Staff and Leadership

Kara Sullivan
Executive Director

Kara Sullivan is the Executive Director of the Friends. She first joined the Board in 2016 and later was hired to join the Friends staff, first as Assistant Director in 2018 and then as Executive Director in 2020. Her background is not in the nonprofit world but rather in law. She graduated from University of New Hampshire Law School and worked at private firms after graduation. She finally ended up in the public sector as a Court Improvement Coordinator for the Maine District Court. She moved to Appleton in 2010 when her husband, Mike, took a job with Kimberly Clark. She loves her adopted hometown, particularly in winter when she can ski along the Fox River and skate in her backyard ice rink. Summers here aren’t half bad either. She enjoys cycling the quiet roads outside of town, working in her garden and sitting on the patio with a good book. She has two kids, Will and Erin Rose, who are growing up much too fast. She is looking forward to working on the upcoming Capital Campaign for the library building project. She truly believes that there is no better way to strengthen our community than with a vibrant library for all ages and stages of life.