I would like to introduce you to Barbara Hawkes the new Development Coordinator at Topsham Public Library. Barbara and her family have recently moved back to Maine and when she heard of the opportunity here, she applied. You will see from her experience that she has worked in a variety of areas that are real assets in her role as Development Coordinator.
Before the return to Maine, Barbara was living in Naples, Florida where she served at Hodges University as Director of Lifelong Learning, Director of Community Outreach, and as an academic librarian with English as a Second Language responsibilities. Prior to her work in the academic world, Barbara spent twenty years in Portland, Maine conducting research in the environmental engineering field, and for ten years after that she was awarded a grant to help family services organizations and government departments work together to help children transition to kindergarten.
It is evident that Barbara is adept at working with public and private sectors and helping them work together toward a common goal. As a matter of fact, that is one opportunity she likes to tackle: “I enjoy bringing different groups together that don’t know each other.” And that is what being a Development Coordinator offers her. She likes to engage with people and get the broader community involved. She wants to develop relationships with the business community in order to partner with and support the mission of Topsham Public Library.
In these times, where money is tight, being a development coordinator has its challenges, but Barbara is ready. She is looking for ways to partner and leverage resources. And problems, well Barbara likes to look at problems “and find the opportunities in them.”
As well as her responsibilities here, Barbara keeps busy with her twelve year old twins who both play hockey, so whether she likes it or not, these days Barbara is a bit of an early bird to get that much coveted ice time. She also likes to relax by walking and practicing yoga when she has the time.
Although she bemoans how little time she has to read for fun (don’t we all), her recent favorites include All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. And like us all, Barbara has a chink in her armor – a sweet tooth. She prefers chocolate to vanilla, cake over pie, and a doughnut instead of a muffin. Oh, and ditch the salad, her dark side wants the fries.
If her path had taken a different turn, she would have wanted to be a journalist and/or a writer. Poetry would have a major place in her writing. She has written poetry and when she was an undergraduate, she had five of her works were chosen for her collegiate poetry publication.
We are glad to have Barbara on board, and we hope you give her a great Topsham Public Library welcome!