Get to know the members of the Open Windows Books Board of Directors!
Ann McGee is the founder of Open Windows Books. An educator for more than three decades, Ann has long believed that high-quality literature in the hands of enthusiastic teachers can inspire curiosity and foster empathy in students. Ann is the proud parent of four children who were educated in rural Stearns County. She teaches adult English Language Learners in the St. Cloud Public Schools and dreams about expanding Open Windows Literature Opportunities to many more teachers.
Margaret Arnold is a senior strategic communications consultant who has worked in the higher education and non-profit sectors for more than three decades. She is a community builder and organizer having facilitated visioning sessions and committee work to build a new 4,200 square foot library in her community. She is the proud parent of four children who were raised and educated in rural central Minnesota. In addition to Open Windows Books, Margaret is serving in her last year of a nine-year term for the Saint John’s Preparatory School Board of Regents and in her third year on the Stearns County Parks Commission where she was recently elected chair. She is passionate about launching new efforts, building consensus, community and celebration and is thrilled to be serving on the board of Open Windows Books.
Annette Atkins, Professor Emerita of History, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, taught American and Minnesota history (with special focus on social and cultural history), and worked especially with secondary education students. She’s especially interested in Open Windows Books as a way to invite majority students in majority schools into the rich diversity of American society (and history). She has published four books and served on the boards of the Minnesota Historical Society, the Stearns History Museum, the Norwegian American Historical Association, on the (Minnesota) Historic Resources Advisory Committee, and on National Endowment for the Humanities review panels.
Kelly Fitch is in her 20th year as a high school English teacher and firmly believes in the transformative power of literature. Her favorite courses to teach are American Literature, AP English, and Creative Writing. She also enjoys raising her three children and fostering cats in the summers through the Tri-County Humane Society. Kelly believes Open Windows is an extension of what she does in her classroom and is enthusiastic about helping to grow the organization. She believes stories promote critical thinking, empathy, and understanding.
Amy Fredin, PhD, is an Accounting Professor at St. Cloud State University. Amy is passionate about education and learning, and is excited to be part of the Open Windows Books organization as it strives to help rural students better understand the world around them. Better teaching resources can lead to more inspired teachers which can change perspectives and build kindness and compassion in students. Amy and her husband are raising their family in Central MN and are grateful for all the enlightened teachers their kids have learned from thus far.
Elizabeth Galbraith has been a lover of books, and of their transformational potential, since an early age.
Elizabeth’s roots are North Yorkshire, England, rural, and she was the first member of her family to even consider College, after an amazing educator raised the possibility with her parents. Having had the pleasure of teaching College students for over twenty years, most recently at St. Olaf, Elizabeth now relishes the opportunity to support the transformative mission of Open Windows Books.