The Staff Spotlight is a feature that runs in each edition of ROOST News in which, every other week, we introduce you to a different, randomly chosen member of the ROOST team. It’s a fun, smart, eclectic bunch, so make sure not to miss this feature in each ROOST News, and check out past Staff Spotlights here. Name? Sharron Miller Where do you live, and where are you from? I live in Sranac Lake, and originally from Plattsburgh. How long have you worked at ROOST? I have worked at ROOST since 2006. Job title? Visitor Service Manager Job duties? My job duties include overseeing the visitor service department, scheduling staff for both the Lake Placid and Saranac Lake offices, and gathering and recording visitor data. I’m also responsible for ordering the supplies, maintaining equipment for the office, and the important job of keeping the office supplied with enough caffeine (coffee) for everyone to perform their ROOST duties. What do you like about working at ROOST? What I enjoy most working for ROOST is the team spirit of the office and how we are all working together to promote our area and to make sure our visitors have great experiences once they arrive here. What are your three favorite things to do outside of work? Outside of work, I love to spend time with my family which includes a husband, three daughters, three dogs, and a kitten. I’m totally into books, spend a great deal of time reading, and now I have started writing my first piece of fiction. What's your favorite book and why? One on my all-time favorite books, which I continue to pick up from time to time, is "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale; it has literally changed my life on several different occasions. Who is your hero and why? My hero is any person that dedicates their time to erasing the stigmatism of mental illness, especially involving children and young adults. What’s your favorite place that you have traveled to? I love to travel around different states, but my favorite location is southern Louisiana, where I lived for a short period of time. New Orleans is my favorite city there. What are you passionate about? My passion is music, all kinds, and the emotional feelings it evokes.

ROOST staff joined with other local organizations to pack and deliver boxes of food for the North Elba Christmas Fund to help needy families this holiday season. About a dozen ROOST staffers helped pack boxes the week before Christmas. After volunteering, the ROOST staff got together to share lunch and enjoy a gift swap to celebrate the holidays. A handful of staffers also showed up early the next morning to help with the finishing touches, then deliver boxes to families throughout the area. ROOST thanks the North Elba Christmas Fund for all it does to help people throughout the community!

ROOST Administrative Assistant and DMP Coordinator Kerry Blinn earned the Certified Administrative Professional certification through the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP). Kerry has been a member of IAAP since July 2015, and she took the CAP exam in September 2016, passing on her first try. This professional development was completed in her personal time. She is now exploring the optional specialty of Organizational Management, also through IAAP, to add to her CAP certification. The IAAP Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) is the leading recognized professional certification in the administrative field that encompasses all areas of the office. IAAP is a nonprofit professional association for administrative professionals. It strives to ensure individuals working in office and administrative professions have the opportunity to connect, learn, lead, and excel. The association focuses enhancing the value that office and administrative professionals bring to the table and advocate for the profession as it evolves to encompass the role of not just business partners but also leaders.

KEESEVILLE — Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH), the nonprofit historic preservation organization for the region, has received a major grant to support the publication of its new book, "A Guide to Architecture in the Adirondacks." The $5,000 Local Heritage grant from the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership will help underwrite the publishing cost of the first book to document the architecture of the 12 counties in the Adirondack region. A significant portion of the area covered by the guide lies within the Lake Champlain watershed. "We are thrilled and very grateful to CVNHP for their generous support and confidence in this project," said Steven Engelhart, AARCH executive director. "The guide will be both a unique travel companion and a major contribution to the documented history of the Adirondacks. Residents, visitors, researchers, historians and travelers will find it a 'must-have' book to keep in their cars and on their bookshelves." "A Guide to Architecture in the Adirondacks" is written by Richard Longstreth, one of America's best-known architectural historians. His project to research, visit, document, and photograph hundreds of historic structures in more than 100 towns and hamlets in the Adirondacks took five years and nearly 10,000 miles of driving throughout the region. Longstreth is the director of the Historic Preservation program at George Washington University and the author of 11 previous books on architectural history. The book is expected to be available in June 2017 and is published by Adirondack Architectural Heritage with design and marketing support from Adirondack Life. Draft of book cover

Happy holidays from ROOST! This week's ROOST News is worth opening if only for the goofy photo of us: . And no, we don't mean this one. ROOST