is to enrich, not replace, traditional tax-based support for the Library through gifts, grants, and bequests from individuals and organizations, while reinforcing the need for continued and increased public support for the Library. The Foundation spearheads major fundraising efforts to bridge the gap between the community’s aspirations for its library and assets available from municipal budgets.
Our Impact
In recent years, approximately 15-20% of the Library’s budget has come from private fundraising, all of which is used to enhance our library in ways that town dollars cannot provide.
Current funding initiatives include: Support of programs and equipment in the Jackie’s Room Technology Education Lab; School Outreach; Wellesley ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages); and the Fells Branch Library.
Our History
The Wellesley Free Library Foundation was established by the Library Trustees in 2008 to serve as the main supporting organization of the Library. Working in partnership with the Library’s Administration and Trustees as well as its other supporting organization, the Friends of the Wellesley Free Libraries, The Library Foundation encourages private philanthropy on behalf of the Wellesley Free Library. This strong public/private partnership builds support for the many enriched opportunities and special endeavors, both current and future, that make the Wellesley Free Library such an outstanding community resource.
FAQs
What is the difference between the Wellesley Free Library and the Wellesley Free Library Foundation?
The Wellesley Free Library, originally established in 1883 through the generosity of Horatio Hollis Hunnewell, is a traditional suburban public library. The main library and two branches provide lending materials, reference services, literacy support, and a wide range of community programs and training courses. The WFL is an integral part of the Wellesley community. The Library Trustees established The Wellesley Free Library Foundation in 2008 to serve as the main supporting organization of the Library. The sole purpose of The Library Foundation is to raise private funds from individuals and organizations to supplement core funding from tax dollars. These additional dollars help maintain the high level of service that the Wellesley community has come to expect from its Library.
Why does the Library need private contributions? Don’t my taxes support the Library?
Prudent use of funding from the Town allows the WFL to fulfill its basic mission — to provide free and convenient access to information. Most of the Library’s budget goes toward core services including salaries and operating costs, not programs or collections. Much of what you see, use, and borrow at the WFL is paid for with private donations — including programs, our enhanced collection, museum passes, the self-check machine, and more. There is no community resource as necessary to the growth of our citizens as the Wellesley Free Library, and no other institution that will benefit more from your support.
Why is my charitable contribution important?
Your contribution is not only important — it is essential! The WFL is a critical community resource — our circulation and usage are extraordinarily high – more than 1000 patrons visit each day. Excellent library services are extremely important to the quality of life in Wellesley and while the tax impact budget covers many of the basic services offered at the library, over the past 5 years between 15-20% of the operating needs are met through private funding. The WFL is an extraordinary resource for each and every resident of Wellesley, and we need your help to keep the WFL the best library it can be.
The Library Foundation’s 990s are available on the IRS website.
Organization name: WELLESLEY FREE LIBRARY FOUNDATION, INC.
EIN: 26-3194155
Our Board
Thank you to the individuals who commit their time and talent to the Wellesley Free Library Foundation.
Keith grew up in Florida but has called Massachusetts home since 1979. He has an undergraduate degree from Florida State University and a law degree from Boston University. He also has a master’s degree in history from the University of Virginia where he wrote his thesis on the development of the university library in 19th century America. He has practiced corporate and securities law at Ropes & Gray in Boston continuously since 1982, broken only by three and a half years during which he was Director of Corporation Finance at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. Keith also serves as Secretary and pro bono counsel to Upstream, an organization committed to expanding opportunity and reducing unplanned pregnancy across the United States.
Keith and his late wife Andrea moved to Wellesley in 1990 and raised two sons, both of whom went to Fiske Elementary School and one of whom graduated from Wellesley High School. Keith is an avid cyclist (having ridden a dozen times in the Pan Mass Challenge), a middling gardener, a mediocre golfer and a voracious and eclectic reader.
Mark grew up in New Hampshire but made the big move across the Massachusetts state line for college in 1989 and has been in the Bay State ever since. He has an undergraduate degree from the College of the Holy Cross and an MBA & Masters in Accounting from Northeastern University. He is a practicing CPA who worked in public accounting at Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young, and in 2003 made the switch to the world of consulting. Since 2009 Mark has been in the forensic accounting practice at FTI Consulting, where his practice focuses on compliance with SEC reporting and technical accounting standards.
Mark and his wife Kerrie moved to Wellesley in 1999 and have two daughters, both of whom went to St. John’s Elementary School and are both currently at Newton Country Day School. Mark’s interests include traveling with his family, reading, golf and tennis.
Laurel Lyle, Development Chair
Laurel has expertise in development, fundraising and database management and has been working in the non-profit sector for over 15 years. Earlier in her career, she worked for a large national regional mall developer as the Director of Human Resource Information Services. Laurel is active in community-based, non-profit organizations that work to improve the well-being and quality of life of the residents of Wellesley, Massachusetts. She has held several leadership positions on non-profit boards including President of the Eliot Montessori Board of Trustees, Chair of The Fund for Wellesley and President of Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club. At present, Laurel is Vice President for the Wellesley Service League and serves on the boards of the Wellesley Library Foundation and Wellesley Friendly Aid. Laurel earned both her BA in Sociology and her MBA from the University of Chicago.
Amiee Munro has lived in Wellesley since 2009 with her husband, Bill, and three boys who are currently students at WMS & WHS. A lifelong lover of the written word, Amiee spent her early career in publishing, first as a Business Manager at Conde Nast and then in marketing and subsidiary rights at Little, Brown, Inc. and the Perseus Books Group. Currently, Amiee is a real estate agent with Donahue Maley | Burns Team/ Compass, eager to share her knowledge and love of Wellesley with all potential residents.
An active community volunteer and fundraiser, Amiee has served as Fiske PTO President, Auction Chair, Wild West Chair and spent five years as a member of the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club, including Community Outreach Chair, Wonder Run Chair and Nominating Committee Member. Currently, Amiee serves as the town wide Scouting for Food coordinator, on the WMS book fair committee, and the WHS Cotillion Committee. A graduate of Connecticut College, Amiee resided in Washington DC, New York City and Boston before settling in Wellesley.
Alexa Plenge, Finance and Audit Chair
Alexa has lived in Wellesley since 2010 with her husband Robert and their three daughters Lucy (16), Molly (14) and Lila (12) who attend the Wellesley Public Schools. She would be remiss to not include additional family members Coco and Java, their two beloved chocolate labs.
Alexa spent a career in financial services and retired in 2017 after 14 years at Fidelity and prior stints at Charles Schwab and Franklin Templeton. After retiring from financial services, she joined a volunteer training program at the Museum of Fine Arts and now leads art tours across the collections, as well as participating in a number of other program activities.
Throughout her years in Wellesley, Alexa has remained active and committed to community. She has held or currently holds a Board or leadership position in the Wellesley Chapter of the National Charity League, the Wellesley Education Foundation and has been active in planning events for PTOs and neighborhood associations. Her family enjoys the Wellesley Free Library and she looks forward to participating in Board activities to help the library evolve to meet growing community demands.
Elizabeth A. W. Rogers, Board Nominating Chair
A native of Kalamazoo, MI, Liz attended Boston College, receiving degrees in Biology and Economics. Professionally, her career in finance, including at Bank of Boston and Fidelity Investments Institutional Services, focused on specialized financing for multinational asset management and insurance companies globally. Presently, she is Principal of Snug Harbor Consulting, a financial consulting practice, and Managing Partner of Walker Snug Harbor, a multi-family investment partnership.
With the exception of two years in New York in the late 1990s, Liz has lived in Wellesley since 1986. She has two daughters in college who attended Sprague and graduated from Wellesley High School. Liz has spent countless hours at the Wellesley Free Library: story time at the Hills Branch; and at the main library in the play room, Wakelin room for recitals, and reading in the periodicals room between carpools.
Liz was actively involved in the Wellesley schools, holding leadership positions in Creative Arts & Sciences, Art Enrichment, Sprague Fields Task Force, WHS PTSO Volunteer Coordinator and Nominating Committee, and elected School Council member, and co-founder of Lessons in Leadership speaker series. Other Wellesley service activities included Wellesley Mothers Forum Treasury positions and Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club Economic Needs, Scholarships, and Donations Committees leadership roles. In 2019, Liz became a trustee of the Wellesley Scholarship Foundation. Beyond Wellesley, Liz has been an Advisor at WGBH since 2012 and sits on the Advisor Nominating, Emerging Media & Technologies and Ralph Lowell Society committees. Since 1996, Liz has served in various volunteer leadership positions at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and is currently Vice-Chair of Membership for the Patron Program. Liz volunteered extensively with Junior League of Boston (recipient of Boston Bean Pot award for community volunteerism), Children’s Hospital Boston (Co-Chair Women in Medicine Committee), Brigham & Women’s Hospital (Advocate), and Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (Parent Board).
Catherine Simpson Bueker is Professor and Chair of Sociology at Emmanuel College in Boston, where she has taught for 15 years. She focuses on issues of race, ethnicity, immigration and civic engagement and has published books, chapters, essays, and peer-reviewed articles on those topics. Her books include From Immigrant to Naturalized Citizen (LFB Press 2006) and The Experiences of Women of Color in an Elite US Public School (Palgrave MacMillan 2017). Her articles have appeared in the journals The International Migration Review; Race, Ethnicity, and Education; The Journal of International Migration and Integration; and Contexts, among others. She has also published entries related to race and immigration in the Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Nationalism. Her current project focuses on the ways in which established Americans do or do not recognize and experience increasing diversity in their community. She has been a Visiting Scholar and Visiting Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Harvard University. Bueker holds a BA in American Studies from Cornell University and an MA and PhD in Sociology from Brown University.
Carol Carlson and her husband, Steve, moved to Wellesley in 2018 from Needham, where they lived for 16 years, after relocating from Texas. They have two adult daughters, Katie and Kristi.
Carol is a retired Audit and Accounting Partner from Ernst & Young, where she served clients for over 37 years. She serves on the Board of Directors for the National Life Group where she is a member of the Audit and Governance Committees. Carol is the Chair of the Finance Committee for Carter Memorial United Methodist Church. She is also a member of The Boston Club, the Wellesley Club, and the Boston Chapter of Women’s Corporate Directors. Carol also frequently volunteers with BostonCares. Carol graduated with highest distinction from the University of Iowa and is an avid reader. She enjoys boating and traveling with her family, and hiking with her husband and their dog, Cody.
Terry Condren is a Managing Director and Senior Wealth Strategist of IEQ Capital and has advised families in estate and financial planning for nearly three decades. Prior to joining IEQ Capital, Terry was a Senior Managing Director and Advanced Planner at First Republic Investment Management which he joined in 2019. He has extensive experience with personal income, estate, gift and trust tax disciplines, advanced wealth transfer techniques, philanthropic planning, asset protection, planning with concentrated stock positions, and stock option and restricted stock complexities. Prior to joining First Republic, he was an Executive Director and Senior Wealth Strategist at UBS Financial Services. Mr. Condren is a Certified Financial Planner™. He earned dual degrees in Psychology and English from Ithaca College and a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law
Stephanie Coughlan founded Image Intelligence in 2018 with the mission of using her style expertise and marketing background to help accelerate clients’ professional advancement by creating outward images that mirror their accomplishments. Prior to founding Image Intelligence, Stephanie spent time in executive roles at Glamour, SELF Magazine, and Hearst UK, and ran Responsible Media from 1999 to 2016, where she represented media brands including Vogue, The New Yorker, SELF, and GQ. She leverages her extensive fashion, media, and marketing experience to help men and women curate professional, yet authentic personal brands.
A full-time parent, in her free time she enjoys hanging out with her awesome daughter and husband, traveling, playing sports, bringing friends together, and finding new, diverse, and sustainable fashion brands to support.
Chrissie grew up in Wellesley and returned with her husband, John, in 1992 to raise their family here. Chrissie graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in English Literature and from the Wharton School of Business at UPenn with an MBA in Marketing. Chrissie began her career in Massachusetts as a Consumer Products Marketer with Gorton’s of Gloucester. After eight years, she switched gears and joined Rutledge Properties, the family real estate business owned by her mother. Ever since, Chrissie has been a leading agent in town. Pointing out what is outstanding about Wellesley – especially the Library – is an everyday activity for Chrissie as she welcomes new families to town.
Chrissie and John have four adult children, all of whom attended Hunnewell Elementary School and spent many hours at the Wellesley Free Library next door. Chrissie has served as a coach and President of Wellesley Youth Lacrosse and has cheered on innumerable Wellesley Youth and High School teams. She has served as a Town Meeting Member since 2009. Chrissie is a lifelong voracious reader, a member of multiple book groups, and plays as much tennis as possible.
After a brief stint as a graduate assistant coach following her four years at Amherst College, Molly Manning spent a twenty-five year career in the investment industry in New York City and Boston. She started with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., working with institutional clients, before moving to Boston and joining NEPC as an investment consultant. She then transitioned back to investment management working first for GMO LLC, and most recently, overseeing sales, consultant relations, and client service at Income, Research + Management, from where she retired in late 2022. Currently, Molly serves on the Board and Investment Committee of the Holy Cross Family Ministries Foundation to keep tabs on the investment world.
Molly spends her free time with her family, husband, Mike, her three stepsons, all of whom graduated from Wellesley High School after many hours in the library, and her two sons, who are at Wellesley Middle School and Wellesley High School. She still loves coaching, finding the sidelines of basketball and lacrosse games whenever she can. Her future plans include spending time with her family, taking walks with their dog, Lola, and tackling the never-ending stack of books on her nightstand.
Having been born the daughter of a classicist and teacher of Renaissance drama—who actually spoke “in Shakespeare” more often than one would think possible–it was probably inevitable that Nora Tracy Phillips, with a richer-than-worked-for array of words in her head and a passion for things literary, would, herself, wind up a teacher. With an English degree from Princeton, an unsatisfying paralegal experience, and a much more satisfying experience as the editorial assistant to the academic journal Shakespeare Quarterly (with an office inside the Folger Shakespeare Library) under her belt, Nora went on to teach English to 10th-12th grade students at McLean, Virginia’s The Madeira School. It was with this background that when Nora, her husband Tim, and their then-children, Jonathan and Susannah, found themselves living in Wellesley, Nora quite quickly found her way to both the Wellesley Cultural Council and to Creative Arts and Sciences at the Hardy School. For 10 happy years, Nora went from school rep to Chair of the Townwide Creative Arts and Sciences Committee, working with WPS teachers and administrators to find impactful, academic, enrichment programming from the “outside world.” For the Wellesley Cultural Council, Nora has been involved with bringing programs in the arts and education to Wellesley to enrich the cultural lives of its citizens (in what little way it can) for years now.
