The devotion of these volunteers who worked year-round and those that helped on the days of the Festival is what made it happen. This year, the organizing committee began its work in Spring of 2024 when the state learned that the Board of Regents planned to close UWM-Waukesha on June 30, 2025.
The UWM-Waukesha Foundation Board reached out to Laraine O’Brien and asked if she would figure out what could be done with the Festival of Books. Laraine invited people who had volunteered over the 15 years the Festival had operated. About 20 of them expressed interest and attended meetings over the Summer of 2024. The group decided to continue the Festival and seek a new sponsor to replace the UWM-Waukesha Foundation and a new site to replace UWM-Waukesha.
After many months, Carroll University agreed to be the sponsoring site and the Waukesha County Community Foundation (WCCF) said the Festival could operate as a project of WCCF. The new committees began operating in June 2025.
Executive Committee
Laraine O’Brien, Community Co-Chair, Sponsorship Chair and Acting Executive Chair
Kathie Giogio, Program Coordinator and Program Chair
Timothy Galow, Carroll University Committee Co-Chair, Chair of the Carroll English, Modern Languages and Philosophy Department, and Writing Program Coordinator
Michelle Janet Gibson, Deputy Program Coordinator
Lisa Beaudoin, Owner, Books & Company, Festival Bookstore
Ronald Gulotta, Retired Dean UWM-Waukesha
Kristian Erik Zenz, Writing Contests Chair, UWM Student Representative
Dolores Greenawalt, Volunteer Chair
Mary Wunderlich, Marketing Communications Chair
Kate Neudecker, Website Producer and Editor
Kay Maas, Community Volunteer
Program Committee
Kathie Giorgio, Chair, Director of ALLWRITERS’ Workplace and Workshop LLC, Novelist and Poet
Margaret Rozga, Poet
Laraine O’Brien, Community Co-Chair
Larry Nelson, Waukesha County Supervisor
Faye Flesia, Retired UW-Waukesha Director of Library
Kay Maas, Community Volunteer
John Klima, Waukesha Public Library
Simon Bronner, Retired UWM-Waukesha
Dean and Author
Richard Hedderman, poet
Michelle Janet Gibson
Barbara Geiger, author and retired
school teacher
Community Advisor Council
Laraine O’Brien, Chair, Community Co-Chair
Andrea Bryant, Waukesha Philanthropist
Eve Bruce, Co-Owner Martha Merrell’s Books & Toys
Bruce Gay, Director, Waukesha Public Library
Brittany Larson, Director, Bridges Library System
Alyssa Pisarski, Director, Community
Engagement and Waukesha Reads Program,
Waukesha Public Library
Larry Nelson, Waukesha County Supervisor,
Friends of the Waukesha Public Library
Amanda Payne, Waukesha County Business Alliance
Duane Stein, Retired Waukesha School District teacher and Short Story Contest
Anne Styza, Waukesha Philanthropist and Writer
Ellyn Lem, UWM OSHER Program Director and Writer
Melissa Baxter, President, Waukesha County Community Foundation
Loren Mintz, Carroll University Librarian
Timothy Galow, Carroll University Co-Chair
Lisa Beaudoin, Owner, Books & Company
Volunteer Committee
Timothy Galow
Carroll Volunteer Committee
Dolores Greenawalt
Marketing & Communications Committee
Mary Wunderlich (Chair)
Kathie Giorgio
Kay Maas
Kate Neudecker
Laraine O’Brien
Faye Flesia
Sally Hanson
Sponsorship Committee
Laraine O’Brien (Chair)
Alex Lackore
Kay Maas
Mary Wunderlich
Don Taylor Authors’ Marketplace
and Exhibits Committee
Michelle Janet Gibson (Chair)
Website Team
Kate Neudecker
Michelle Janet Gibson
Laraine O’Brien
Writing Contests
Kristian Erik Zens (Chair)
Duane Stein Short Story Writing Contest
Duane Stein (Chair)
Site Planning and Logistics
Timothy Galow
Administrative Support
Michelle Janet Gibson, Deputy Festival Coordinator
Moderators
Kathie Giorgio
Larry Nelson
Margaret Rozga
Richard Hedderman
Sue Kalinka
Barbara Geiger
Tim Galow
Simon Bronner
Greg Ahrenhoerster
Maggie Ginsberg
Laraine O’Brien
Marcia Williams
Kathy Randall
Angie Bier