Kat Valentine is a long-time resident of the Fairmount neighborhood and a former administrative professional at JPS. An avid reader, averaging 25-30 books a month, she is passionate about literacy and promoting the love of reading for all. Kat is also a vocal activist for the LGBTQIA community and other causes dedicated to ensuring diversity and inclusion. Additionally, she dedicates her time to raising awareness for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, a disease she has been diagnosed with since childhood. When she's not volunteering, she enjoys spending time at home with her partner, child, and animals.
Kat’s favorite book is The Princess Bride by William Goldman.

Christina Brinker fell in love with Fairmount when searching for homes with her husband Andrew, and moved into the 'hood in 2009. She has two active kids, Baxter and Finnley, that keep her very busy along with her full-time job, and other volunteer roles in the community. Growing up she often read on long car trips with her family, and The Green Mile (Stephen King series) was when she recalls becoming a true book enthusiast. Christina agrees wholeheartedly with author Neil Gaiman that "A book is a dream that you hold in your hand", and often finds respite in books from her hectic life.

Carol Standerfer is a retired school librarian with 32 years of library experience. She is excited about the Fairmount Community Library reopening and has enjoyed volunteering with the dedicated, energetic board. Carol and her husband love to travel to national parks and spend time with their family. Carol also swims on a masters team, crochets, and of course reads. Her favorites are mystery and detective stories where the ending is a total shocker.

Hayley started volunteering in September 2023 and shortly thereafter became Board Secretary. She got involved at the library in part for a love of reading, in part for a belief that third spaces like FCL are critically important to thriving communities, and in part to get to know her neighbors. Hayley loves volunteering at FCL because she gets to play a part in facilitating a truly special resource for our community.

Spending time at the library peacefully reading or crocheting is a bonus!

After jet-setting around the world for a few years, Kate came to the library world in 2020 and quickly developed a deep appreciation for modern libraries' role in the community. She is passionate about raising awareness about what a library can do for people and wants to empower library staff to help them deliver the best user experience to all visitors. An English major, she is enjoys cheesy puns and wordplay, board games, and adventures with her spoiled dog.

Miranda moved to Fairmount in 2020 from Oakland California. She fell in love with the old houses and the sense of community. She believes that it’s a human responsibility to help and give back as much as possible. She previously spent her time in the corporate world bringing brand awareness, and training over a hundred associates in different parts of the U.S. Pulling from her previous career has helped her navigate being our Volunteer Coordinator. In her free time she loves finding new and interesting restaurants, taking long walks with her husband Davis, son Griffin and dog Dudley and enjoying a good book with a glass of wine. Having an inclusive space to learn, play and socialize is so important and she’s extremely excited about what the future holds for our fun, quirky, library.

Her favorite book growing up and remains one of her favorites to this day is The Great Gatsby. She found the double meanings and different interpretations fascinating and believes you can truly find something new every time you read it.

Jeb moved to the neighborhood in 2018 and fell in love with Fairmount. He enjoys the constant learning and challenge that maintaining an old house affords him. A desk bound engineer during the day, the constant tinkering the library needs is a welcomed change of pace.

Jeb mainly reads non-fiction. He credits Quiet by Susan Cain for helping him become more comfortable and confident in who he is.

Becky is a Fort Worth native who moved to the Fairmount neighborhood in 2018. The strong sense of community, eclectic culture, and love for the arts (...and cats) drew her to this area. She is a freelance graphic designer who works with companies and organizations who seek to make the world a better place.

Becky enjoys reading about the human experience. Some books that have left an impact include the Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck), Fathers and Sons (Ivan Turgenev), Peter Pan (J. M. Barrie), Dreamland (Sara Dessen), and Scar Tissue (Anthony Kiedis).

Sophia and her husband fell in love with Fairmount and planted roots in 2019. After welcoming their daughter, she quickly made the library their favorite third place. A proud Aggie (whoop!), Sophia studied Geographic Information Science (GIS) and spent her college days working at the Texas A&M Map & GIS Library. She continued on to become a Civil Engineering GIS project manager taking a special interest in flood studies. 

When she’s not chasing after her toddler, or trying out a new recipe, Sophia can be found deep in a romance or fantasy novel—preferably with a cup of tea. Her favorite book is also her favorite movie- Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. She’s thrilled to be part of the Fairmount Community Library and loves connecting with neighbors through books, maps, and children.

A Fairmount resident since 2011, Karen Kysar is a mom and entrepreneur in Fort Worth who is passionate about the well-being and enrichment of children and families. Karen was previously a Consumer Experience Strategist at dentsu and now owns The First Milestones, a nanny placement agency. In her free time, Karen enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter and dog, reading, gardening, crafting and traveling. The book that solidified Karen's love for reading is The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.