Staff
Catherine Nevin, Library Director
Catherine has lived in Brooklin her whole life and has been a frequent library visitor for over two decades. She attended George Stevens Academy, then Wheaton College in Massachusetts, where she majored in creative writing and classical civilizations. She then earned her master’s in library science with a concentration in IT. She currently lives in Blue Hill with her husband and son. In her free time, she enjoys figure skating, crocheting, and spending as much time on the water as possible.
Sadie Cooley, Assistant Director
Sadie came to Maine from New Mexico to attend College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor and has never left. She comes to Friend Memorial Library after working at the Southwest Harbor Public Library. Excited to be living and working in the same community, she welcomes any recommendations for fun (or strange) activities to do on the Peninsula. Sadie is always happy to exchange book recommendations as she believes they should always be a two-way street.
Jennifer Rosenthal, Storytime Class & Circulation
Jen moved with her family to the peninsula in 2021. She had her three young kids in tow the first time she visited the Friend Memorial Library, and they ended up creating paper airplanes with the librarians and flying them all over the place. The whole family fell in love with this sweet library and its warm community. Jen couldn’t pass up the chance to work here and practice all her funny character voices at Storytime each week. When she isn’t at the library singing, crafting, and helping patrons, Jen explores the outdoors with her family and their dogs, Quill and Poe. Her family loves to travel, and they always find the nearest train museum or vintage train ride wherever they go. She is a collector of children’s picture books and has a recommendation for almost every topic or occasion. She is delighted to share her love of literature and her desire to help others with the library community here in Brooklin.
Millie Cowart, Circulation Assistant
Millie is a high school student at George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill. She is an avid reader, and enjoys art, music and writing. She lives in Brooklin and has been a frequenter of the Friend Memorial Library since 2017.
Board
Steve Hindy, President
Steve Hindy is co-founder of Brooklyn Brewery, a pioneering craft brewery that has established an international beer brand. Brooklyn Brewery’s distinctive script “B,” designed by legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser, can be found at top bars and restaurants from Paris to Shanghai. Hindy’s evolution as a craft beer baron began in an unusual place, the Middle East. He worked as a foreign correspondent for The Associated Press and Newsday from 1979 to 1987, covering the Hostage Crisis in Tehran, the Iran-Iraq War, the civil war in Lebanon and the Israeli invasion of that country in 1982. Hindy was abducted in Lebanon in 1981 in a nasty incident in which UN peacekeepers were tortured and killed. Hindy was sitting behind President Anwar Sadat of Egypt when he was assassinated in Cairo in 1981.
In Egypt, Hindy met American diplomats who had worked in Saudi Arabia, where alcoholic beverages are forbidden by Islamic law. They were avid homebrewers, and they made good beer. The AP wanted Hindy to move to the Philippines for his next assignment. His wife Ellen, who had given birth to a son in Beirut and a daughter in Cairo, refused to go to Manila. “If you get Rome or Paris, I’m with you,” said Ellen. “I’m not taking these babies to Manila.” Hindy returned to New York, started working at Newsday and making beer at home. Three years later, he and his neighbor in Brooklyn, Tom Potter, a Yale grad and Columbia MBA, started Brooklyn Brewery.
Oriana Wuerth, Vice President
Julie Selberg, Secretary
With a lifetime of summers in Brooklin, Julie cherishes memories of exploring the Friend children’s section and of her very first library card. After earning degrees from Princeton and Wesleyan, she made a career teaching Social Studies and Government at her local high-school in Connecticut. In the 90s, she and her husband, Lars, became Brooklin homeowners and in 2022 moved here year-round. They’ve plied a variety of hobbies from music to stage-lighting to vintage dance, and now focus on growing veggies and reducing carbon footprints. Julie also volunteers at the Brooklin School library.
Elizabeth Parson, Treasurer
Elizabeth (aka Diddy) Parson grew up in Rhode Island and spent many family summer vacations with her brothers in Brooklin. After college, she and her husband, Tim, worked and raised their two children in Massachusetts before moving to Brooklin in 2018. She established a book indexing business in 1994 and continues to work full-time for publishers. When not working with book manuscripts, she chases after her family’s two spirited dogs, rides her bike any chance she gets, attempts to grow vegetables, and plays around in boats.
Eli Baird
Eli has been a part of the Brooklin community for over two decades, making it his full time home in 2020 amidst the challenges of the COVID pandemic. Professionally, Eli excels as a computer systems architect for a fortune 500 company, showcasing his expertise in technology. Beyond his career, Eli’s passion for sailing is undeniable, earning him the reputation of an incredible sailor on the local waters. Eli’s love for the community is evident in his commitment to contributing his time and resources to support various organizations, including the library. Whether he’s navigating the seas during the summer or lending his expertise to resolve technology issues, Eli’s dedication to making a difference is unwavering.
Rich Hilsinger
Originally from Philadelphia, Rich first arrived in Brooklin in 1983 to attend WoodenBoat School as a student. He joined the staff at WoodenBoat Publications Inc. the following year as the school’s Shop Manager and held that position for 7 years. In 1991 Rich stepped into the role of WoodenBoat School Director. After 38 years at WoodenBoat, he retired at the end of 2021. He’s loved everything about living in Brooklin for the past 40 years. Over the years, Rich has volunteered in various capacities at the Brooklin School and George Stevens Academy, served on the Brooklin School Board for 9 years, worked at Brooklin Boat Yard for three winters, volunteered at WERU-FM Community Radio, and has met and enjoys friendships with an amazing number of fascinating and talented individuals on the Blue Hill peninsula. Being a member of the Friend Memorial Library board allows Rich another opportunity to give back to the community of Brooklin.
Stacey Hutchins
Stacey has lived in Brooklin most of her adult life, before that, she grew up in nearby Brooksville.She and her eldest son started coming to the library when Gretchen Volenik was the librarian. Hoyt always had a million and one questions about everything. Gretchen said to Stacey, “Make sure you find answers to all those questions.” With the help of the library Stacey and Hoyt answered as many as they could. When not homeschooling, doing the books for our business and attending Calvary Chapel in Deer Isle you might find Stacey fishing and exploring with the boys on the water.
“There is nothing-absolutely nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats.” -Kenneth Grahame, Wind and the Willows
Laura Sherman
A Brooklin native, Laura has lived and worked in Brooklin for her entire life, from working as a teenager at the Brooklin General Store, bartending at the Brooklin Inn, 19+ years as WoodenBoat magazine’s Advertising Manager, a three-year term on the Brooklin Selectboard, and most recently as Operations Coordinator at Brooklin Boat Yard. She is also on the Board of Directors of a small non-profit organization, called Rosanna’s Readers, that gives birthday books to students in elementary schools on the Blue Hill peninsula in memory of her sister. Laura remembers volunteering at Friend Memorial Library with Gretchen Volenik and June Eaton when she was still a kid and looks forward to getting involved again as an adult.
