2025 Board of Trustees Candidate Statement

Arlette Mooney: It has been my extreme pleasure and honor to have served on the Valley Cottage Library Board of Trustees since May 2013, having been appointed by the Board of Trustees to fill an open position, and subsequently elected to serve a full five-year term at the Annual Association Meeting in 2016. During my time on the Board of Trustees I held several leadership positions including Secretary, Vice President and President of the Board. As an officer and trustee of the Board, I was instrumental in drafting the 2019 and 2024 Strategic Plans for the Valley Cottage library. I’m asking for your vote to serve a new five-year term on the Board of Trustees of the Valley Cottage Library. I would like to share with you some of my qualifications to represent the Valley Cottage community on the Board of Trustees.
I have been a resident of the Nyack School district and the Valley Cottage Library geographic area for thirty- three years, and a dedicated user of the library for all of those years. We have a beautiful, indispensable library uniquely in tune to the needs of our community and a well trained, happy and professional staff. Serving on the Board I have asked the difficult, searching questions about the operation of the library, it's goals and services, including its technology services, and its ability to continue to meet the current and future needs of our community from our youngest to our oldest users and will continue to do so if elected for another five-year term on the Board.
In addition to serving on the Board, I am a volunteer tutor with Literacy Solutions working with English as a Second Language (ESL) students. Since 2012 I have worked one-on-one with a few ESL students to help improve their understanding and pronunciation of the English language; as well as assisting in their application for citizenship. I have also taught several English Language Conversation group classes.
I retired after forty years from Metropolitan Life Insurance Company as Assistant Vice President in charge of the Life Underwriting Policy Department. In my corporate life I gained experience in strategic planning, budgeting, auditing, communications, marketing, public relations, legal and compliance issues. I also served as a past President and Executive Board Member of the Metropolitan Underwriting Discussion Group, an industry organization based in New York City geared to promoting the education and professionalism of life insurance underwriters in the tristate area. Additionally, I served as a presenter, past Treasurer, and Executive Board Member of the national organization of the Home Office Life Underwriters Association (now the Association of Home Office Underwriters). I hold an MBA, from New York University and a BA in History and Political Science from Molloy College, Rockville Centre, NY.
I believe my background, business experience and experience over the past fifteen and a half years on the Valley Cottage Library Board of Trustees make me uniquely qualified to serve our community for another five-year term on the Board. I appreciate your consideration and vote. Thank you.