Holland Saltsman is the owner of The Novel Neighbor in St. Louis. After 15 years in Higher Education Administration, Holland was looking to create a space for carefully curated books, a showcase for local, independent artists as well as a community gathering space and that vision for The Novel Neighbor opened in 2014. After seeing the need to connect authors and their books with underserved St. Louis school districts, she founded the Noble Neighbor in 2019. Holland has always loved reading and some of her favorite children’s books are The Secret Garden, When You Reach Me and Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero as well as her all-time favorite adult fiction, The Sparrow. Holland enjoys hearing live music at The Pageant, working her way through all the great restaurants in St. Louis  and spending time at the Missouri Botanical Gardens and Contemporary Art Museum. For more information, follow her @hollandsays.

With more than 20 years of service to Saint Louis small businesses, individuals, and nonprofit organizations, Lori is dedicated to assisting her clients with their accounting and tax needs. Lori earned Bachelors and Masters of Accounting degrees from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis, and has been a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor since 2007. In addition to her professional work, Lori values her dynamic leadership role in the non-profit community starting in 2003 when she joined the board of directors of Saint Louis Earth Day, an organization that transformed the City’s sustainability landscape. Previously, Lori was a long standing board member for the Judevine Center for Autism, where she chaired the Fundraising Committee for 5 years. When she isn’t working, Lori enjoys hiking, reading and traveling with her partner and offspring.

Tony attributes his love of books to his mother, Donna, countless dynamic teachers, and the wonderful world of libraries. His affinity for independent bookstores and booksellers began long ago with City Books in Creve Coeur, who let him review advance copies of children’s books and provided him with a bounty of recommended reads. After college, Tony spent one year serving in a volunteer teacher program, which then led to a twenty-year career in secondary education.

Tony now serves as a homemaker for his family of four, loving to cook but hating to clean. In addition to volunteering for the Noble Neighbor, he regularly volunteers for another outstanding local organization, Food Outreach. Tony lives with his wife Caitlin, a data & analytics expert, their two amazing teenagers, and the world’s top pair of felines, Thistle and Figlet. In various combinations, his family enjoys reading, traveling, food, nature, cycling, art, music, meditation, games, and tomfoolery. Tony is excited and honored to help the Noble Neighbor utilize the power of books, authors, and schools to positively impact young lives.

Rachel is a fundraising professional with over five years of experience in higher education and local non-profit organizations. She is a St. Louis transplant, staying in the city after graduating from St. Louis University with her degree in Public Health. She and her husband live in Webster Groves with their dog, Violet. Rachel enjoys baking, hiking, playing pickleball (badly), and fostering puppies.

Rachel has been an avid reader from a young age, and she is excited to help advance the Noble Neighbor’s mission to provide free books and connect children of all socioeconomic backgrounds to the authors they love.

Special Education Teacher
Herzog Elementary-Saint Louis Public Schools
Committee Interests: Governance

I’ve been a special education teacher for 11 years, most recently 5 in the St. Louis Public Schools. I recently finished my doctorate in education, Teacher Leadership at Maryville University and my research focused on trauma-informed practices and multi-tiered systems of support. I’m very passionate about equity and inclusion.

Julie Wood is an owner of Origin Agency, a boutique marketing and advertising agency serving clients nationwide. She has over 30 years experience in marketing and business strategy. She is also an avid and active volunteer, focusing particularly on helping to build more equity in education throughout the St. Louis region.

Julie lives in Webster Groves with her husband, Jim. They have 2 grown children and 2 children-in-law. Her passions include travel, golf, skiing, water sports and reading.Julie is excited to be part of the Noble Neighbor and appreciates that its work exists at the intersection of 3 of her loves: equity, reading, and St. Louis. Julie’s favorite authors include Barbara Kingsolver and Ann Patchett. She finds it impossible to do “all time favorite” lists, but her favorites among the books she’s read in 2021 include No One is Talking About This, The Four Winds, Malibu Rising, and The Vanishing Half.

My name is Desiree Schumann and I am so pleased to be helping out with school visits for The Noble Neighbor!

If my name seems vaguely familiar, perhaps our paths crossed over the last couple of years as the Coordinator of Children’s Events at The Novel Neighbor. I had the pleasure of working on author events for schools, coordinated birthday parties and summer camps, and hosted educator nights. Or perhaps we met during my fifteen years at the St. Louis County Library. I worked in the Youth Services department where I did story times, presented programs for ages 0-18, and facilitated early literacy workshops for caregivers.

My absolute favorite thing is bringing authors to schools! Watching authors and kids connect is magical!

Dr. Andrea Scarpino has published three poetry collections and a co-edited poetry anthology. She’s a senior editor of the literary journal Nine Mile Magazine, served as Poet Laureate of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula 2015-2017, and currently teaches at St Louis University High School. A former Executive Director of the Noble Neighbor, she is thrilled to join as a Board Member and continue supporting the important work of connecting kids to books and authors. When she’s not reading poetry, she loves reading middle grade and rooting on St. Louis City!

Rajean Erbar is the Children’s Event Coordinator at The Novel Neighbor, where she plans and supports literary events designed to connect young readers with books, authors, and creative experiences. In this role, she brings a strong appreciation for storytelling, organization, and community engagement. Prior to joining The Novel Neighbor, Rajean worked as an Executive Administrative Assistant at Schaeffer Manufacturing, where she supported executive leadership and managed complex administrative and operational needs.

Rajean earned her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Missouri State University and completed a minor in Creative Writing. Her academic background reflects a deep interest in people, culture, and narrative, which continues to inform her work in children’s programming and literary spaces. Her professional experience spans a range of roles, including executive administration, childcare, apartment leasing, and event coordination, giving her a versatile and people-centered skill set.

Outside of her professional work, Rajean enjoys reading and writing, hiking and backpacking, spending time with her dog and two cats, and experimenting with growing a vegetable garden. She is excited to bring her creativity, organizational skills, and love of literature to the Board in support of The Noble Neighbor’s mission.

Demi St. John is a Business Analyst at Stifel Financial Corp, where she supports firmwide initiatives through process improvement, project management, and cross-team collaboration. Her professional background centers on building and optimizing operations, particularly in small business and growth-oriented environments where strong systems are essential for long-term impact. Prior to joining Stifel, Demi worked as a Business Analyst and Operations Coordinator at Blueprint Title and served as Operations Director at Zephyr Cycling Studio, overseeing daily operations and implementing strategic improvements.

Demi holds an MBA in Business Analytics from Murray State University, a master’s degree in Optics from Montana State University–Bozeman, and a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Murray State University. During her time at Zephyr Cycling Studio, she launched ZephyrMoves, an initiative designed to extend movement and mental health programming into the broader community. In her current role, she has contributed to major operational efforts, including collaboration on industry-wide transition operations.

In addition to her professional work, Demi has volunteered with The Noble Neighbor and has experienced firsthand the organization’s impact on young readers and schools. She brings her operational expertise, analytical skill set, and commitment to community-centered work to the Board in support of The Noble Neighbor’s mission.

Stephanie Goh is an elementary school librarian at Combs Intermediate School and serves as the Library Content Coordinator for the Ferguson–Florissant School District. With a deep passion for literacy and student empowerment, Stephanie is committed to helping young people see themselves as confident readers and authors. Her work centers on building inclusive, engaging library programs that connect students to stories that reflect their lives and expand their sense of possibility.

Stephanie is highly active in professional library leadership at the state and national levels. She currently serves as chairperson of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Innovative Reading Grant Committee and is the co-chairperson for the Author Mingle at the Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) Spring 2026 Conference. She was selected as part of the 2022 American Library Association Emerging Leaders cohort, where she collaborated on the Curate Activity Guide for the AASL National School Library Standards. In 2026, Stephanie was invited to contribute to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s new Library Instructional Guidance, which will be implemented statewide beginning in August 2026.

One of Stephanie’s greatest joys as a librarian is empowering students to see themselves as readers and writers. As part of a Noble school, she has had the opportunity to host acclaimed authors including Jason Reynolds, Raina Telgemeier, Zetta Elliott, Julian Randall, Christina Soontornvat, and Jasmine Warga. Stephanie is deeply grateful for the impact The Noble Neighbor has had on her students and is excited to give back by supporting the organization’s mission to expand access to books, authors, and joyful reading experiences for young people.