Ashlee Kiel earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and a Master of Library and Information Science from Drexel University. Before she came to Highland, Ashlee was the Library Director at Meyersdale Public Library, and she also held positions at Somerset County Library and the Mangarella Library at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. Ashlee is grateful every day for the privilege of serving the Richland and Geistown communities through her work at Highland. In her free time, she loves to read, play with her four cats, and hang out on the couch with her husband and a good true crime documentary.

Kathy DeCoske may be the most familiar face at the library — she has worked at Highland for 23 years. Kathy enjoys a good suspense or romance novel. She loves the feel of a book in her hands. Kathy’s a mom to two grown children, as well as her special fur-baby Jax, a Siberian Husky. She loves the fall season and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and her co-workers at HCL are the best.

Vickie Horner has been at the Highland Community Library for many years helping patrons young and old. The smallest patrons know her as Miss Vickie. She has a passion for programming, especially her BabyTime storytime. Watching the babies develop and learn as they do bounces and shake their shakers is a precious privilege to her. Vickie is a daughter, wife, mom and grandma. Spending time and spoiling her grandchildren and grandpets is her favorite thing of all.

Jackie Allison has a garden mentality the size of Montana, but with the actual space of a tiny corner in Johnstown. A jack of all trades, she’s a published writer, blogger, artist, wife, mom, and a dog toy medic. Her reading tastes cross all genres, but she has a fondness for humor. Give her a good story above all else. She feels privileged to be a part of the Highland Community Library family and to be of service to her community.