TRUSTEES
Ann (Shapleigh) Shisler
Ann is well known to many as she is a popular second grade teacher at Eliot Elementary School, where she has worked since 1995. Ann holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Plymouth State University and a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from the University of Southern Maine. Like her family, she has long been active in community affairs, having served on the Maine Bicentennial Committee, the Eliot Bicentennial Committee and the Town of Eliot Building Committee. She was also a member of the Eliot Selectboard for three terms from 1997 to 2007, and on the Eliot Budget Committee for one term in 1996.
Ann received Eliot’s Fabian Drake Award in December of 2022, which recognized her outstanding civic contributions. In 2022, she was also named the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Teacher of the Year for York County and the District and was a finalist at the state level. VFW annually recognizes the nation's top classroom elementary, junior high and high school teachers who teach citizenship education topics regularly and promote America's history and traditions effectively. Teachers who promote civic responsibility, flag etiquette and patriotism are prime candidates for this award. Ann has twice brought Wreaths Across America to Eliot and partnered Eliot’s Elementary School with programming for the event.
Ann became a library trustee in 2018. She makes her home with her husband, daughter, two rescue dogs, Franklin and Rawlings, two rescue cats, Sadie and Clara, and a chocolate lionhead bunny named Cadbury. She loves reading, crafts, photography, spending time with family and beach escapes.
Crystal Ward Kent
Crystal Ward Kent is the daughter of the late Larry and Jessie Kent of Eliot, Maine. Her mother served as library trustee for 28 years, retiring in 2017. Crystal holds a Bachelor of Arts in English/Journalism and a minor in Wildlife Ecology from the University of New Hampshire. She previously worked for the Maine Tourism Association, as an assistant editor at UNH, and for seven years as a Creative Services Manager in the utility industry before starting her own business. She currently owns Kent Creative, an award-winning creative services agency providing writing, design and marketing.
Crystal has been a long-time supporter of the library, serving as fundraising co-chair for the new children’s wing in the 1990s, and later as fundraising chair for the Building & Grounds Committee from 2007 to 2017. She has frequently provided publicity, marketing and creative materials for library events and fundraising efforts. She created the Booker Owl character to promote reading, and produced a coloring book about the town of Eliot. The book raised funds for the library and was also used at the elementary school to teach students about their community.
A writer who has written for numerous magazines, Crystal is also the author of several books. She has provided library programs on writing and worked with the children’s librarian on children’s activities. She enjoys hiking with her dog, Skye, photography, swimming, gardening, the arts and time with family, including her rescue kitty, Emma.
Crystal became a trustee in 2022.
Note: Some might recognize the dog in the photo as Rosie, a beloved library visitor until her passing in 2018.