My name is Kathy Furfey and I have had the privilege of being a trustee on the board of the Howland Public Library. I am asking you to help me continue in that role.

This is an exciting time for our library. We have been working diligently with meetings and questionnaires to gather as much information as possible on how this library can meet the needs of all members of our community. All that input helps us to move on with our long range plans. Committees have been in session to revise policies and bylaws. New services require new policies and procedures. Facility options are being explored.

I am firmly committed to the role of our library as the heart of our community and I want to continue working to provide inclusivity and availability to all.

My experience as a board member, my background as teacher, my commitment to volunteerism and social responsibility will help me to serve you as we move forward.

I live in Glenham with my partner and dog, and I’ve been grateful to call Beacon and Fishkill home for the past 12 years. 

The Howland Library has been a constant in my adult life. It has been a cool place to work on a hot day, a source of books and audiobooks that have nourished my spirit, and a place where I’ve learned from amazing local speakers. As a trustee, I would work hard to ensure that everyone can rely on the library as a welcoming and protective place at the heart of our district.

I know how to steward strong organizations while staying grounded in the needs and dreams of the people they serve. I have spent the last 15 years working in nonprofit administration, education, social work, and community organizing. 

It's an exciting time at the library, with big questions about the future of the physical space on the table. I appreciate the staff and board’s commitment to making sure that community wishes guide those decisions.  It would be an honor to support the library so that it continues to bloom into an accessible and joyful place for all.

I grew up in Kingston (where I spent many weekends at the library) and have called Beacon home for the past five years. As an active patron of Howland Public Library — borrowing museum passes, exploring its collections, and enjoying the ‘Library of Things’ — I’ve seen firsthand how vital it is to our community. 

I’ve worked in the environmental field for over 10 years and currently serve as the Science Director for a local land trust. In this role, I collaborate with a board of directors, manage budgets, secure grants, and incorporate public feedback into decision-making — experience that has given me a strong understanding of effective, community-centered board service. 

I believe public libraries are one of our society’s greatest assets — providing equitable access to education, resources, and welcoming spaces for all. If elected to the board, I would use my skills to help make sure the library continues to reflect the needs of the Beacon community. 

The history, culture, and natural beauty of our region have been major, vibrant forces in my life since my earliest childhood, and they drew me back to it and to Beacon nearly 5 years ago, after I completed a career of nearly 30 years at the United Nations that focused on educational and cultural issues. My increasing involvement in the Howland Library—as a frequent and significant contributor to Beacon Reads, as someone with deep and broad experience in strategic planning for cultural organizations, and as someone who has always loved reading—has been very exciting and enjoyable for me. The Library has great potential and is poised to take some very important moves to realize it, and I would be glad to contribute the experience and perspective I’ve acquired to help it optimize them.

As a former Council Member of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), I have chaired its Strategic Planning Committee and served on its Governmental Liaison, Performing Arts, and Visual Arts Committees. I have also served as an Expert Panelist on music and on international exchange at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). And, as a Political Advisor in the United Nations General Assembly, where I led the team that covered and analyzed debates on the full range of issues before it, I focused particularly on issues of culture, education, human rights, sustainable development, and organizational reform. Earlier, while still a graduate student, I worked as a Consulting Editor for the UNESCO Courier, which champions worldwide efforts in both education, literacy, and cultural preservation. At a very personal level, there is one other tie that links me closely to the Library and the pursuit of its best interests and future: I am a descendant of General Joseph Howland, its founder