Meet the candidates for the Ferndale Area District Library Board. Each candidate was invited to answer the same five questions and responses are presented as submitted.
The first three candidates are running for three available Library Board seats, while a fourth is running in a separate special election for an unexpired term.
Paul Beasley:
Candidate
Introduction/Background:
I am a longtime Ferndale resident, educator, and higher education leader with more than 25 years of experience in curriculum design, instruction, strategic planning, organizational leadership, operations, community partnerships, and data-informed decision-making. I have called Ferndale home since 2004 and have witnessed the positive growth of the library, city, and community.
I currently serve as an Assistant Dean, Assistant Professor, and Academic Program Director, where I lead academic programs, curriculum development, student success initiatives, and institutional improvement. My career has focused on strengthening organizations, expanding educational opportunities, and building partnerships that serve students and communities. I bring to board service professional leadership, educational expertise, governance experience, and a longstanding commitment to Ferndale.
What is your connection to the library or the community?
As a Ferndale resident since 2004, I have seen the Ferndale Area District Library evolve into an increasingly important community resource. In 2026, I was appointed to the FADL Building Committee, providing me with firsthand experience with the library’s infrastructure, physical spaces, and community-facing needs. Through this role, I have provided guidance and recommendations to help sustain and enhance the library’s physical environment. This experience has deepened my appreciation for the library’s role in creating an accessible, welcoming, and inclusive space for the entire community.
Why are you interested in serving on the library board?
I am interested in serving on the Ferndale Area District Library Board because libraries are essential community institutions that provide opportunities for learning, connection, creativity, digital access, cultural engagement, and lifelong growth. My professional and public-service experience has prepared me to contribute to strategic planning, fiscal stewardship, policy development, community engagement, and data-informed decision-making. I am particularly interested in supporting equitable access to educational resources, technology, cultural programming, and lifelong learning while helping ensure the library remains responsive to the evolving needs of Ferndale residents.
What would you hope to contribute as a board member?
If elected, I hope to contribute strategic leadership, educational expertise, operational experience, and a strong commitment to inclusive community service. One priority will be strengthening the library as a welcoming space for Ferndale’s diverse community by supporting innovative programming and broad access to library resources. I also hope to work collaboratively with the Library Director, staff, and Board to develop transparent, sustainable plans for maintaining and improving the library’s physical infrastructure. My experience in strategic planning, fiscal stewardship, partnerships, and data-informed decision-making will support thoughtful, accountable governance.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know?
It is critical that members of our community have a voice in the leadership of the Ferndale Area District Library. I encourage you to exercise your right to vote, and I would be honored to have your support on the ballot.
Denise Cote
(Incumbent) Current Board Secretary:
Introduction/Background
I have been an academic librarian for 25 years, specifically in community colleges. My expertise areas are electronic resources, career and technical education, and open publishing.
What is your connection to the library or the community?
I was appointed to the board in 2025 to fill a vacancy. I’ve decided to run for a full term because I believe in the library’s mission and its relationship with the community.
Why are you interested in serving on the library board?
I believe my experience as a librarian can be of use to the library and the board.
What would you hope to contribute as a board member?
The FADL has great potential to better serve users who do not physically visit the library by improving its online services and enhancing its digital collections. I'd like to help the library focus on this critical area of service.
Also, FADL participates as a valued member of a large cooperative of Michigan public libraries, which includes a shared catalog and shared resources. I would like to see FADL take a more active leadership role in that organization in the future.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know?
I am pleased to participate in my community by giving my time and experience to the Library. It's been exciting and challenging to learn about the differences and similarities between academic and public librarianship. I’m looking forward to serving the library as a board member and am confident that I can be useful.
Meghan Evoy:
(Incumbent) Current Education Liaison
Introduction/Background:
I’m a proud Ferndale resident (22 years!), a mom of four great kids and an elementary school principal.
What is your connection to the library or the community?
The library continues to be such a positive force in my family’s life: study space; access to hard-copy and digital materials for school, work and fun; engaging programs and the center of our community.
Why are you interested in serving on the library board?
I want to support a community resource that given me and my family so much!
What would you hope to contribute as a board member?
Steady, conscientious stewardship of the library and all the resources involved: people, money, physical plant, etc
Is there anything else you would like voters to know?
Thank you for your consideration.
Erin Hooper
(Incumbent) Board Vice-President and Personnel Committee Liaison:
Introduction/Background
My name is Erin Hooper. In my day job as the Education Sector Marketing Manager for Stantec (an international architecture, engineering, and design firm), I develop and execute growth plans and strategic promotional activities to elevate Stantec's award-winning design practice across a variety of building typologies. I've lived in the Detroit area my whole life and hold a B.A. from Oakland University, where I majored in both English and Journalism. After college, I cut my teeth as a staff writer and reporter for a chain of weekly newspapers, fulfilling an Almost Famous passion for writing, storytelling, and sharing factual information. In addition to my current role as a board member for the Ferndale Area District Library, I've also served on the board of directors for the Detroit Chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). I live in Ferndale with my family and am an active parent to two Ferndale Public Schools students. I'm a moon-loving, star-gazing advocate for our planet; a better-than-average cook; and I grow flowers and raise butterflies for fun.
What is your connection to the library or the community?
My connections to the library are through community, resources, and service. I started using FADL as a patron around the time I bought my house in Ferndale, circa 2012. When my daughters were young, we went to the library weekly—checking out books, playing in the youth area, and attending free music programs. Today, FADL is the primary hookup for my reading addiction. My garden has flourished the last several years, thanks in part to free seeds from the Seed Library. I've attended numerous arts and crafts programs. I have artwork in my home from local artists I saw exhibiting at the library. FADL supplied nearly ALL of the covid tests my family took between 2021-23 (free of charge). The telescope from the Library of Things has also allowed my family to witness a handful of lunar events. It is truly one of our community's greatest assets. For the last four years, I've had the pleasure of giving back to FADL by serving on its Board of Directors.
Why are you interested in serving on the library board?
I've found serving on the library board rewarding and enlightening. I enjoy being a part of something so important to our community. An informed and well-read community is a smart and creative community – libraries play an important role in this, providing access to essential tools and materials. My personal experiences with libraries affirm this, and I hope to continue serving our community in this way, doing my part to ensure everyone has access to such resources.
What would you hope to contribute as a board member?
Most importantly, I'd like to think I bring a common perspective to FADL's board of directors as a middle-class, full-time working homeowner and parent of minors. I'm active in the school district and in Ferndale's oldest neighborhood association. Because of this, I have the ear and respect of many wonderful people in our community. Having served on the board for the last four years, participated in FADL's first-ever collective bargaining agreement, and been part of the recent millage renewal campaign, I can also offer understanding and experience.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know?
I love our library and this community, and I promise to serve them both with democratic conviction, doing what I can to ensure fairness and good stewardship, and to protect FADL's values and resources. Also, I'd like them to know I did not use AI to write any of these answers.