Mary has a bachelor’s degree in English with a political science minor from Charleston Southern University. She has been the Director of the Dictionary Project since 1995. She has written and published The Dictionary of Wisdom, The Best Dictionary for Students, A Student’s Dictionary, A Student’s Dictionary, Canadian Edition, A Student’s Dictionary & Gazetteer, Canadian Edition, and with the help of Karan and Siddarth Rai, A Student’s Dictionary & Animal Gazetteer. Mary enjoys reading, walking, and traveling. Her favorite thing about her job is listening to people talk about their experiences implementing the Dictionary Project.

Elizabeth graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor of science degree in accounting. She worked in public accounting as a CPA for 23 years. She is The Dictionary Project’s Director of Operations. She enjoys reading, travel, gardening, and boating. “I really enjoy getting to talk with sponsors across the U.S., and I love visiting classrooms to distribute dictionaries to students.”

2015 – Current

Douglas C. Boggie is the President of The Dictionary Project’s board of directors and has been a board member since 2015. He is a Financial Advisor and lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. Doug says the word that best describes him is motivated and had the following to say about the Dictionary Project. “As a member of Kiwanis in the Raleigh area we have found The Dictionary Project to be one of the most fulfilling programs for the Kiwanis clubs in our area. The tremendous reception from the students and teachers to the program as well as the personal gratification from the members handing out the dictionaries continue to make it a truly heartwarming experience for all.”

2019 – Current

Dennis Brovarone joined The Dictionary Project’s Board of Directors in 2019 and currently serves as its Vice President. He is an attorney and lives in Littleton, Colorado. He chairs the Littleton Rotary Literacy Committee and has been distributing dictionaries for over five years. Dennis says the word that best describes him is persistent. According to Dennis, “A dictionary is the gateway to not merely literacy but also science and the arts. Dictionaries are an educational necessity as that gateway tool and superior to reliance on websites and e-readers in many ways. Dictionaries become tactile treasures and a foundation of life long learning. Our literacy program in support of a Littleton Public School is over twenty years old. Once a week for an hour or two, our volunteers have students read a book of their choice, one on one to a volunteer who help with pronunciation, meaning and just having an adult pay attention to them. These volunteer hours are usually the best part of the week and Dictionary Distribution Day is a high point of the school year for the students and the volunteers. I have had parents tell me they still have their dictionaries decades after finishing school while electronic devices become obsolete in a few years. The third and fourth graders are thrilled when our Rotary Club distributes the dictionaries and their teachers are grateful for the support.”

2018 – Current

Gary Pollmiller was elected to the board of directors in 2018 and currently serves as its Secretary. He lives in Parsons, Kansas and is a retired commercial fine art and product photographer. He has been an active Rotarian since May 1, 1988. He has participated in The Dictionary Project since 2001 and says the word that best describes himself is Practical. Gary had the following comments to make about the importance of having a paperback dictionary. “A paperback dictionary is a practical, non-electronic method of improving the literacy of children and adults. I am not convinced that all students have access to a device or internet access in their home. These modern paperback dictionaries are practical when a student is given an assignment to learn about a new subject, and then can look up the words describing that subject which may seem outside of their present grade level.”

2019 – Current

Karen Robinson joined The Dictionary Project’s board of directors in 2019. She is a semi-retired software and database consultant who lives in the Kawartha area of Ontario, Canada. She began participating in The Dictionary Project through her Lions Club in 2018 and says the word that best describes her is Lion. She believes that a dictionary is a necessity and expressed it as follows. “The use of correct words is slowly disappearing from our world due to the use of acronyms and slang. Children are continually exposed to both of these. The saying ….you don’t know what you don’t know….has never been more prevalent. A child might “google” a word they know, but hand them a hard book and they can see all the words, not just the one they are looking for. If a child reads and learns one new word a day, the increase in vocabulary will be astounding over time The gift of a dictionary not only impacts the child, but the whole family will be impacted. “A child never keeps new discoveries to themselves. They normally want to show off and this will inspire parents to celebrate new words; perhaps even start playing more word games using the dictionary, with their child.”

2019 – Current

Terry L. LaCombe-Stephens became a board member in 2019. She is a real estate agent and lives in Hudson, Maine. She has been actively participating in The Dictionary Project since 2016 and learned about the project through the Maine State Grange “Words for Thirds” dictionary project. Diversified is the word Terry says best describes her. When asked why she thinks a dictionary is a necessity, she replied, “A dictionary is important for all ages as it teaches us how to communicate. Communication is the key to life. Having a dictionary enables one to communicate effectively with words and words give us the ability to communicate effectively.”

2019 – Current

David R. Carr became a Dictionary Project board member in 2019. He retired from International Paper in Ticonderoga in 1999 and lives in Crown Point, New York. He has been participating in The Dictionary Project since 2003, when he first learned about the project serving as President of the Ticonderoga Kiwanis Club. He introduced the project to NY State Elks in 2003 and received national support of the program during the 2004 Grand Lodge National Convention. Patriotism is the single word that David says best describes him. When asked ‘What do you say to teachers who tell clubs that they don’t want dictionaries given to their students because they use computers?’ David had the following response. “Any time I have heard from teachers that they didn’t want dictionaries used in their classrooms because the students all use computers, I have responded that there are numerous students nationwide who look forward to school as they get something to eat there. Many have difficulty getting anything to eat at home because of the poverty situation. These students don’t have computers and would never get a dictionary of their own if it was not provided for them. He added, I also highly recommend to all organizations distributing dictionaries to make sure to distribute any and all extra dictionaries to libraries in hospitals, nursing homes and Veterans Homes and Hospitals as these are appreciated by the residents there.”