Although Janet Millard lives in Ypsilanti, she has been part of the Belleville scene for over 40 years. Moving to Ypsilanti in 1965 to work at Eastern Michigan University, she and her husband bought a home in the Van Buren School District and her two children, Dina & William, graduated from Belleville High school.

Janet took the position of Executive Director of the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce in 1989 and retired after 19 years in 2008. Four years later she became Events Coordinator for the Belleville Central Business Community and two years later accepted the position of Office Manager at the Belleville Area Independent.

She is currently the Advertising Manager at the Independent and coordinates the eight annual events put on by the Belleville Central Business Community.

Mary Jo Suchy is the library director of the Belleville Area District Library. She was practically born with a book in her hand and has many fond memories of visiting her local public library when she was a child.

She used to climb a tree in her backyard and read Nancy Drew mysteries. Mary Jo has been working in public libraries her entire career, starting as a student assistant shelving books while in high school. She has met many wonderful people and has made fantastic friends along the way.

While the tools of the library world have changed over the years (anyone still remember the card catalog?) the library’s core mission - to be a civic hub, and to connect people with information, literature, and knowledge - is timeless.

When Mary Jo is not at the library, she enjoys traveling – especially anything involving an ocean or the Great Lakes, cooking, brewing her own beer, and hanging out with her three cats.