Staff

Mia Allonby (Secretary) is a transgender artist, sometime writer and library professional. She works for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County as a Patron Advisor and Head Clerk at the Michael Kusalaba Branch. Originally from the United Kingdom, Mia has a BA in Fine Art from Leeds College of Art and has frequently exhibited her work in the Youngstown area, since arriving on the scene in 2017.

Tricia D’Avignon (President) received her Bachelor of Fine Arts emphasis in Photography from Youngstown State University and her Masters in Urban Planning Design and Development from Cleveland State University. Currently, she works locally as an urban planner. She enjoys visiting other rustbelt cities with a group called Rustbelt Young Urban Preservationists to explore new cities, learn about their history, and photograph historic structures. Tricia spends her free time working on house projects, attending arts and music events, and volunteering with Mill Creek Metro Parks.

Craig Duster is the owner and Head Ne'er-Do-Well of POP! Art Books Culture, Youngstown's award-winning used bookstore. Before founding POP!, Craig was the Special Project Coordinator for Sally Centigrade Gallery and has curated gallery shows in Colorado and Ohio. Craig holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado.  

Samantha Ensminger is a Marketing Manager at Trumbull County Tourism as well as a freelance editor and marketing manager. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English from Youngstown State University and has been heavily involved in event coordination and marketing within the Valley for years.

Chris Gibowicz is a lifelong resident of the Youngstown area. She has over 30 years experience in public school education serving in leadership positions like teacher, mentor, instructional coach, principal, and curriculum director. She earned her Masters in Education at Youngstown State University. Chris is the author of a collection of poetry and prose, Lead, Love, Live. She is also a certified teacher of yoga, Reiki, and Silver Sneakers. For self-care, she enjoys hiking and meditation.

Alex Harper (Vice President) holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from Ohio University and an M.L.I.S. with a specialization in Museum Studies from Kent State University. She has worked for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County since 2014 and currently serves as the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Specialist. In 2018 she founded Project LIT Youngstown, PLYMC's chapter of Project LIT Community--an international grassroots literacy movement and network of educators, librarians, students and community members working together to promote literacy in their communities.

Rebe Huntman's essays, stories and poems have appeared in such places as The Southern Review, Ninth Letter, Sonora Review, and The Pinch. She is the winner of an Ohio Individual Excellence Award and fellowships from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, the Ragdale Foundation, and Brush Creek Foundation. A former professional Latin dancer and choreographer, she holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from the Ohio State University and teaches creative writing at the Columbus College of Art & Design.

Jeffrey Murphy (Treasurer) received his B.S. in Physics from Youngstown State in 1999 and his Juris Doctor from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 2021. Jeff has had his poetry published in Last Call: An Anthology of Beer, Wine & Spirits Poetry and legal papers published in the Cleveland State Law Review and the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law.

Maria Cougras Pappas is an area educator whose service spans the roles of Teacher, Gifted & Talented Coordinator, High School Literacy Coach, Elementary Principal, Chief of Curriculum, and Superintendent. She was selected as The Ohio Gifted Educator of the Year by The Ohio Association for Gifted Children and was appointed to the State Superintendent's Gifted Advisory Panel. Selected by Superintendent Joseph Meranto as the district’s Academic Equity Chair in 2020, Maria also serves on the Board of Junior Achievement of the Mahoning Valley. Most recently her work as a child advocate resulted in her appointment in 2022 by the Mahoning County Commissioners to serve on the Mahoning County Children Services Board.

Penny Wells was born in Dallas, graduated from Brown University, and taught in Youngstown City Schools for over 35 years. In 2009, she created the nonprofit Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past, which takes high school students to the Civil Rights sites in the South where they visit historical sites, meet leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, learn the lessons of the Movement and return home with an action plan. In 2013, students convinced the Ohio General Assembly to pass their Ohio Nonviolence Week bill into law. Ohio Nonviolence Week, the first full week in October every year, includes a parade, rally and full week of activities in Youngstown.

Shaunda Yancey is a literacy specialist with over two decades of experience in education. One of Shaunda's key strategies is working closely with public library systems to provide students with access to a wide range of books and reading resources. Shaunda is also the owner of D.O.P.E poetry, a non-profit organization that supports scholars community wide who are interested in writing and performing original poetry. As a Project LIT chapter leader, Shaunda is also committed to promoting literacy through student book clubs, and also runs book clubs for parents and community members with opportunities to engage in literacy activities to support their children's learning.