About The Board Of Trustees

The Harrison Township Public Library is governed by a publicly elected Board of Trustees.

Board meetings are held on the third Monday of each month at 6:30 pm at the Library, 38255 L'Anse Creuse Street, Ste. A, unless otherwise specified. All regular meetings are open to the public and public comment is welcome when the meeting begins, and again when the meeting concludes.

Blake Hurley

President
Blake works in advertising as a Digital Art Director and teaches as an Adjunct Professor at the College for Creative Studies. Graduating from CCS in 2014 with a BFA in Advertising Design, he moved to Harrison Township in 2016. His years in the Scouting program fostered a drive to help his community. For his Eagle Scout project, he organized a book drive for the Chesterfield Library, where he got his first job as a page and developed a love of libraries during his years there. He now gladly serves on the HTPL Board of Trustees.

Karla Warren

Vice President
Karla has been an educator for over 20 years, with over ten of those years working in L'Anse Creuse Public Schools. She is currently a middle school literacy specialist, dedicated to supporting students and fostering a love of reading. Karla, her husband Ray, and their three teenage sons have called Harrison Township home for the past 10 years. In her spare time, she enjoys camping, traveling, and, of course, reading. As a dedicated advocate for literacy and education, she is excited to serve on the Township Library Board and support its mission to provide valuable resources and programs for all residents.

Diane Nelson

Secretary
Diane has been a township resident since childhood where she and her husband have raised their family. Diane retired from L'Anse Creuse Public Schools after 32 years of teaching of which 10 years she was a librarian for the district. Diane has been an active volunteer for L'Anse Creuse Public Schools, St. Hubert's Catholic Church, and Harrison Township Parks and Recreation. Diane feels very fortunate to serve the community as a board member for Harrison Township Public Library and hopes to grow the library to its full potential.

Dawn Barath

Treasurer
Dawn Barath has been a resident of Harrison Township for 30 years. After 35 years of teaching English Language Arts Dawn decided it was time to retire. She spent 25 years of her teaching career at Lake Shore Public Schools and 10 years with the Detroit Public Schools. Dawn is proud of being able to produce plays at Lake Shore and she developed a Film class which has served her in retirement. She has taken her knowledge of Film and developed presentations for M.O.R.E. (Macomb Organization of Retiree Enrichment). Dawn volunteers at the Anton Art Center and for The Friends of the Library. She is an avid gardener and a novice potter spending as much time as she can at East Side Pottery Studio. Dawn stays active with her daily yoga practice thanks to Hippie Yoga Studio and when the weather permits, she enjoys riding her bike. She looks forward to serving the Harrison Township Community. “We have a fabulous library filled with endless possibilities.”

Erin Hessling

Member at Large
Erin is a graduate of Walsh College and has worked in the advertising field for over 15 years. She most recently joined the marketing team at General Motors supporting new bidirectional charging technology for electric vehicles. Erin, her husband, and daughter have lived in Harrison Twp for 6 years and love boating and fishing in Lake St. Clair. Seeing the joy the library and its programs bring to her daughter, inspired Erin to join the Library Board of Trustees to be an advocate for the library and ensure it’s around for the next generation of readers.

Linda Pillow

Member at Large
Linda, along with her husband, Gary, and two children, moved into Harrison Township 16 years ago. Linda was active in the L’Anse Creuse School district as a volunteer, and Science Olympiad coach both at Middle School South and L’Anse Creuse High. She also coached soccer for AYSO in Harrison Township. Recently retired, Linda has been employed in the field of Social Work for over 35 years, with an emphasis in traumatic brain injury and gerontology. She has volunteered in the local community and on hurricane relief with the Red Cross. She received her BA from Adams State College in Alamosa Colorado, and a Masters in Social Work from Wayne State University. “I am proud to be a member of the Harrison Township Library Board, and to be working with such dedicated individuals. Our library offers invaluable services to our community and is poised for even greater things”.

Meeting Minutes And Agendas

Board Meetings

The next scheduled Board of Trustees meeting:


Agenda for the February 17, 2025 Meeting