By Margaret Mager, President, and Irena Choi Stern, Publicity Chair, Friends of the Bronxville Public Library

Feb. 28, 2018:  Six new board members joined the Friends of the Bronxville Public Library ("FOBPL") in January, and they are already laser-focused on their first event, “Celebrating Irish Authors and Spirits,” for which they’ll take over the entire library on Friday, March 9. The new board members are Berit Block, Frank Murray, Chiara O’Connor, Angelo Merluccio, Irena Choi Stern, and Rekha Waggoner. They join the president, Margaret Mager, vice president/fundraising, Lia Gravier, and the chair of music programs, Ellen Politi. 

“We are thrilled to have such a dedicated group of volunteers join the Friends of the Bronxville Public Library Board,” Mager said. “They reflect a terrific cross-section of the community and bring valuable skill sets to this working board. We look forward to seeing supporters of the library at our bi-annual event on March 9!” Their photos and brief biographies are at the end of this article.

“Celebrating Irish Authors and Spirits” will feature Irish music, a raffle, cocktails, beer, wine, and plenty of cheer. With the funds raised, the FOBPL hopes to provide library patrons with more technology such as Chromebooks and to expand its books and e-books collections. Linda Pagano is on the benefit committee and considers the Bronxville Library a gem within the community and worth investment in both attention and support. 

“Every time we go to the library, like time travelers, we are transported to a time where veritable strangers are linked by their communal attachments to the Bronxville Library,” Pagano said. “We see our neighbors and friends, we listen and catch up with each other, and sit next to one another as we listen to storytime or do a craft. The children are at home here and endowed with a love and respect for books that no B&N could ever provide.”

Click here to buy tickets.

Following are the new members of the board of the Friends of the Bronxville Public Library.

Berit Block is an associate general counsel in the legal department at Deutsche Bank heading US legal advice for the alternatives business line of asset management. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and the University of Munich (Germany).

Angelo Merluccio works as a software engineer in the field of financial services for UBS. He is a graduate of Lehman College.

Frank Murray was a manufacturing executive in the electrical, electronic, and heavy industries for 41 years and, since 1997, has held financial positions in software and IT. He is a graduate of the Stevens Institute of Technology and Harvard Business School.

Chiara O’Connor built a career in New York City in the fashion and apparel industry, working for renowned companies such as Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni, and Gianfranco Ferré. She is a graduate of the University of Vermont.

Irena Choi Stern is a communications consultant and former assistant dean for alumni relations for the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, from which she graduated. She is also a graduate of Wellesley College and The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Rekha Waggoner recently left her position as financial systems manager at Brigham & Women's/Faulkner Hospital, where she did budget planning and forecasting. She is a 1997 graduate of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro (AR) and has an MBA from Southern Methodist University.

Pictured here: At top: Bronxville Public Library (photo by A. Warner); photos of board members courtesy Friends of the Bronxville Public Library.

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