Peggy Bott was born in Pennsylvania and spent most of her childhood in a small PA town that did not have much to offer except for a good library. She shares that she can’t imagine what she would have done without that library. Libraries have remained one of her favorite places to be, so she’s really pleased to be part of the Friends of the Libraries.

Most of her adult life has been spent in the Dayton area and most of her professional life has been spent at Wright State University. In the late 1970’s Peggy started as an advisor in the Raj Soin College of Business and eventually became the Undergraduate Program Director until her retirement in 2004.

As soon as she retired, she joined the Wright State Retirees Association and got to know Gary Barlow who was then the retirees’ liaison to the FOL. As soon as Gary told her that the FOL was sponsoring a book club, she joined and never regretted it. Peggy shares that as part of the book club she has read some great books that she may have missed if she wasn’t a member of this group, and states she has learned so much from other members.

On a more personal note, Peggy has two adult children, a daughter in Columbus and a son in North Carolina. Each have two children, so she has experienced the joy that grandchildren bring.

Emily Mancuso was elected to the FOL Board of Directors in the fall of 2022 as a non-voting student representative while shadowing student representative Christian Sanders who graduated in December. In January 2023, Emily stepped into the full role of student representative for The Friends of the Libraries Board of Directors. Emily has also served on the University Libraries’ Student Advisory Board since her first semester at Wright State. Emily brings her experience of working at a public library to her perspective as a student representative to the library.

She is a double major in English and International Studies. At the annual meeting, the Board appointed Emily to her first full term. Emily shares that she is looking forward to serving on the board this upcoming academic year.

Lynn Hartzler, Ph.D., is a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences where she also currently serves as chair. Lynn is a comparative physiologist, and studies how the brain controls breathing. She is particularly interested in how changes in body temperature alter the way the brain senses carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in the blood. We use changes in ventilation to compensate for acid-base disturbances in the body and to deliver adequate oxygen to our cells. Her favorite class to teach is Animal Physiology where her students get to learn about different ways that animals’ bodies work and how many have interesting adaptations to varied environments. 

Lynn shares that she is delighted to have the opportunity to support the work of the Friends of the Libraries who have had such a positive impact on our students, staff, and faculty at Wright State University.

Ellen Reinsch Friese retired from Wright State University in 2021 after 25 years of service in research administration. In October 2017, she was named the Interim Vice Provost for Research overseeing the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the Office of Technology Transfer, and the Office of Research Compliance and served in that role until retirement. During her tenure at Wright State, she earned a Master’s of Humanities degree, was a recipient of the President’s Award for Excellence in Human Relations, and served on numerous University committees.

Retirement has afforded Ellen the opportunity to pursue her interests in gardening, cooking, and reading. She previously served as a member of the Friends of the Libraries Board for six years and looks forward to reconnecting with the library community to support the important work of the organization.

Evan is a two-time alum of Wright State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 2013 and a Master of Arts in History in 2015. Since 2019, he has worked for Wright State’s Office of Disability Services, where he is a case manager and co-director of the Raiders on the Autism Spectrum Excelling (RASE) program. Prior to returning to WSU, Evan worked as a Local History & Genealogy Librarian for Greene County Public Library.

Evan lives in Beavercreek with his wife Christy and son Eli. In his free time, he enjoys listening to audiobooks, watching Cincinnati Reds games, and working on home improvement projects.

Kathi Herick has worked in the field of library sciences for over 35 years. Her love of books and research was evident in her time as a student at Wright State where she graduated with a degree in Anthropology and worked at the University Libraries’ Reference and Interlibrary Loan departments’ information desks as a student employee. She went on to work three years at the Miami Valley Hospital Library before returning home to WSU to work in a variety of positions, retiring as the Head of the Library Computing Services department in September 2016. She received her Masters of Library Science from Kent State University.  

Kathi is also a passionate supporter of public libraries as a vital community and information resource. 

In her spare she time she enjoys knitting, reading, and spending time with her husband, daughters, son-in-law, and her two adorable granddaughters.