Several new individuals have chosen to volunteer their time to serve on the board of the Valley of the Tetons Library Friends. We are so excited to introduce these energetic and talented women who have already brought so much to our community!
Meet Jill Callahan! I am originally from the Boston area, and I have lived in the Tetons for 12 years. In 2019 my husband and I moved to Victor – within eyeshot of the Victor branch! We are thrilled to be raising our children in this wonderful community, with so many incredible resources for families, including Valley of the Tetons Library. I am passionate about early childhood education and literacy, and supporting young minds in these early, formative years.
I have worked in advancement for nearly 15 years. I am happy to bring experience in major gift solicitation, donor stewardship, grant writing, event management, and board relations to this volunteer role. I have worked with regional organizations including the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Jackson Hole Community School, and the Art Association of Jackson Hole. I currently hold the role as Director of Advancement for the Jackson Hole Land Trust. I also serve as a Board Member for Women in the Tetons.
Meet Debbie Susong! I can actually put the “Born and Raised in Jackson Hole” bumper sticker on my car if I wanted to. Although a better sticker would be Born and Raised in the Greater Yellowstone area” as I was born in Jackson and raised in Moose and Mammoth Hot Springs. My father was the Jenny Lake sub district ranger and then later became the Bechler sub distract ranger in Yellowstone. College and a job with The Boeing Company took me away from the area for many years. However I have always considered the Tetons “Home” and my family continued to vacation here for many years. In 2019 we returned to the area to enroll our son in the Teton Science School Journeys School (now Mountain Academy).
We had planned on dropping ourselves into this wonderful community, getting involved in many activities and making lots of new friends. However that really didn’t happen so I began looking for outlets to get me more involved. At one of the library book sales in Victor, someone handed me a clipboard and asked if I would like to volunteer. I put my name on the list and that was that. The Victor branch lower level remodel sucked the whole family in!
As a kid I spent a lot of time with my nose in a book – themes generally being about animals – horses and dogs in particular. To this day, dogs and horses are still big loves. My Coltriever, Scruffy, and I are a registered therapy dog team with Pet Partners. We visit schools and libraries to help with reading programs. You may see us from time to time in the local libraries.
My husband and I have competed worldwide at UCWDC (United Country Western Dance Council) events. We danced 4 times on stage with Reba McEntire during her concerts. We teach dance lessons when we can and drive the pass as often as we can to dance at the Cowboy, the Wort and the Stagecoach. Oh, for a dance hall on this side of the mountains – we can dream! So I think I can say that the library and reading really helped shape my life and giving back to the community by supporting the library is an easy thing to do.
Meet Deb Rouleau! I moved to Teton Valley almost 30 years ago from a small town in northwestern Connecticut. When people ask why my husband and I moved out here my short answer is – for the skiing, but truthfully it was just supposed to be a 5 year adventure. Once we started our family, we began in earnest to set our roots down and make a life as well as a home in this beautiful valley.
It’s my children who initially introduced me to both the Victor Branch of VTL and the Alta Branch of TCL through summer reading programs, book clubs and after school visits. Libraries were woven into our weekly schedules. My kids are grown now so it is the adult programs that continue to draw me into and keep me connected with the Driggs Branch these days. I appreciate how our library has grown and I am so grateful for all those who have given their time and talents over the years. Now it’s my turn to give back. I look forward to being a board member with the Valley of the Tetons Library Friends.