Our Staff
Catharine Findiesen Hays, Library Director
Catharine joined the Bixby library team on May 1, 2020. Born and raised in Vermont, she is excited to return home to her family’s place in Panton. Catharine most recently served 10 years as founding Executive Director of the Wharton Future of Marketing/Advertising Program, where she co-authored Beyond Advertising: Creating Value Through All Customer Touchpoints (Wiley, 2016). She previously held leadership positions in marketing, corporate sales, and executive programs at AT&T and was National Director of Corporate Relations for the Eastern Division of the American Cancer Society. Catharine received an AA degree from Franklin University Switzerland, a BS from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, an MBA from the Wharton School, and an MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania as a Lauder Fellow. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, reading, renovating a 200-year-old farmhouse, and spending time with her two wonderful daughters. Connect with Catharine by emailing her at catharine.hays@bixbylibrary.org
Amber Lay, Assistant Director / Adult Services Librarian
Amber Lay joined the Bixby Library team as Assistant Director in August 2021. Amber earned a master’s degree in library science from the University of South Florida, bringing us current best practices, research methods, reference services, archives and records management, collection development, cataloging/metadata, and data management. Previously, she worked for seven months as Assistant Buyer/Inventory Control Specialist at the independent bookstore Gene’s Books on Sanibel Island, Florida. She also brings business and operational expertise from her seven+ years as Credentialing Coordinator for a large medical practice and holds a BA degree in History and an AA in English. Amber is passionate about the role public libraries play in promoting information literacy, equal access, and lifelong learning for all. In her spare time, Amber enjoys reading, watching films, and hiking with her dog, Cooper. Connect with Amber by emailing her at amber.lay@bixbylibrary.org.
Mary Neffinger, Children & Youth Services Librarian
Mary joined the Bixby Library team as the Children and Youth Services Librarian on February 15, 2022. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has worked in research, in academia, and most recently as a community organizer. Since having children, she has held many volunteer positions in the community, including leading after-school programs at Ferrisburgh Central School, coaching Track & Field, Open Gym Coordinator, Four Winds Coordinator, Girl Scout Troop Leader, Secretary/Treasurer for the Friends of the Union Meeting Hall, and Board Member for the Vergennes Swim Team. In her spare time, she enjoys riding horses, reading, running marathons and ultramarathons, learning new things, expanding her homestead, and taking her husband and three kids on adventures. Connect with Mary by emailing her at mary.neffinger@bixbylibrary.org
Cedar Winslow, Program and Outreach Manager
Cedar Winslow joined the Bixby Team as the head of Programming, Outreach, and Marketing in August 2023. Cedar graduated from Ithaca College in Spring 2023 with an Environmental Studies and Economics degree. Cedar sees libraries as not only a place to find great books but also a venue to connect with the community through conversations, games, discussions, and events. Cedar is a native of Vergennes and has been checking out stacks of books from the Bixby since before she could read. She is thrilled to join the staff and give back to the organization that has taught her so much.Â
When she’s not shelving books or planning events, you can find Cedar outside, in a hammock, by the Lake. She is a voracious reader, a compulsive crocheter, and a lover of learning.
Martha Sanborn, Circulation Desk Manager
Martha Sanborn joined the Bixby Library in September 2021 in the new role of Circulation Desk Manager. Martha grew up in New Jersey, where her first job was working in a library. She got a degree in English at Rowan University and worked for the Princeton Packet newspaper, where she enjoyed writing articles for the Lifestyles section. She has lived in Vermont for almost 20 years. She has worked for the VUES after-school program, teaching arts and crafts, and volunteered for many years at the elementary school library. Martha likes cooking, gardening, walking, writing, chocolate, and of course, books. Connect with Martha by emailing her at martha.sanborn@bixbylibrary.org
John Dugan, Bixby Building Steward
John Dugan joined the Bixby Library in 2011 as the Bixby Building Steward. He is responsible for the maintenance of the library’s building and its furnishings and assistance with library events. John has also worked for Middlebury College’s Facilities department since 2005. He has been serving as a volunteer firefighter for the Vergennes Fire Department for the past 42 years. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with his family.
Patricia Reid, Objects and Artifacts Steward
Patricia has been working with the Bixby since 2018 as our Objects and Artifacts Steward, and previously as a volunteer. She brings her experience in collections management and exhibit design and management to the Bixby as she helps staff and patrons to be responsible stewards of the cherished collection of objects, artifacts, and archives that our community members have donated over the years. At the Bixby, Patricia’s work is possible thanks to generous support from the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership. She also works for the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum as their Collections Manager and as part of their Research and Archaeology team. Patricia holds a BA in Archaeology, History, and French from Lycoming College in Williamsport PA.
Anna Hurd, Project Archivist, Summer 2023
Anna joined the Bixby Library team in June 2023 as a summer Project Archivist after several months of volunteering in the historical collections. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Library Science with a concentration in archives management from Simmons University and has interned in the Massachusetts General Hospital archives. Her love of libraries really began in the summer reading programs of her rural Pennsylvania hometown’s public library, but solidified into a professional goal during her undergraduate studies in English at the University of Vermont, where she worked as a writing tutor in the campus library and spent her free time poking through the stacks and special collections. Anna is so excited to live here in Vergennes, and to apply her studies to providing increased access to the Bixby’s wonderful archival materials. Anna’s work here at the Bixby is made possible by the generosity of the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership.
Aside from her library-and-archives-related endeavors, Anna has a broad customer service background and has spent time connecting with her various communities as a server, a barista, and even a cheesemonger. In her free time, Anna loves trying out new recipes, experimenting with multimedia art, tending to her many houseplants, exploring (especially Vermont’s old cemeteries), and spending time with her cat, Marlowe.