WHO WE ARE
Civic engagement is at the core of who we are. And we love libraries. We’ve gained deep experience working in the library world — as staff, consultants, volunteers, and advocates.
Embolden by Design (ExD) allows us to leverage our expertise in strategy, community engagement, communications, and evaluation to offer compassionate support to libraries as they provide vital services to communities.
Strategy | Program Development
STACIE LEDDEN
Stacie Ledden is a creative strategist, storyteller, and founder of Stacie Ledden Consulting. She works with purpose-driven clients worldwide to build emotional connections between organizations and their audiences through leadership development, branding and marketing, community engagement, vision and values, and strategy. Stacie spent 15 years as the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Anythink Libraries, the public library system for Adams County, Colo., where she still contributes as a member of the Anythink Foundation board. She is a Civic Saturday Fellow through Citizen University and a champion for civic engagement as an activist and communicator.
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PR | Communications
AMANDA MININGER
Amanda Mininger is a freelance writer and author with an extensive background in content marketing and project management, helping diverse clients ranging from SaaS companies to small businesses to nonprofits and libraries craft their messages and tell their stories. Amanda holds a BA in Journalism and is a certified User Experience (UX) writer. From 2017-2020, Amanda co-led the PR and media team for a 4,000-member, Colorado-based chapter of a national grassroots democracy movement, and remains active in democracy- and community-organizing efforts today.
Evaluation
LAUREEN TRAINER
Laureen Trainer is the Founder and Principal of Trainer Evaluation, an evaluation consulting firm that partners with nonprofit organizations, primarily in the cultural and informal education sectors, to understand and communicate impact, deepen learning, and clarify their role in the community. Passionate about evaluation as a tool for iterative learning and adaptation, her work helps organizations engage internal stakeholders and community members in meaningful, data-driven reflection that generates clear insight and action. Trainer serves as lead evaluator on multiple federal grants supported by agencies including the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Science Foundation, and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. She is also the editor of Evaluating Accessibility in Museums (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024).
A NOTE FROM
OUR TEAM
We developed this program based on our professional backgrounds and lived experiences as white women in a changing socio-political and cultural climate. Though we cannot claim to represent the full spectrum of humanity, we have great respect for what we don’t know and strive to learn every day. It’s through this lens that we emphasize the following: ExD’s impact will differ from library to library. Therefore, we strongly urge each library to make ExD your own — centering your specific context, staff make-up, and community needs to achieve the best outcomes for you.