Jo-Ann Robotti, President

Jo-Ann Robotti has been President of the Library’s Board of Trustees since 2005 and a member of its Board since 2002. A voracious reader and a passionate proponent of public libraries, she traces some of her best childhood memories to the library in her hometown of Stamford, Connecticut. Jo-Ann and her husband, Joe Messing, came to Shelter Island as newlyweds in 1978, bought their first home ten years later and became full-time residents in 1999. Active in the Island’s community, she is a member of The Lions Club, The Shelter Island Association, the League of Women Voters of Shelter Island and a contributor to the Shelter Island Reporter. She is a Trustee of Simmons College in Boston, where she received a BA, with honors, in management and serves as the chairwoman of its board’s marketing committee. She also holds an MBA degree in marketing from Columbia University. Her long career in consumer products marketing and consulting includes a stint with Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve and her own marketing consultancy in New York, The Next Group. Currently, she focuses on marketing, strategic planning and new-product development with start-up organizations and consumer-oriented companies.