Barbara Ross is the president of the board of the Friends of the Key West Library. She is the author of the Maine Clambake Mystery series and in a previous life served as Chief Operating Officer for companies in educational technology.

She also serves at a member of the board of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance. She and her husband live in Key West and in Portland, Maine.

Demaris Edwards is vice president of the board of the Friends of the Key West Library and the chair of the Friends’ Book Sales committee. She uses her expertise in inventory control to keep the selection of books fresh. She resides in Key West after 20 years of “visiting”.

Claire Muhm serves as secretary of the Friends of the Library and is a member of the Executive and Nominating committees.  She enjoyed a long career as a Human Resources executive (including expatriate assignments in Galway Ireland and London England) and then launched a consulting practice as an executive coach. 

Despite many attempts to retire, she is still working, though on a very reduced schedule.  She and her husband have been coming to Key West since the early 90’s, and now split their time between here and Gloucester, Massachusetts.  In addition to the Friends, they are members of the Studios of Key West, Tropic Cinema, the Key West Art & Historical Society, and Patrons of the Key West Literary Seminar.  Claire is a fitness buff, and you’ll see her walking all over town (likely listening to an audible book!).

Michael Naughton serves as treasurer of the Friends of the Library and is a member of the Executive committee, and chairs the Finance and Investment committees. Over his 40 year career he worked in ticketing, business operations and finance at universities and in professional sports.

He retired from the St Louis Rams after 21 years, the last 11 years as VP – Finance. He has lived in Key West full time since 2016 after making bi-annual visits to Key West since 2000. He also serves on the Board of Directors at The Red Barn Theatre and assists with the box office at the Tennessee Williams Theatre. He likes to consider himself a “ticket guy” but also enjoys the financial and operational areas of organizations he works or volunteers with. In his free time he likes to go to the gym to work out.

Wendy Allen is the chair of the Volunteers committee and serves on the Communication committee. For the past several years she has worked at the Waterfront Playhouse as the house manager, where she  schedules and coordinates the volunteer ushers. She has lived in Key West full time since 2017 after retiring from the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore Maryland. 

Ellen Cavanaugh serves as chair of the Governance committee and co-chair of the Events committee. She completed a successful 40 year career as a utility executive and attorney. She and her husband divide their time between Key West and Philadelphia and State College, PA.

In addition to the Friends, they are members of the Studios of Key West, Tropic Cinema, the Key West Art & Historical Society, and the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden. They can always be found in the library’s Palm Garden on Monday evenings enjoying the Friends’ Speaker Series!

Betty Darst serves is the chair of the Friends’ Advocacy & Outreach committee and serves on the Book Sales committee. You will see her greeting you at the gate during the Speaker Series. She researched 50 years of history for the Friends. As a resident of Key West, Betty is an active community volunteer. She formerly lived in Dayton, Ohio.

Active in aviation, she serves as emeritus for the National Aviation Hall of Fame. Betty is known for her historical reenactments, especially the story of the Wright Brothers. Prior to retirement she directed library media programs in a city school district in Ohio.

Stacie is joining of the Board of Directors for Friends of the Key West Library, where she supports the organization through website maintenance and social media.

She is the co-owner of A1A Canvas, a marine canvas and upholstery business she operates with her husband, Ralph, in the Florida Keys. Stacie holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and spent 12 years with AARP working in both IT and Membership.

An avid traveler, Stacie and her husband spent three years sailing from Annapolis throughout the Caribbean, including Key West, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

She is also active in the community as Vice President of Communications for the Key West Woman’s Club and previously served as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Annapolis Jaycees.

Elise Hart Kipness is the chair of the Speaker Series committee as well as a member of the Events committee. She now calls Key West home, splitting her time between Key West and Connecticut. Elise is the bestselling author of LIGHTS OUT and DANGEROUS PLAY and a former national television sports reporter. When not working, Elise loves reading, binge-watching thrillers and spending time with her husband, their two sons and three labradoodles.

Priscilla is originally from Saskatchewan, Canada and has been living in New York City since 1994. She began her career in advertising and direct marketing and made a switch to non-profit in 2005.

She has extensive experience in fundraising, marketing, and programming having worked on leadership teams at international organizations such as Smile Train and World Animal Protection. Priscilla most recently served as Executive Director at Band of Parents, a non-profit organization focused on funding research and clinical trials for pediatric cancer.

Priscilla has been coming down regularly to Key West since 2019 and hopes to spend more time on this beautiful island and give back to its community. She joined the Board in March 2026.

Susan is a retired attorney.  Graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and George Washington University National Law Center   She was a Trial Attorney, in the Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington D.C. and then entered private practice based in Kansas City Missouri, with three different firms (each changing names over time due to mergers) 1977-2016.   

She has served on many not-for-profit boards (condominium, arts, civic, law).  She actively supports the Library and also volunteers for the Old Island Restoration Foundation and the Key West Art and Historical Society.  She and her husband have maintained a residence in Key West for over 25 years, and divide their time between Key West and Kansas City Missouri.

Wendy Niven has been a full-time and part-time resident of Key West since 4th grade at May Sands Elementary, when it served the kids living in Bay Point. When she moved back to Key West in the early 70’s, one of her first actions was getting a library card, which she has held for all those years.

After retiring as the CIO for a county Mental Health program in Michigan, she became a part-time resident, and began volunteering at the Library. She joined the Board in 2018. She’d like you all to know that your membership donations all go directly to support the activities of the Key West Library. 

Sharon Smarsh recently joined the board as co-chair of the Events committee. Over her 40- year career, she worked in procurement, food product development and research in the consumer goods industry.

Sharon served on the executive board of the Key West Woman’s Club for three years as Membership Chair. She is actively involved with the Woman’s Club, The Waterfront Playhouse and the Tropic Cinema.

Sharon and her husband have called Key West home since 2014. They both are 2025 graduates of the Key West Ambassador Program.

Ellen T. White, a board member of the Friends of the Key West Library since 2021, serves on the Speaker Series committee and is the Editor of the Friends newsletter. For a good portion of her misspent life, she was the managing editor of The New York Public Library, responsible for the launch of a quarterly magazine and a host of other written materials.

She is the author of SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE, a book about the great romantic women of history, as well as the illustrated history, KEY WEST: PARADISE FOUND. She writes freelance for a variety of publications including The Key West Citizen.