Our Board of Directors
Tricia Pycraft – President
Tricia Pycraft grew up in Shreve, Ohio, and began her career at Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston, Ltd. Attorneys at law as a college intern during her summer break from Denison University. The experience inspired her to attend law school and she began practicing at Critchfield in 2002 after passing the Ohio bar examination. Tricia also represents a variety of financial institutions, businesses, and homeowners associations in collections matters of all types, from obtaining traditional and cognovit judgments and pursuing collection or foreclosure, and negotiating payment plans.
Laurie Bower – Vice President
Laurie Bower is the Business Office Manager for Tru-Weld Equipment. She has degrees from Mount Union College and the University of Akron. She enjoys reading, quilting, and community theater.
Jarrod Hartzler – Treasurer
Jarrod Hartzler has served as the Executive Director of the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education since September, 2019. Prior to that he was the Executive and Artistic Director of Tuesday Musical Association in Akron Ohio.
A graduate of The College of Wooster, Jarrod has worked as a not-for-profit arts manager and arts educator at both the local community and state-wide levels. Jarrod has participated in several education programs of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He was a 2008 fellow in the Kennedy Center’s Arts Management Institute where he studied with Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser.
Elizabeth Schuster – Secretary
Elizabeth Schuster is a seasoned economic professional with 25 years’ experience in sustainability and community development, both in the U.S. and globally. She is currently the Environmental Economist and Partner at Sustainable Economies, a strategic planning, branding and communications, and applied research firm based in Wooster, OH. Educated at Oberlin College and the University of Arizona, her work has included partnerships with conservation nonprofits, park districts, museums and botanical gardens, coalitions, agricultural organizations and municipalities. A recognized authority, Elizabeth’s research delves into regenerative agriculture economics, food production, and ecosystem service valuation. Her contributions have earned national accolades, including awards from the American Farm Bureau Federation and the NJ Association of Floodplain Management. With a passion for bridging gaps and driving positive change, Elizabeth is an invaluable asset to any collaborative project that merges data and strategy.
Karin is a licensed attorney with a BA from the College of Wooster, JD The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. She is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Wooster, the Wayne County Bar Association and serves on the boards of The College of Wooster Women’s Advisory Board and the League of Women Voters, Wayne County.
Antwon is a Cleveland native and he is no stranger to the stage having performed with concert dance companies such as Ohio Ballet, Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theater, and Verb Ballets. Musical Theatre is one of his greatest passions and some of his favorite roles include; Larry in A Chorus Line at Porthouse Theater and Plato in Cats at Carousel Dinner Theater. Mr. Duncan is a University of Akron alumni where he received his BA in Dance. Since leaving the stage he has spent the majority of his time as an educator and working at various local studios including Starmaker Performing Arts Center and Martell School of Dance. Antwon’s Master’s degree is from BGSU and he is celebrating his fifth year as a Career Technical Educational teacher at Canton McKinley Senior High School. When not choreographing for the musical, dance team, show choir, or dance concert Antwon can be found carving out time for family and friends. He is ecstatic to be using some of that time to serve on the board of Verb Ballets (Ohio’s contemporary ballet company), and now join the Buckeye Book Fair as they continue to spread the importance of literacy.
Elizabeth Nelson
Elizabeth Nelson is a retired children’s and reference librarian from Medina County District Library. She is an advocate of poetry and volunteers with reading groups and libraries throughout Northeast Ohio.
Hayley Tracy-Bursley
Hayley is the Assistant Director at the Wayne County Public Library, where she is committed to fostering literacy engagement and community connections. She has worked in libraries since 2012, bringing a wealth of experience in public service and programming. Prior to her library career, Hayley worked in social services, further strengthening her dedication to community outreach. She is also an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Wooster. As a Buckeye Book Fair board member, Hayley is passionate about supporting authors, readers, and initiatives that promote lifelong learning.
A lifelong Wooster resident, I’ve served as CFO at Community Action Wayne/Medina since 1981. I hold a BA in English and an AA in Business Management-Accounting from The University of Akron. I’ve been married to Cheryl since 1983, and we have a daughter, Kiah, a grandson, Titus, and son-in-law, John.
I’m a passionate reader, I’m in three book groups, have co-led the AAUW/Kiwanis Annual Used Book Sale since 2009, and have volunteered at the Buckeye Book Fair for
15-plus years.
I serve as Treasurer for the Kiwanis Club of Wooster and the Western Reserve Division of Kiwanis. I’m also the Finance Committee Chair for the Unitarian Universalist
Fellowship of Wayne County.
Beyond books, I enjoy time with Titus, pickleball, movies, music, my dogs (Nuna & Sophie), and college sports. My all-time favorite book is The Sparrow by Mary Doria
Russell. Fun fact: Since 1990, I’ve tracked my favorite song every Saturday—1,745 and counting!
I’m thrilled to support Kimberly and the Board in making the Buckeye Book Fair a premier literary event.
Currently the Director of the Orrville Public Library, working in libraries for over 30 years.
As a Certified Ohio Librarian with an M.L.I.S (Master Library Information Science) she is very proud of the vital role public libraries play in connecting families with books, resources, services and programming within their community.
Her passion for literacy comes from seeing how books can change lives. Daphne is an active member of the Orrville Rotary Club. Her favorite thing to do when not working is spending time with her family, especially in her new role as “Grandma”
Daphne is looking forward to being part of the Buckeye Book Fair Board and helping provide opportunities that foster a lifelong love of reading.
Favorite authors include:
Meg Cabot, Kate DiCamillo, Kristin Hannah, Dan Brown, and Dr. Seuss!
David Wiesenberg , Emeritus
David Wiesenberg was the publisher and co-owner of The Wooster Book Co. for 25 years. He is an Ohioana Citation Winner and an Ohio Advocate for the Literary Arts Award Winner.
Young Authors Conference Advisor
Brett Lanz is the Director of Operations at the Tri-County Educational Service Center. He started his career as a high school English teacher for nine years and then has been in administration for the last 21. His favorite literary classic to teach was Homer’s Odyssey and a memorable series growing up was Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J Sobol. Brett graduated from The Ohio State University and lives in Wayne County with his wife and four children.
Our Staff
Kimberly Jarvis
Kimberly Crislip Jarvis is an arts administrator and Ohio Teaching Artist. She has degrees and certifications from The Scandinavian Institute for Physical Culture in Denmark, The American College of Sports Medicine, Malone University, and The University of Akron. Her Master of Arts degree is in Organizational Leadership and she is excited to help Ohio authors and promote literacy through events and programming. Kimberly brings gentle recalibration and change model application to organizations and she absolutely adores books.
