Posted on Mar 28, 2022 | Blog,News
Women Making History: Samantha Bonnette
The month of March is Women’s History Month – recognizing and celebrating the vital role of women in American history. Over the past few weeks, Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) has spotlighted several amazing women making history here in Louisiana as they work to protect and improve our environment.
Today, we want to share our appreciation and admiration for Samantha Bonnette, Chair of the KLB Board of Directors and Marketing and Development Manager for Shreve Memorial Library, a 21-branch library system serving Shreveport, LA and the surrounding Caddo Parish.
Bonnette started getting involved with KLB during her time as Affiliate Director for Keep Natchitoches Beautiful, April 2013 – December 2016. She was thrilled to be invited to join the Board and stay involved in KLB’s mission, eventually filling the position of Chair.
“I am drawn to KLB’s mission because Louisiana is home,” says Bonnette. “I was born and raised here and there’s no place like it, so we have to do our part to keep it beautiful and a true sportsman’s paradise.”
Bonnette is most proud of KLB’s Healthy Communities Grants because they provide a way for communities across the state to continue improving and positively impact citizens’ quality of life.
As an advocate for environmental education, Bonnette is also proud of her recent role in supporting KLB’s developing relationship with Louisiana’s library system. She was able to connect KLB with the State Library to introduce and integrate the Rocksey’s Toolbox K-5 curriculum into libraries across the state starting this fall. With Bonnette’s help, KLB was also able to provide all 339 libraries with “Read with Rocksey” bookmarks and supplemental promotional materials for Love the Boot Week.
“I absolutely adore Samantha, and look up to her as a woman with tremendous strength, perseverance, and tenacity,” says Susan Russell, Executive Director of KLB. “Under her leadership, we never missed a beat during the pandemic, and we were able to quickly shift and adapt with the times.”
Bonnette is a proud alum of Tulane University and brings over 15 years of marketing experience to her role with Shreve Memorial Library. Since joining Shreve Memorial Library in January 2017, she has worked to develop the library’s strategic plan, increase awareness of library resources and services as well as attendance at library programs and events, and establish a library foundation. Bonnette resides in Natchitoches with her daughter, Ruby.
