Tricia Allen, who serves as branch manager of the Dare County Library’s Kill Devil Hills branch, has been named Dare County Employee of the Month for June 2025. The prestigious award was presented to Allen by Dare County Librarian Meaghan Leenaarts Beasley during the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting that was held at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 14, 2025.*

Allen’s service to Dare County began in April 2017, when she was initially hired to serve as a library assistant and cataloguer for the Kill Devil Hills Library; however, “She quickly showed her skills at mastering our systems—but, more importantly, an aptitude for connecting with patrons and those around her,” said Leenaarts Beasley. “She was promoted to branch manager in [June] 2021, where Tricia oversees three full-time and four part-time library assistants, as well as a small army of dedicated volunteers.” 

In addition to supervising numerous library staff members and volunteers, in her role as branch manager, Allen is also tasked with overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Kill Devil Hills Library, which include developing and maintaining library collections, selecting and procuring library materials, managing the branch’s budget, responding to customer inquiries and requests, providing recommendations for reading material, and assisting customers with the use of the library’s digital resources, among many other important responsibilities. 

Meaghan Beasley presents the certificate to Tricia Allen during the Board of Commissioners meeting.

“The Devil Hills Library is not the largest public library branch in northeast North Carolina, but it is the busiest,” Leenaarts Beasley explained. “In the past year, under Tricia’s direction, she and her staff circulated over 126,000 physical items for 60,000 patrons who walked through their doors, and I’m extremely proud to say that it all went pretty flawlessly.”

Leenaarts Beasley continued her presentation by highlighting how Allen consistently exceeds expectations in her role as branch manager of the Kill Devil Hills Library, emphasizing not only her professional dedication but also the meaningful relationships she has built with the many members of the community she serves each day.

“It’s not just Tricia’s management of her staff and collections that’s impressive—it’s the way that Tricia truly cares about her patrons,” said Leenaarts Beasley. “She knows their names, their stories, their favorite books. She reaches out when she hasn’t seen a regular patron in a while, and she connects with their families in times of need. Tricia’s passion for her community is admirable and an example for us all.”

As she concluded her remarks and presented Allen with the Employee of the Month award for June 2025, Leenaarts Beasley commented, “Additionally, I am especially proud to say that it was Tricia’s employees who nominated her for this recognition—and my honor to present it to her. Thank you, Tricia. Congratulations!”

For more information about the wide array of services, programs and resources that are available at the Dare County Library’s three branches—the Kill Devil Hills Library, Manteo Library and Hatteras Library—please visit DareNC.gov/Library.

June 2025 Dare County Employee of the Month Tricia with her certificate following the presentation.

*The June 2025 Dare County Employee of the Month award was presented during the Dare County Board of Commissioners’ July 2025 meeting due to recipient Tricia Allen being unable to attend the previous month’s meeting.