Meet the faces behind Pioneer Valley Books.
Pioneer Valley Books CEO/Creative Director Michèle Dufresne needs little introduction as the heart of our company and a founding member. She is a former Reading Recovery Teacher Leader. She started writing books when working with some of her first Reading Recovery students who needed some extra motivation. She is passionate about helping teachers with their mission of helping children learn to read and write and love books. One of her favorite things about working here is getting letters from teachers and children. She has four grandchildren: Jaxson, Harper, Mae, and Simon. She loves sharing books with them and watching them grow as readers. In her spare time she loves to take her dogs for walks on the beach in St. Augustine, Florida.
Chris Sullivan, Executive Vice President of Operations & Administration, is excited and proud to work for a company that promotes children's literacy. She's a secret hoarder of school supplies, and in that same vein, her favorite piece of advice is to learn something new every day. When she's not working, she loves to spend time with her husband, three sons, and two dogs. She also enjoys hiking, boating, and feeding all of her pond friends (koi, turtles, and frogs).
Vice President of Publications Karen Cangemi describes her role as "multifaceted," as she writes and develops content for lessons, Professional Learning opportunities and presentations, webinars, and more! True to the adventurous nature of her favorite literary character, Anne of Green Gables, Karen enjoys traveling to places she's never been. To her, the best part of working for PVB is being surrounded by extraordinary people who deeply care about the important role literacy plays in children’s lives.
Tara Wells, Executive Director of Strategic Growth, describes her role as shouting about our products from the rooftop. Since she loves musicals, there's probably some singing and dancing involved too. If a movie (musical) were made about her, the theme song would be "Dancing through Life," from "Wicked," and she'd be played by Julianne Hough, the dancer, flourishing one of Tara's many purple pens as she spins. Naturally, her favorite PVB characters are Bella and Rosie.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
Allison Stull, Professional Learning and Curriculum Developer, supports the professional development and curriculum learning team. If she could have a superpower, she'd like to be able to fly—perhaps to quickly procure additions to her secret hoard of sugary coffee drinks. She spends her off hours with family and friends, playing with her dogs, running, playing soccer, and doing CrossFit. The best piece of advice she's ever gotten is from her grandma: "This too shall pass."
Emily Wayman, Professional Learning and Curriculum Developer, loves her brilliant team, and traveling around the country to meet so many others who are passionate about literacy. It will surprise no one that her superpower is laughter: "Everything seems better if you're smiling." Her preferred spare time activities include reading, boating, gardening, and playing games with her family. The two PVB characters who have won her heart are Jasper, for always being true to himself, and Clarence, for his sweetness and gentleness.
Alora Heffernan, Conference & Events Account Manager, spends the day building and organizing our educational events and talking about her favorite story characters. Due to his sweet and helpful nature Rusty the Robot is her favorite. During her free time, she enjoys reading, shopping for fabric to complete her latest sewing project, and spending time with her animals including her seven chickens. She secretly hoards baking recipes and baking pans.
Michelle Hajian, Senior Literacy Researcher, spends her time on state list applications, new product research, and research for current products and conferences. With family living internationally and a love for travel, Michelle would choose to have the ability to speak any language as her superpower. Her favorite fictional book character is Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, and in her off hours, Michelle likes to read, cook with her husband, and watch sports.
Educational Content and Engagement Creator Ashley Fazio appreciates the opportunity to help and support teachers, students, and parents. She'd love the ability to time travel, so she could visit ancestors, and perhaps take a peek at the future. If a movie were made about her, its theme song would be Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," and she'd be played by Leslie Mann or Reese Witherspoon. Her favorite quote is by Maya Angelou: "Be the rainbow in someone else's cloud."
Kristen Gernux, Senior Sales Specialist
CUSTOMER SUPPORT, SALES & MARKETING
Jessica Caruso, Senior Sales and Marketing Operations Manager, oversees an exceptional team that is focused on providing extraordinary customer service, and appreciates being surrounded by such amazing and talented people. If a movie was made about her, she'd be played by Sigourney Weaver (c. 1980), and her theme song would be "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield. In her off hours, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, gardening, and reading. The best piece of advice she's received is, "Change the world by being yourself," which seems consistent with her favorite fictional character: "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." At PVB, she thinks Georgie Giraffe is tops.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVES
Beth Millerschin, Customer Support Supervisor, values the opportunity to work remotely for PVB doing something she's passionate about. A former kindergarten teacher, if a movie was made about her, she'd be played by Sandra Bullock, its theme song would be "ABC" by the Jackson 5, and she'd sit down to watch it eating Rice Krispie treats from her secret stash. Her favorite fictional character is Corduroy, and at PVB, Bella and Rosie have won her heart. The best piece of advice she's gotten is, "Remember who you are."
Crystal Hale, Lead Customer Support Representative, loves being part of a company that makes her feel valued. When she's not working, she likes to go for long walks with her husband and dog, travel on spontaneous beach trips, and she makes candles and wax melts—which leads directly to her secret hoard of candles. Finding new scents makes her so happy! Her favorite fictional character is Ron Weasley, and her favorite PVB character is Rosa. The best piece of advice she's gotten is, "Don’t count the days, make the days count."
Jonathan Duke Velez, Lead Customer Support Representative, is "one useful piece of the PVB puzzle." If he could choose a superpower, he'd opt for the power of foresight so that he could prevent tragedies before they happened. When he's not working, Jonathan likes to play video games, and his favorite PVB character is Oliver the Cat. The best piece of advice he's ever received is, "There's a difference between doing what's easy and what's right—wisdom is knowing the difference."
Customer Support Representative Seth Frisby processes orders and helps as many people as possible each day. If a movie was made about him, he'd be played by Matthew McConaghey "with a beard and poorer posture," and the theme song would be "This Is Why We Fight" by The Decemberists. He loves the daily pet pictures at PVB, and spends his free time playing with his daughter, playing video games, board games, and D&D, and, of course, reading. He describes his Patronus as "a sedate Wookie."
MARKETING
Senior Marketing Project Manager Marie Gauthier shepherds marketing materials and content from conception through design and editorial, and then out the door to fans, old and new. If a movie were made about her, its theme song would be "Just Keep Swimming," and she'd be played by Emma Stone. Her favorite fictional character is Elizabeth Bennet. The best advice she has ever gotten? "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."
Ashley Zimmerman, Senior Marketing Specialist, assists with sales and marketing projects, including writing and editing marketing content. If a movie were made about her, she'd be played by Carey Mulligan, and its theme song would be "Wildflowers," by Tom Petty. A nurturer by nature, her Patronus is a robin, and she hoards (and shares) coffee and flowers. The best piece of advice she's ever gotten is, "Hold tight to small joys!"
Naomi Shadix, Graphic Designer, didn't always know she would be a graphic designer, but her dad did. When she was around 8 years old, he took her to meet one of the branding designers at his work, and the rest is history. She loves working with PVB's adorable characters, especially her faves, Rusty the Robot and Oliver the Cat. Naomi does ballet in her spare time and enjoys teaching adult beginners how to dance in addition to developing her own skills. She would like the power of teleportation so she can make unlimited trips to the Pioneer Valley from where she lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Ann Caranci, Senior Graphic & Web Designer, helps make the books and materials we publish find their inner awesomeness. What's extra awesome is that Ann is the illustrator of many of our beloved characters, including Princess Pig, Marshmallow the Pony, and Marvin Pig. Her Patronus is the sea turtle. Her desired superpower: "I would love the power to snap my fingers and motivate people (3 boys in particular) to do the most right and helpful thing."
Our Senior Graphic & Web Designer, Sarah Curran collects cookie cutters, which give her an opportunity to use fun shapes in multiple ways. When she’s away from the office, she likes to watch movies, bake and decorate cookies, and have adventures with her husband and son. While her favorite literary character is Hercule Poirot, the detective of Agatha Christie fame, she has come to love Marshmallow the Pony, especially for his skill at sniffing out apples.
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief Laura Angel keeps the editorial process churning with her eagle eye and consistent "can do" attitude. When she isn’t focused on developing and editing PVB content, she can be found hovering around the industrial Keurig with her tea-buddies. In her time away from her role here, she enjoys yoga, reading, tea drinking, painting, and chasing after her five children. If she could have any superpower, she’d love to be able to fly, just like her favorite PVB character, Clarence the Dragon!
Julia Richardson, Senior Editor, loves to read, so she's thrilled to get to be part of instilling a passion for reading in generations to come. She claims to be an open book, with nothing to hide. In a movie about her, she'd be played by Jennifer Lawrence, and the theme song would be "Let's Dance" by David Bowie. Her favorite literary character is Bilbo Baggins, and Daisy is the PVB character who's won her heart. The best piece of advice she's received came from her mother: "This too shall pass."
Robin Tutt, Senior Project Editor, organizes things for fun. Her lists have lists. Her superpower of choice would be teleportation, or flight—anything to help procure her vice of choice (chocolate) that much quicker. She's not sure a movie about her merits a theme song, since it would primarily consist of her cleaning the kitchen or reading on the couch. She'd rather the actor playing her be someone new on the scene, in need of a break-out role. Her favorite PVB character must be Jasper the cat, an illustrated companion to her own cat, Jaspurr.
FINANCE
If Michèle is the heart of our company, then CFO Bob Dufresne is its soul. (He also makes sure all the bills get paid.) In his spare time, Bob likes to work on Physics problems. If he had a superpower, it would be to make sure everyone who needed a great cup of coffee had one. If an actor were to play him in a movie, it would be George Clooney (Michèle may have filled this out for him).
Lisa Ahlstrom, Senior Finance Manager, oversees and executes the financial transactions of the company. She loves working at Pioneer Valley Books for many reasons, chief among them its mission to promote children's early literacy. In her spare time, she reads cooking magazines, gardens, and tends to her human and animal family. The best piece of advice she's ever gotten? "Make hay while the sun shines."
Rochelle Newbert, Senior Payroll & Benefit Specialist, makes sure everyone at PVB is paid correctly and on time. She loves working with people who love reading. As someone who's always up for a good mystery, she's a big fan of our Spy Busters! series. Her list of secretly hoarded items is unexpectedly lengthy, but since children's books are among them, we can't complain. However, she's hard-pressed to pick a favorite fictional character: "I can't pick just one best friend."
Erin Zambruno, Senior Staff Accountant, works with numbers all day—entering, analyzing, creating spreadsheets, all of the fun detail work. Her off hours activities are decidedly not numbers-based: running, working out, watching movies (B-grade horror is her favorite, but she also likes Sci-Fi, comedies, action, mafia… anything except history), spending time with her dog and husband, taking care of her houseplants, and many other things besides. The best piece of advice she's received is, "It doesn’t cost anything to be kind."
HUMAN RESOURCES, HEALTH & SAFETY
Donna DeCaro, Human Resources Business Partner, is responsible for leading the full spectrum of HR services and cultivating the employee experience at PVB. When it comes to superpowers, or what she considers superpowers, Donna would love to be able to sing and be an entertainer. She also identifies as a foodie, a mom, an animal lover, golfer, and runner. The best piece of advice she's gotten is, "You can’t be great at everything. Be patient, as this too shall pass."
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Dennis Shockro, Director of Information Technology, would like to have the ability to hit a golf ball straight. If a movie were made about him, he'd be played by Bill Murray, and its theme song would be "Friends in Low Places." He hoards good bourbon, and in his downtime Dennis enjoys golf, woodworking/building, and landscape and wildlife photography. Here at PVB he appreciates the great people who create a great workplace.
Jason Hiller, Senior Infrastructure Engineer, enjoys working with the nice people at PVB. If a movie were made about him, its theme song would be "Humble and Kind" by Tim McGraw, and he'd be played by Kevin Costner. His favorite fictional character is Tigger, and the best piece of advice he's received is, "Work hard, play hard, and make time for creating memories with friends or family." To that end, in his off hours he enjoys spending time with his family and traveling to the beach in Maine.
David King, Shopify Lead Developer
Wyatt Backholm, Senior NetSuite Administrator
Maura Kavanah, Senior Technical Support Specialist
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
Nick Dufresne, Chief Technology Officer, makes sure the internet is working and leads all the in-house software development. When he's not at work, he's spending time with family, running, biking, and swimming. He's also a local swim coach. He secretly hoards spare computer parts that will never be used by anyone.
Chief Operations Officer Matt Dufresne provides support to the executive team on a daily basis, wherever he is needed. Currently his primary focus is working on our websites and the Digital Reader platform. His favorite Pioneer Valley Books character is Oliver the Cat. Best advice he’s ever gotten? “Don’t be afraid of being a beginner.”
Jonathan Dufresne, Principal Software Developer, codes to develop features and fix bugs, and helps to plan out and design those features. He appreciates working with the great people at PVB, and helping to create a truly useful product that he believes in and that makes the world a slightly better place. In his off hours, Jon enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking and camping, as well as traveling around the world.
Justin Dufresne is our Principal Software Developer, spending his days writing and testing code to help enhance the Digital Reader. Justin loves to ski, hike, and bike, and is teaching his three daughters to enjoy the same. Naturally the superpower he'd opt for is the ability to fly, so that he could get to the top of the ski mountain faster. The best piece of advice he's ever gotten is, "Stop starting. Start finishing."
Robyn Elliott, Software Product Manager
Mo Fiorella, Lead Digital Integration Representative, appreciates getting to help teachers teach and students learn. Over the course of time, Mo has inadvertently amassed a stash of paper, tiny scraps of decorative or handmade paper she can't bear to throw away—she'll use it someday! Some of her favorite spare time activities are growing flowers and vegetables, so when it comes to preferred super powers, she'd love a muscle boost to help her in the garden. The best piece of advice she's gotten (or possibly gave herself) is, "Not all decisions are hard decisions."
WAREHOUSE, FULFILLMENT, AND FACILITIES
Warehouse Facilitator Jerome Maczka spends his days solving problems, keeping track of inventory, moving boxes of books, and doing pretty much anything that needs to be done. If you're looking for a blue Sharpie or box cutter around here, chances are that Jerome has a stockpile secretly stocked away. He likes the flexible schedule at PVB because it gives him time for his favorite activities outside of work: hiking, running, and traveling. If he had a superpower, Jerome would want to fly (so he could get anywhere at anytime for free!).
Rich Laurin, Senior Facilities Representative
Lorilee LaBarre, Warehouse Inventory Supervisor, believes in treating others as you would like to be treated. She loves the environment here at PVB. She is a hoarder of blankets, feeling you can never have enough, and living in New England, she's not wrong. When she's not working, Lorilee likes to go on adventures with her family. Her favorite fictional character is Harry Potter, and her favorite PVB character is Rusty the Robot.
Austin Rego, Warehouse Associate, makes sure that customers get what they want by fulfilling orders and prepping them for shipping. He especially appreciates our office coffee machine for making mornings easy. Asked to pick the theme song of a movie about him, Austin names Dave Matthews Band's "Warehouse" (see what he did there?). He devotes much of his free time to music by playing guitar, listening to bands, and going to shows as much as he can.
Julinette Vazquez-Pacheco, Lead Receiving Associate, counts boxes and books, drives the forklift, wrangles pallets, and more, all to ensure that when the customer makes an order we have it in stock. If her life was a movie, its theme song would be “lovely” by Billie Eilish (with Khalid) and she’d be played by Sandra Bullock. Her favorite fictional character is Harry Potter (“I’m Gryffindor btw.”), and when it comes to PVB characters, Rusty the Robot has her heart.
David Gagnon, Warehouse Machine Operator, assists fulfillment, assembly, and receiving. When he's not at work, David spends time on his art and photography, and plays bass. If a movie was made about him, his theme song would be "Short People" by Randy Newman, and he'd be played by Robin Williams. The best piece of advice he's ever gotten is "Do what needs to be done."
Jeff Collins, Warehouse Associate, spends his days picking orders and prepping them for shipping, and his nights (and other spare time) drawing and hanging with his family. If a movie was made about Jeff, its theme song would be "Superstition," by Stevie Wonder, and he'd be played by Steve Carell. He loves working close to home. He'd love it even more if he had the ability to fly, because then he wouldn't even have to drive.
Kathleen Osterhout, Assembler, would like to soar like a bird to fly all over visiting family. She loves being part of the PVB team, but when she's not working, you can find her spending time in the Adirondacks and White Mountains. Her favorite fictional characters are Tolkien's Hobbits, while her in-house pick is Daisy. The best piece of advice she's ever received is, "Live where you love, love where you live!"
