Presenter Bios

Gracie Armstrong Gracie Armstrong has been in the library world for over 12 years and loved every moment, including the difficult ones (you learn a lot during those moments). She is currently the Director for Stewart County Public Library, a Level 3 library and has worked for the Red River Regional Library and the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library. Gracie has experience in many areas of library service including circulation, information, youth services, cataloging, and library management. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Management and Organizational Development from Bethel University.

Krystal N. Clark, M.Ed. is a native of Portsmouth, VA and in 2020, she founded Equip To Thrive, LLC which offers compassionate personal and professional development experiences for 'talented and imperfect' people. She also serves as the Director of Employee Learning & Engagement in Human Resources at Vanderbilt University. Clark attended the University of Maryland, College Park to earn her M.Ed. in College Student Personnel and is an alumna of the College of William & Mary. She is a Past President of the Junior League of Nashville and Past Chair of The Women's Fund Advisory Board of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Krystal is a graduate of Leadership Nashville and a past participant of New Leaders Council and Nashville Emerging Leaders. Clark is the current Chair of the Board of Directors of The Belcourt Theatre, Nashville’s nonprofit film center. Krystal is a fan of Formula 1 Racing, binge watching on just about every streaming platform, and live music which makes Music City the perfect place to call home.

Ben Darling Prior to moving to Nashville, Ben worked at Middlebury College’s Starr Library near his hometown in Vermont. Ben moved to Nashville and started working at Vanderbilt in 2004 at the Central Library where he worked at the Service Desk and coordinated course materials for the College of Arts & Science. He joined Owen in 2019 as the Library Services Coordinator where he manages day-to-day library operations from the service desk, including Owen’s course materials and the Library student employees. Ben enjoys soccer, swimming, reading, and spending time with his family.

Caitlyn Hailey Caitlyn Haley is Assistant Director of Red River Regional Library, a position she has held for 5 years. In this capacity, she assists public libraries with training, consulting, and leadership. Caitlyn received her Bachelor of Arts from The University of Tennessee in 2015 and her Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2016. She is a member of the Tennessee Library Association and the Association for Rural & Small Libraries. Caitlyn is passionate about preservation, access for all, and local history.

Carl Hess is the First Year Experience Librarian (Assistant Professor) in the University Libraries at the University of Memphis. Carl works to improve library outreach and services for first-year and first-generation undergraduate students. His research interests include collaboration between academic libraries and other units, outreach programs, Open Educational Resources (OER), and information literacy instruction.

Ronne Jones has been a supervisor of Technical Services at the Paul Meek Library (PML) for a little over 2 years. She has a Master’s in Business Administration and is currently working on her Master’s in Information Science. With over 10 years of management experience, she thrives on being there to lead and encourage those that are around her. She encourages cross collaboration with Libraries within her county. Her vison for her role at the PML is to share the passion and love for the students, community, and the books that she crosses every day.

Cynthia Matthews is the Assistant Director of the Stones River Regional Library in Murfreesboro and a former county public library director. She has nearly 30 years of non-profit experience in community outreach, fundraising, grant writing, campaign development, and more. Originally from Maryland, Cynthia loves reading, camping with her family, and helping library staff recognize and achieve their personal and organizational potential.

Jessica McClure is the Virtual Instruction Librarian at the University of Memphis. She works with faculty and staff to create instructional materials and enhance the University Libraries’ online instructional presence. She is the Chair and ongoing member of various University of Memphis committees focusing on online instruction and accessibility. She is an advocate for intellectual freedom, serving as Co-Chair of the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Tennessee Library Association.

Stephanie Morgan Stephanie moved to Nashville and started working at Vanderbilt in 2021. Prior to moving, Stephanie worked at Western Washington University holding roles in admissions, the chemistry department admissions, and libraries. In her role as Library Services Assistant, she helps to manage day-to-day library operations. Stephanie enjoys reading, spending time with family, and playing with her dog and cat.

Lauri Thompson With over 30 years in business, industry and academia, Lauri Thompson has been witness to a ton of training! “From a trainer’s point of view” says Lauri, “a good training experience is rewarding, whether you are the trainer, or a participant. But, a botched training experience is a learning opportunity. So, any day in a training environment is a good day.”

Lauri holds an MA in Education from Ashford University. Lauri returned to school for her MA in Education when she saw the opportunity to combine her two favorite aspects of work – technology and training. Believing that human beings are perpetual learners is key to helping her develop meaningful learning outcomes with a personalized flair.

Lauri and her husband have three adult children and several grandchildren. She has served as a CASA volunteer and as a volunteer for the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Holiday Parade where she was a giant balloon handler and band greeter.

Caren Nichter started her library journey in 2006 as a page in the Louisville (Kentucky) Free Public Library system, moving from page to circulation clerk, and eventually to librarian assistant in children’s services (where she presented many story times and outreach children’s programming). During that time, she was working on her MLIS from Florida State University, which she received in 2010. Afterward, she worked as a copy cataloger and acquisitions assistant for Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She came to her current position (her first professional librarian job!) at the University of Tennessee at Martin in 2017. She now is the cataloging librarian and government documents coordinator. Outside of her job, she loves libraries and books and makes it a point to find the public library in any town she visits.

Anne Osborne Anne Osborne is Assistant Director at Buffalo River Regional Library in Columbia TN. She has an MLIS from the University of Iowa and over 25 years of experience working in libraries with students of all ages. She has been with the Tennessee Regional System since 2017 and enjoys creating learning opportunities that are relevant and valuable for all public library staff. She lives in Spring Hill with her husband, son, and 2 feisty felines.

Karen M. Swoopes (co-chair) is an Administrative Assistant at Vanderbilt University Libraries in Nashville, TN. Karen is active in the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), where she currently serves as Social Media Chair for the Appalachian Region and the Nashville Branch. In her non-work hours, Karen enjoys reading, watching old movies, listening to music, and porch and deck sitting while enjoying the sounds of silence. (karen.swoopes@vanderbilt.edu)

Krista Vaught, Ed.D., is passionate about connecting people to resources, which has manifested itself in her roles within higher education, teaching a first-year transitional seminar course, coaching first generation students, and coaching friends and colleagues through professional development. She is passionate about advocating for and serving employees by facilitating opportunities for staff to spark new connections with each other and with leaders, creating experiences that foster sense of belonging and community, and supporting staff in designing their life and career.

Krista brings more than nine years of experience in higher education, including in strategic initiatives, accreditation, assessment, and leading administrative teams. She is a Designing Your Life certified coach, a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, and an #IamRemarkable facilitator. Krista holds an Ed.D., M.Ed., and B.S. from the University of Florida and a J.D. from the Catholic University of America. Her research focuses on the intersection of wellbeing, connectedness, and technology. Krista also holds a professional certificate in trauma and resilience from Florida State University.

In Nashville, Krista serves on the board of the Music City Gator Club and as a member of the Junior League of Nashville. In her previous community, Krista participated in Leadership Gainesville 43, served as a mentor for Leadership Gainesville 45, and served on the boards of the Leadership Gainesville Alumni Association and Girls on the Run of Alachua County.

https://kristavaught.com/