Friends Board Summary 

Ron is a retired GM Powertrain Engineer. He has lived in Rochester Hills with wife Theresa for 45 years and has been an active volunteer at the library since 2009. He also volunteers for the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm as a photo archivist and is on the board of Michigan Christian Campus Ministries in East Lansing.

Bill Kroger and his wife Jean have resided in Oakland Township for 46 years. Bill retired from ThyssenKrupp Budd Company 20 years ago after working for them for 40 years. In addition to the Friends, Bill has been active with the Oakland Township Historical Society and the OPC Quarterly Newspaper, “Vintage Views”.

Sandy is a Detroit native, migrated to Southern California for 12 years and has been a Rochester Hills resident for the past 30+ years. She is a retired teacher and school librarian totaling almost 40 years in education with the last 20 in the Avondale School District. Sandy began volunteering at the library about 20 years ago. Sandy is an avid reader, knitter, golfer and loves to watch soccer. She is the mother of two handsome sons.

Kimberly is very involved in the Rochester area community and frequently volunteers for and supports programs at the library, among various other community programs. She is a former adult literacy tutor with the Oakland Literacy Council. Kimberly works as a legal assistant in a Bloomfield Hills law firm supporting estate and trust planning as well as civil litigation in all state and federal courts. She attended Macomb Community College working full time while going to school. Kimberly lives in the Rochester area with her husband Jeff, and their two cats, Lucky and Jasper.

Connie Dowe is a CPA who retired from a management position at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in 2009. In addition to serving on the Board of the Friends, Connie is the accountant for the Friends gift store and ticket chairman for the Holiday Home Tour. Connie also serves as treasurer for the Rochester Area Democratic Club.

Tom has a PhD in chemistry, as well as an engineering degree, and spent 30 years at Chrysler as a researcher on engines - winning many awards including 12 patents. He was also a Peace Corps volunteer for two years in a small village in Honduras, working to provide clean water to the villagers. He volunteers with several groups in the local area including the Oakland Township Historical Society and is a member of the Rochester Rotary. He lives in Oakland Township with his wife Mary.

Vickie has been a volunteer in the Friends gift shop since 2015 and is currently responsible for training new volunteers in the gift shop. She worked for General Motors and Electronic Data Systems for 20 years in Corporate Logistics. Vickie returned to school and became a licensed psychotherapist, working in that field,for 20 years. Her love for reading and books motivates her to enthusiastically support the library.

Mary Harlan was born and raised in Detroit. She moved to Rochester Hills with her husband and two daughters in 2000. She retired in 2020 from Michigan Ear Institute as the financial coordinator after more than 30 years. She enjoys gardening, her dog, and of course the library.

Ronda Karney is a CPA who retired after 20 years with Metzler Locricchio Serra & Co. P.C., a local firm in Troy. She was actively involved in serving clients in the not-for-profit sector; assisting them with their accounting and tax reporting needs. Ronda and her husband Mark have lived in Rochester Hills since 1996. They enjoy outdoor sports, motorcycling and spending time with their two children and grandchildren. In addition to the Friends, Ronda volunteers with Bible Study Fellowship as a small group leader.