Cynthia McDonald is the Branch Manager at Matthews. She has spent 13 years at the Library, including three with Matthews. Cynthia says her favorite thing about working at CML is being in her favorite place on Earth, the Library. Her staff’s success, happiness and well-being are important to her as she considers them her work family. A fun fact about Cynthia is that she worked as a deckhand on a commercial shrimp boat in the Gulf while in high school. Her favorite book changes constantly, but most recently it is “The Dictionary of Lost Words” by Pip Williams.

LaJuan Pringle is the Branch Manager at West Boulevard. He has been with the Library since 1998. LaJuan serves as a co-lead for CML’s organizational culture initiative, FOREWORD. He is very active in professional associations, serving as Chair of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) and the North Carolina Library Association’s (NCLA) Library Advocacy and Legislative Section (LALS). His areas of interest include advocacy, equity, diversity and inclusion.

Debra Sharp is the Branch Manager at University City. She has been working at CML for 10 years, with one year under her belt at University City. Debra’s favorite part of working for the Library is the opportunity to help customers eliminate barriers to resources. Her favorite hobbies are traveling and gardening; she also loves historical fiction books and anything by Ruth Ware.

Cameron Smith is the Branch Manager at Pineville. He has been with the Library for 22 years, and joined Pineville in April of 2024. Developing new partnerships and relationships with community partners has always been an interest of his, and he enjoys the opportunity to do that at CML. A native Charlottean, Cameron enjoys history, geography and traveling. He collects old postcards and has curated a large collection over the years. His favorite authors include Megan Miranda, Ruth Ware, Peter Swanson, Alice Feeney and Lisa Unger.

Garrette Smith oversees one of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's (CML) flagship locations, ImaginOn. She joined CML in August 2022, bringing over 20 years of experience from large, urban libraries. Garrette’s favorite book is “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu, and she says that her favorite part of working at CML is the team spirit among staff members. She enjoys traveling and cooking with her husband and three sons. Garrette is a recent Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum (ALF) and an alum of the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston (MBA) and Clark Atlanta University School of Library and Information Science (MLIS).

Lonna Vines is the Branch Manager at Myers Park. She’s spent almost seven years with the Library and has wrapped up her first year at Myers Park. Lonna loves the sense of togetherness among the staff at the Library and has a huge appreciation for her colleagues as they work to make their communities stronger. She plays the ukulele and uses her music and leadership skills to serve on the Board for a local non-profit called We Rock Charlotte. Lonna is a mom and loves traveling, with her favorite destinations so far being New Zealand and Barcelona. Her favorite books are “Anne of Green Gables” and anything by Sally Rooney.

Viviette White is the Branch Manager at Hickory Grove. She has been with CML for 15 years, including one year at Hickory Grove. Her favorite thing about the Library is having great conversations with our customers and helping them find what they need. She also enjoys researching family histories on Ancestry.com’s Library Edition for customers and finding relatives that they never knew they had. Her favorite book is “The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson.

Mike Wozniak is the Branch Manager for Founders Hall. He has been with CML for nearly 12 years, including 10 years with Founders Hall and Main Library. His favorite things about working at the Library include making a difference in the community, helping customers find important resources and working with his colleagues. Mike’s favorite book is “The Sisters Brothers” by Patrick deWitt. He enjoys live music and working on outdoor projects. This year his project is building a pallet deck and a paver patio with a firepit.

The Cornelius Branch Library opened the doors of its 5,500 sq. ft. building in February 2000. It is a joint effort of the citizens of Cornelius, town leaders, Commissioners of Mecklenburg County, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board of Trustees.

Mark Engelbrecht is the Branch Manager at Mountain Island. Mark has been with the Library for 22 years, including almost five with Mountain Island. His two favorite books right now are “Bobiverse Series by Dennis E. Taylor and “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir. He enjoys being part of a customer’s success story, as well as supporting opportunities for staff. A fun fact about Mark is that he was one of two CML staff who took part in a staff exchange with the Yarra Plenty Regional Library system in the northeast of Melbourne, Australia.