Courtney Backen
Membership manager
(612) 543-8104 | cbacken@hclib.org
Throughout her life, Courtney has spent countless hours in libraries with her nose in a book. An English Literature graduate from Concordia College – Moorhead, Courtney has long believed in the power of books and libraries to build empathy and unite communities.
Prior to joining Friends, Courtney worked to raise funds to build the largest library collection in South Sudan and fundraised on behalf of Environment MN. She currently sits on the Association of Fundraising Professionals (MN) Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Committee and is passionate about making philanthropy accessible to all.
In 2018, Courtney earned her master’s in Nonprofit Management from Hamline University. When she’s not fundraising, she enjoys cooking, bouldering, and watching old clips of Saturday Night Live.
Adam Breininger
Chief Operating Officer
(612) 543-8106 | abreininger@hclib.org
Adam has been a devoted fan of libraries since he walked out of the Allen County Library (in Indiana) with his first giant stack of books about marine life, a particular passion growing up. Now his interests have shifted, and Doris Kearns Goodwin is one of his favorite authors. He reads way too much non-fiction and is always looking for good suggestions on what to read in the world of fiction.
Adam has been raising funds for amazing nonprofits for nearly 20 years, previously with Minnesota Children’s Museum and the Fort Wayne (IN) Philharmonic. Now, he spends his days helping guide organizational strategy and connecting with the Library’s many Friends. He, along with our Friends, is rooted and compelled by the belief that the Library can impact virtually any human from any background in real and powerful ways.
Miriama Douglass
Marketing & Communications
Senior Manager
(612) 543-8109 | mdouglass@hclib.org
As Marketing and Communications Senior Manager, Miriama’s focus is on crafting meaningful stories that highlight our library’s mission, work, and values, and reach and inspire our community.
Her passion for language semantics, love and training in visual fine arts and design fuel her devotion to fresh content delivered in a clear form. Miriama embraces a healthy dose of organization and planning as she and the Friends team cast their visions for the future. She believes in the power of teamwork that sparks creativity and is excited to be part of the best team ever!
Previously, she’s helped to grow a start-up local ad agency where she built brands for The Forum on Workplace Inclusion, Children’s Hospital Association, and many other businesses and nonprofit organizations while leading the creative team.
Her love for Olde World literature speaks to her European heritage. She especially treasures our library for its Slovak collection that makes her feel closer to her home.
Annemarie Eayrs
Communications Specialist
(612) 543-8111 | aeayrs@hclib.org
Always a lover of words and stories, Annemarie earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Carleton College. Her career began in publishing at Coffee House Press, a nonprofit independent press based in northeast Minneapolis. While there, she split her time between editing, fundraising, and managing the artist residency program.
At Friends, she brings a passion for storytelling to help engage and inspire the many communities formed around and within the library.
Phil Edwards
donor relations officer
(612) 543-8114 | pedwards@hclib.org
Phil fell in love with Minnesota when he moved here for law school, and he strongly believes that our libraries are the greatest illustration of what makes Hennepin County such a special place. For him, libraries represent opportunity, inclusion, growth, and a place where curiosity can be both fed and satiated.
After graduating, Phil worked as a public defender in Anchorage, Alaska for several years before the allure of Minnesota became too much to withstand any longer. He parlayed his legal background into account management and business to business software sales roles at Thomson Reuters, Oracle, and Digital River. Phil is predisposed to focus on people, so a transition into major gift fundraising was a natural evolution. Immediately before joining Friends of HCL, Phil was a Major Gift Officer for his alma mater, the University of Minnesota Law School.
Rob Goudy
Events manager
(612) 543-8107 | rgoudy@hclib.org
As Events Manager, Rob plans memorable experiences for all of our event attendees. Whether organizing Pen Pals, Talk of the Stacks, or other donor events, Rob is working hard behind-the-scenes to make sure our programs and events run smoothly.
Rob earned his Bachelor’s degree in Theater with an associated study in Literature which covered everything from Norse sagas to method acting. Prior to working at Friends, spent the majority of his life juggling a freelance career as a theater director, dramaturg and stage manager with a day job as a bookseller at Barnes & Noble. He’s worked at every size theater in the Twin Cities. From old warhorses like the Guthrie and Theatre de la Jeune Lune to scrappy upstarts like Gremlin Theater to community gems like Theatre in the Round and Artistry in Bloomington.
A few of Rob’s favorite books include A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle, The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst and On Beauty by Zadie Smith.
Katie Lawson Ishida
Development & Operations Specialist
(612) 543-8108 | klishida@hclib.org
As Development and Operations Specialist, Katie is the friendly voice you hear on the phone when calling to learn more about Friends, your membership, or ask general questions. Katie thinks the best part about working for our Library is knowing that she directly supports our community’s access to infinite reserves of knowledge, adventure, and exploration.
Katie earned her Bachelor's degree from Augsburg University in English Literature and Sociology. Prior to working at Friends, Katie worked as Operations Specialist for the Augsburg Admissions Office, and most recently as the Concierge Director at Woofington—a rather posh, but very fun, hotel for petite pooches.
When thinking back to her favorite library memory, Katie says, "I fondly remember my mom taking me to the library every summer for the Summer Reads programs and I would be so pumped to check off all of the books on the reading lists (and piles more for good measure)."
Outside of work Katie enjoys traveling, reading, writing fiction, and painting.
Linda Merritt
Finance director
(612) 543-8103 | lkmerritt@hclib.org
Linda provides so much support and infrastructure for our work… you can think of her as our bridge. As the financial “bridge” to the Hennepin County Library, she administers and stewards FHCL’s financial giving to the library. Linda is also a “bridge” to our organizational history, holding a decade worth of memories, relationships, and knowledge that span the merge of Minneapolis Public Library and Hennepin County Library in 2009.
Growing up in a rural location, Linda remembers receiving monthly books in the mail as part of a book club gift membership from her grandparents. She is now immensely grateful to use and work for an outstanding library system. Outside of work, Linda and her husband enjoy frequent film or theater outings and annual travel to explore new destinations.
Kristi Pearson
Chief Executive Officer
(612) 543-8105 | kpearson@hclib.org
Growing up in a small town, Kristi experienced firsthand the power of libraries to fuel imagination and ignite a love of learning. Nearly every week, she and her sister explored the stacks of the public library for their next adventures with fictitious characters, such as Peter and Fudge Hatcher and Nancy Drew.
After serving four years on FHCL’s board of directors, Kristi transitioned into her current role in 2014. She brings a passion for libraries and two decades of experience to her role leading the organization. Previously at AchieveMpls, Kristi led the development team through a transformative, multimillion-dollar fundraising effort. Earlier in her career, she spent several years in international sales and business strategy at Siemens, Eastman Kodak and British Petroleum.
The mother of three teens and former board treasurer for Community Emergency Service, Kristi serves on the United for Libraries Board and Ziggy’s Art Bus Board of Directors. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.
