The Associates Welcomes New Board Members!
The Associates of the Boston Public Library is pleased to announce our newest Board Members, who recently started three-year terms: Catherine Austin, Michael Duca, and Lisa Fagin Davis, Liane Davis, Betsy Groban, Melissa McMorrow, and Rick Tyson. These remarkable individuals bring a wealth of expertise, passion, and dedication to the organization.
Returning Board Members
Catherine Austin,
Retired HR Professional
Catherine “Cackie” Austin is a graduate of the University of Colorado. After moving to Boston, she started her career in retail and then moved into the nonprofit world. She worked at the National Fire Protection Association as the VP of Human Resources. As the largest publisher of fire codes in the world, she travelled extensively, recruiting fire protection engineers as well as people in the publishing industry. In retirement she has served on several Boards including the Vincent Memorial Hospital Foundation, the Rutland Corner Foundation, and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy annual luncheon. As a city resident, Cackie is a frequent user of the Boston Public Library's many offerings.
Michael Duca,
Retired Wealth Management Executive
Michael enjoyed a 40-year career in financial services and wealth management in Philadelphia, New York and Boston. As Executive Vice President of Wealth Management at Cambridge Trust Company, he created the Cambridge Trust Thought Series®: a regular program of events and podcasts featuring a diverse line-up of speakers addressing significant quality of life issues. A resident of Salisbury, Connecticut, and an avid reader and book collector, Michael writes an occasional column for the Lakeville Journal newspaper: News of Very Narrow Interest. He also serves on the board of The Salisbury Forum.
Lisa Fagin Davis
Adjunct Professor of Library Science, Simmons University;
Executive Director, Medieval Academy of America
Lisa Fagin Davis received her PhD in Medieval Studies from Yale University in 1993 and has catalogued medieval manuscript collections at Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, the Walters Art Museum, Wellesley College, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Boston Public Library, and several private collections. She has taught Latin Paleography at Yale University and regularly teaches an introduction to Manuscript Studies at the Simmons University School of Library and Information Science. She was elected to the Comité international de paléographie latine in 2019 and has served as Executive Director of the Medieval Academy of America since 2013.
New Board Members
Liane Davis,
Social Worker and Library Lover
Liane has been a clinical social worker for over 25 years, providing psychotherapy to adolescents and adults. She served as Clinical Director of the Plummer Home for Boys, a residential program for youth in foster care. Before entering the field of mental health, Liane worked as a copywriter and editor at Little, Brown & Company, where she treasured being part of a Boston publishing institution. Community involvement has always been important to her. She is a board member of the Marblehead Female Humane Society, assisting individuals in need, and previously served as Vice President of the Friends of the Abbot Public Library from 2010 to 2017. She also spent 20 years on the board of Anchor to Windward, a program supporting adults with intellectual disabilities. In her free time, Liane enjoys playing tennis, gardening, photography, and reading.
Betsy Groban,
Writer, Journalist, Critic
Betsy Groban has a history of effective leadership in for-profit and nonprofit cultural organizations and a passionate belief in the transformative power of the arts to enhance and improve civic life. Following a long career in book publishing, public broadcasting, and arts advocacy, Betsy is a correspondent for The Boston Globe and writes a regular column for Publishers Weekly. She is also the book review editor of the Jane Austen Society and a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the Boston Authors Club. She serves on the advisory board of the Brandeis University Press. Her first book for kids, Pizza for Pia, was published in 2024 and her Little Golden Book biography of Henry Winkler will be published in 2025. Betsy graduated from Barnard College with a B.A. in English literature. She lives in Cambridge, MA and has two daughters, two sons-in-law, and four magnificent grandchildren.
Melissa McMorrow,
Partner and Chair, Tax Department;
Co-Chair of Nonprofit and Social Impact Practice Group
Melissa advises businesses, tax-exempt entities, and individuals on federal, state, and international matters. She specializes in advising health care, higher education, cultural and other charitable and nonprofit organizations, and their affiliates, on a wide range of issues related to tax exemption and nonprofit status. Melissa frequently represents these entities, and other taxpayers, before the Internal Revenue Service, state revenue authorities, state charity officials, and other state and local authorities. She also regularly advises donors in developing and optimizing their charitable giving goals.
Rick Tyson,
Vice President & Senior Client Development Officer, Fiduciary Trust Company
Rick Tyson is Vice President & Senior Client Development Officer with Fiduciary Trust Company. Previously, he was a Senior Wealth Advisor at Wilmington Trust in Boston. He has served in senior business development roles in the Investment Management & Trust group at Boston Private Bank, the State Street Global Advisors Charitable Asset Management division, and Fidelity Investments’ Charitable Gift Fund where he oversaw the growth efforts on the West Coast. Rick graduated with a BA in Economics from the University of Lynchburg. He is passionate about education and is a Trustee at Lawrence Academy in Groton, MA, serving as Investment Committee Chairman. Rick is a member of the board emeritus of Junior Achievement of New England. Rick is an author of middle-grade children’s literature, having published his second novel in April 2025.
The Associates is grateful to all our new and returning board members. We look forward to continuing our work of preserving and promoting the Boston Public Library's Special Collections.