Montclair Library Foundation Welcomes 4 New Board Members

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Montclair Public Library Foundation. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

The Montclair Public Library Foundation is excited to announce the appointment of four new directors to its board. Our new members bring diverse experience and backgrounds, ensuring that we are representing a wide swath of the community, and have the talents necessary to effectively raise funds and advocate for our library.

The announcement caps another banner year for the foundation, marked by a $193,000 annual appeal, Montclair’s full funding of the library board’s proposed budget, and the wildly successful inaugural Lit Gala, which raised an additional $199,000 in gross revenue. In 2023-24, the foundation board looks to increase individual and institutional fundraising, while advocating for municipal support sufficient to maintain and expand the library’s role as a centerpiece of the Montclair community.

Eileen Brackenbury has worked in the historic preservation field for 15+ years in New York, Boston, and San Francisco, on projects including the Public Theater in NYC, the California State Capitol, and the Yale University Art Gallery. She previously worked in magazine publishing and as a web producer. She received a Master’s degree in Historic Preservation from Boston University and a Bachelor’s degree in History and Dance from Connecticut College. Prior to moving to Montclair in 2021, she served on the board of the Wellesley Education Foundation. Spending time at libraries is both Eileen’s job and her passion. Eileen lives in Montclair with her husband, their three children, and two cats.

Michael Cocco is a Certified Financial Planner and the Managing Partner of Beacon Wealth Partners. He has been inducted into the Equitable Advisors Hall of Fame and attended the Equitable Institute at Harvard University. Mike earned a B.S. in Economics from Penn State University and is past president of the Northern New Jersey chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association and served as an at-large director of the Penn State Smeal College of Business Alumni Society Board. He also previously was a board member of the Four Diamonds Fund, which has a mission to conquer childhood cancer, as well as board member with the Nutley Family Service Bureau, an organization that helps provide affordable mental and health counseling and social service programs. Mike currently resides in Montclair with his wife, Katie, and their children, Rosie and Charlie.

Henry Neff is the author-illustrator of six fantasy novels, including the 5-book “Tapestry” series (Random House) and IMPYRIUM (HarperCollins). Henry’s books have been translated into twenty languages and received critical acclaim, such as starred reviews, the Texas Bluebonnet and Lone-Star lists, the Missouri Truman Award, and Entertainment Weekly’s “Middle Grade Book of the Year”. His first novel for adults, THE WITCHSTONE, will arrive in 2024. Henry is a graduate of Cornell University and lives in Montclair, New Jersey with his wife and two boys. Before becoming a writer, he taught history at a high school in San Francisco and was a consultant for McKinsey & Company.

Elizabeth Rich leads the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation at Montclair State University, where she works closely with both student and community entrepreneurs and small business owners to create impactful programs to support their professional expansion. In a career spanning more than 20 years in advertising, marketing and development, Liz worked at a number of major advertising and media firms as well as for A+E Networks and AOL/Huffington Post before coming to Montclair State.

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here.