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Local literacy nonprofit selects new Executive Director

The Noble Neighbor has selected Colby Crowder as its new Executive Director.

Kelly Edwards, President of the Noble Neighbor Board of Directors, made the announcement on May 6 on the nonprofit’s website.

“We are so excited to have Colby onboard as our new leader and look forward to working with him on our important mission,” Edwards said. “We have been extremely fortunate for the support of our community and the school districts we partner with. We are confident Colby will help us to share the love of literacy with students throughout the St. Louis area.”

Crowder, who earned his master’s degree in Social Work from Washington University, will serve as the chief executive of The Noble Neighbor and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the organization’s operations, programs, fundraising, and strategic planning. He most recently served as Executive Director for The Aspiration Network in University City, Mo., where he was responsible for developing the organizations’ strategic plan and leading business incorporation efforts. He also managed the group’s Youth Advisory Board programs, activities and general operations.

“My background in youth programming has been centered in facilitating opportunities for young people in their education and career journeys,” Crowder stated. “I am excited to continue to deepen my work through the Noble Neighbor’s mission supporting literacy, the most essential building block to opportunity.”

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Holland Saltsman, Founder

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.

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Kelly Edwards

Born and raised in the area, Kelly is a proud St. Louisian. After majoring in Sociology and Education at Vanderbilt University, she returned home to begin her teaching career. An educator for 20 years, Kelly has worked in both private and public school as a volunteer, teacher, librarian and administrator.

As a founding member of The Noble Neighbor, she is committed to leading and growing the organization and acting as a partner to local underserved school districts. “I hope by promoting literacy and bringing authors and their books directly to students, we can contribute to making St. Louis a more equitable place. “I’ve always believed that great literature and exposure to books and authors helps level the playing field and can ignite a child’s passion for reading, learning and discovery.”

Kelly stays busy raising three children with her husband Jim. In her free time she enjoys hiking, listening to live music, traveling, exploring the unique neighborhoods of St. Louis, listening to podcasts and getting lost in a good book.

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Lori Strawbridge

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.

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Patsy King

Patsy works in Development for The Soulard School, a small charter school in the City of St. Louis. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from Loyola University-Chicago and her M.A. in Public Policy-Policy Analysis as a Fellow at The University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has primarily worked with organizations whose mission of service to others she supports. St. Louis is full of entrepreneurs and it is no coincidence that the organizations Patsy has been drawn to are typically led by dynamic and entrepreneurial women — like The Soulard School and The Novel Neighbor.

Patsy was raised in a large family of avid readers and has raised her two daughters to be avid readers as well. Her favorite children’s book is Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey. “As one of eleven children the book connects me to the special childhood feeling of being read to by my mother, as well as reading to my own daughters when they were little. It was a luxury to return to that book over and over. I’m passionate about the mission of The Noble Neighbor. I think it is critical for children to have books that are THEIRS, that they can return to again and again, as I was able to with Blueberries for Sal. Doing so gives the reader more power to see themselves in the story and in their own future.”

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Sharifah Sims-Williams
Sharifah Sims-Williams

Sharifah Sims-Williams is an experienced public relations practitioner and former journalist with more than 25 years experience to her current role of Director of Communications with the Normandy Schools Collaborative. Prior to joining Normandy, she worked as a Communications Specialist with the Hazelwood School District. She has also worked in the corporate sector, working in PR/Communications roles with Express Scripts and Charter (now Spectrum) Communications. She first worked in education as a Coordinator, Internal Communications with St. Louis Community College.

Sharifah earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and her master’s degree in Leadership & Management from Webster University. She is the 2021-2022 Eastern Region Director for the Missouri School Public Relations Association. In 2017, under her leadership, the Normandy Communications department earned several awards in the annual MOSPRA awards competition including the Award of Excellence for Writing and first place for the Normandy Connections print newsletter.

Sharifah is married to Cliff, a graphic design instructor, and together they have four daughters. They recently welcomed their first grandchild to the family. Sharifah’s favorite literary genres are African-American literature and non-fiction works. Her favorite authors are Terry McMillan, J. California Cooper, and Barack Obama.

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Kathy Van Vorhees

Kathy is an attorney for small-medium sized independent businesses and has been a fan of The Novel Neighbor bookstore since its inception. As a child, Kathy loved Madeline L’Engle’s, A Wrinkle In Time. When reading to her own child, Rebecca Stead’s,When You Reach Mebecame a favorite. Current favorites include; Replay, 11/22/63 and The Time Traveler’s Wife. Kathy’s favorite St. Louis experiences include enjoying a cocktail on the Moonrise Hotel roof, visiting the City Museum and watching watching the Forest Park Balloon Race sunsets at the Boathouse . When asked about her leadership role with The Noble Neighbor, Kathy shares, “as a kid reading was refuge for me and a way to imagine different realities and different futures for my myself. My love of reading grew into a curiosity about storytellers and a love of writing. Linking the stories to the storytellers allowed me to reshape and retell my own stories which I found empowering and healing. I now want to share these tools of healing and empowerment throughout our community and with students throughout our region.”

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Tony Plein

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.

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Rachel McClanahan

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.

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Kelly Sherman

I am a parent, teacher and a lover of reading! I have two children (AJ-24, and Naomi -17) who both attended or are currently attending independent schools. I taught in the Ritenour School District for 28 years where I served as a classroom teacher, a reading specialist, and a school librarian. I am currently working as a librarian at John Burroughs School where my youngest is a Junior. During my time in Ritenour I was able to bring authors to my school through the Novel Neighbor. As a board member, I look forward to helping other schools experience an author visit. I think giving students the opportunity to interact with authors is a wonderful way to encourage a love of reading and inspire future authors.

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Dr. Liz Rauls

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.

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Franklin Taylor

Franklin Taylor is Our Future Reads Executive Director and Sustain-a-Plate’s Founder and CEO. Both missions are to further society in a positive direction: Our Future Reads – progressing literacy, like The Noble Neighbor, and Sustain-a-Plate – combatting food waste. Franklin’s goal is to make the most positive impact in the world. That can be for one person or the world as a whole. The overall number is not the goal; the goal is for just one other person to be happy and fulfilled in life, and being on the board of The Noble Neighbor, he can do just that. In addition to his life goals, Franklin is an avid reader, and in a past life, was an English teaching assistant in Germany with the understanding of how much access matters in terms of learning and future probability of success for students. He is incredibly excited to be part of The Noble Neighbor board and have the ability to impact the St. Louis community.

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Tracy Moore

Tracy has been a proud resident of Webster Groves for over 25 years, where she and her husband, Nate, have raised their two children. She holds degrees from Truman State University and St. Louis University and has built a successful career in management consulting and human resources.

Tracy is deeply committed to the mission of Noble Neighbor, actively supporting its efforts to engage underserved schools and foster a love of reading in students.

Outside of her professional and volunteer work, Tracy enjoys gardening, playing pickleball, and hunting for morel mushrooms.

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Julie Wood

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.

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Desiree Schumann, Coordinator of School Visits

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!

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Dr. Andrea Scarpino

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!

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Colby Crowder, Executive Director

Colby has a passion for supporting young students in St. Louis, and a great commitment to youth literacy. We are so excited to welcome Colby to The Noble Neighbor!

“My background in youth programming has been centered in facilitating opportunities for young people in their education and career journeys. I am excited to continue to deepen my work through the Noble Neighbor’s mission supporting literacy, the most essential building block to opportunity.”

– Colby Crowder, MSW

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Local literacy nonprofit selects new Executive Director

The Noble Neighbor has selected Colby Crowder as its new Executive Director.

Kelly Edwards, President of the Noble Neighbor Board of Directors, made the announcement on May 6 on the nonprofit’s website.

“We are so excited to have Colby onboard as our new leader and look forward to working with him on our important mission,” Edwards said. “We have been extremely fortunate for the support of our community and the school districts we partner with. We are confident Colby will help us to share the love of literacy with students throughout the St. Louis area.”

Crowder, who earned his master’s degree in Social Work from Washington University, will serve as the chief executive of The Noble Neighbor and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the organization’s operations, programs, fundraising, and strategic planning. He most recently served as Executive Director for The Aspiration Network in University City, Mo., where he was responsible for developing the organizations’ strategic plan and leading business incorporation efforts. He also managed the group’s Youth Advisory Board programs, activities and general operations.

“My background in youth programming has been centered in facilitating opportunities for young people in their education and career journeys,” Crowder stated. “I am excited to continue to deepen my work through the Noble Neighbor’s mission supporting literacy, the most essential building block to opportunity.”

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Rajean Erbar
Rajean Erbar

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.

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Demi St. John
Demi St. John

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.

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Stephanie Goh
Stephanie Goh

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.

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