Meet Our Board

The Board of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association (LIWLRA) is composed of dedicated volunteers from across the United States who share a commitment to preserving and promoting Laura Ingalls Wilder’s legacy.

Rachel Luther

President

Rachel Luther got her first set of Little House books for Christmas when she was 7 years old. From that point on she was always reading one – working her way through the series and then going back and starting over again. When she was ten, she met someone who had actually been to some homesites, and let her borrow a copy of “The Story of the Ingalls”. Wait, these stories are really real?!?!  Then at school that fall she made a friend who was also obsessed with all things Laura. Writing to homesites, buying booklets, dreaming about going to visit the homesties, and writing letters to William Anderson filled up the next few years of her life, until she graduated high school and finally got to go on a trip around the Midwest!

Rachel is married to her military husband and high school sweetheart, Bob Luther, and they have one daughter, Anneliese. She was a high school math teacher, until she decided to leave that profession and become a part time librarian. She now spends her time reading, doing genealogy, trying to become a runner, and traveling the world, and can usually find a connection to Laura in everything she does. She joined the Board of Directors of the LIWRA in 2023 and is currently the President.

Carole Nebhut

Vice President

Carole Nebhut is of the firm belief that her love for all things Laura Ingalls Wilder is a passion and not an obsession. Obsessions interfere with one’s life; passions enhance them. And Carole’s life has certainly been enhanced by her involvement in the LIWLRA.

Carole’s first introduction to the Little House books was as a child in her local public library in the 1960s. Her deeper immersion began when she was in college and discovered the Little House Songbook in a bookstore, followed by the Zochert biography. All these years later the collection continues to expand, because as we all know, we can never have too much Laura-related reading material.

A retired special education teacher/administrator, Carole is the mother of 3 internationally adopted adult sons and the grandmother of 4 little boys born on 3 different continents. In addition to current role as Vice President of the LIWLRA, she serves in leadership roles at her church and at a local non-profit that provides resources to families involved in the foster care system. She is a regular guest reader in her grandsons’ school library, where she is slowly but surely working some of Laura’s stories into her repertoire.

Lynne Forder

Secretary

Lynne Forder has loved the Little House books since age 7. She still remembers being an 8 year old with a collection of already well-loved yellow paperbacks and how excited she was to open her third-grade history book and discover her favorite author was included in the book’s biographies. From the list in Zochert, she realized the sites could be visited, and at age 11 she made her first homesite visit when her parents added a stop in De Smet to a family vacation.

A civil engineer by degree, over the years Lynne has spent many hours volunteering in the schools and the community, including multiple years of working on the school Laura Day and over 15 years volunteering in the elementary/middle school media centers. Caregiving for family is currently keeping her busy, but in free hours she enjoys reading, crafting, and traveling. Lynne and her husband live in Georgia where they raised two sons and a daughter. She joined the LIWLRA board in 2023 and is currently the Secretary.

Kimberley Endicott

Treasurer

In the second grade, Miss Mielke placed Little House on the Prairie into the hands of seven year old Kimberley Endicott and her life was changed.  She made the connection between NBC’s television show, the books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and the author herself.  Her grandparents gave her the yellow copy paperpack books for Christmas that year and today they are well loved, read and wornout.  Her favorite book is Little House on the Prairie because of the travels in the wagon and making a home on the Kansas prairie.  Her favorite homesite is the Ingalls Homestead in DeSmet, SD.  
 
The Nebraskan has served on the board since January of 2018 and will be completing her service to the  LIWLRA in December of 2026.  She has served as Membership Chair, Vice President and is the current Treasurer.  When not on Laura adventures with friends, she works in the finance department at the ESU #1 in Wakefield, NE.  She is also the cheerleading coach at Wayne State College, the President of Wayne Public Library Board of Directors and is the Treasurer of the Wayne Community Schools Foundation.

Maureen Morgan

Board Member

Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House series first entered my life as bedtime stories read by my mother. As the second of four girls, I felt an immediate kinship with Laura. When my family moved from suburban New Jersey to rural Ohio when I was six, I imagined we were just like the Ingalls family heading west in a wagon- albeit a station wagon rather than one covered and horse-drawn.

My third-grade class celebrated Pioneer Day, and I was immensely proud to wear a long sprigged calico dress, a matching sunbonnet (lined in pink to distinguish it from my older sister’s, which was lined in blue), and an embroidered apron to school. I was such an enthusiastic reader that I “corrected” my elementary school librarian when she described the books as fiction: “Laura Ingalls was a real person—these are nonfiction!” It would be several years before I understood that while the books are grounded in real experiences, they are not the whole truth.

The post–Civil War era and the Industrial Revolution are among my favorite periods of American history—particularly Manifest Destiny, westward settlement, railroad expansion, and the rise of the Gilded Age. As an adult, I have enjoyed learning more about how the Ingalls and Wilder families fit into this broader historical context. I am an avid collector of biographies of Laura Ingalls Wilder and related works, and I hope someday to finish reading everything I have acquired.

I have been fortunate to visit all the major Laura Ingalls Wilder homesites. I have traveled to Malone several times, and in the summer of 2017, I took a “Little Drive on the Prairie,” visiting the Midwestern homesites along with several presidential libraries. While the prairies themselves were awe-inspiring, it was seeing Laura’s writing desks that moved me most – so much was accomplished from such simple beginnings. Today, my home is again in suburban New Jersey, about twelve miles outside New York City. Professionally, my career is in corporate finance, with a focus on professional knowledge, service, and consulting organizations, particularly those in transition. I addition to the LIWLRA, I currently serve as Board Chair for Omicron Delta Kappa, the collegiate National Leadership Honorary, and as Past Chair of the Marietta College Alumni Association Council. Locally, I volunteer with Red Cross Disaster Services and Toni’s Kitchen, a food ministry.

I have long admired the work of LIWLRA and its dedicated volunteers. Laura’s stories first took root for me as a child listening to bedtime readings, and they have continued to shape my love of history and storytelling ever since. It is a privilege to help extend that work-preserving Laura’s legacy while continuing the conversations her stories have inspired for generations.

Kevin Pearce

Board Member

Hello, my name is Kevin Pearce, and I consider myself lucky enough to be Karen’s husband, Art’s dad, and the Director of Orchestras at the Savannah Arts Academy in Savannah, Georgia, which is a magnet high school for the performing and visual arts. However, I will always consider Chicago to be my hometown since I was raised two towns north of the city. History and tradition have always interested me, and while I describe myself as a “shameless Europhile,” I find all cultures to be fascinating.
 
I started reading at a young age, but before 2003, I knew that Laura Ingalls Wilder was an author, but had never read any of her books. I also knew that Michael Landon was on some show based on a book that she wrote, but I had never seen an episode. When I met my wife at Indiana University (2025 National Champions! Hoo-hoo-hoo-Hoosiers!), she introduced me to both the books and the show. In 2012, we took our first “Laura Trip,” visiting Independence, DeSmet, Walnut Grove, and Mansfield, and attended our first LauraPalooza conference. Since then, I have been to all the other major homesites and attended every conference. Karen and I presented in 2019 on the meeting of Wilder, Lane, and Fritz Kreisler, a famous classical violinist that Wilder mentioned in West from Home, and in 2022 on American Singing Schools and their history. I was also on the “Men of the Place” panel at LauraPalooza 2025. Our calico cat, Serenity, focuses her research on the cats of Rocky Ridge: The Later Years.
 
What I have found so rewarding about the LIWLRA, its conferences, and other events, is that anyone from any profession can find an intersection between their profession and Wilder’s writings. One can also meet other professionals from completely different fields in the LIWLRA, without the pressure of “keeping up appearances.” I am excited to bring my outsider’s perspective to the board, since even after ten-plus years of LIWLRA membership, I still consider myself to be both a “fan by marriage” and “bonnet hesitant.”

Deborah Perry

Board Member

Deborah Perry is a lifelong devotee of Laura Ingalls Wilder, from her girlhood days dressing as Laura for school to her present focus on exploring the places and experiences of Laura’s life. As former Vice President of Finance and Administration and Board Member in the high-tech industry, Deborah brings a grounded business background to her true passion of preserving the Ingalls-Wilder legacy. 

She is committed to bringing the stories and homesteads of Laura’s day to a new generation of young readers. Her hobbies and interests include reading, gymnastics, travel, fashion, shopping, history, and all things Laura Ingalls Wilder!  She especially loves visiting Ingalls-Wilder homesites. Deborah lives in Dallas, TX with her husband, teenage daughter, twin 10-year-old sons, and a sweet golden retriever.

Deborah Perry is thrilled to join the LIWLRA board.

Susan Sanelli

Board Member

Susan began her Laura journey in the 5th grade while living on a radar site in North Dakota. Her father was in the Air Forces so the family moved a lot. She has attended approximately 12 different schools. Susan was very excited when the series started on TV when her family lived on base in Okinawa, Japan. The base library on Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs Co sponsored a Laura Ingalls Wilder night. She volunteered at the library and helped with the setup and stayed through the program. Her love for Laura has continued with great enthusiasm.

She has been married to her husband for 40 years this summer. She has two children (a daughter and a son) and a set of twin stepchildren. Her grandchild will be arriving in the beginning of May. She is a retired special education teacher of 35 years. She has taught Preschool to Fifth grade through the years. Susan now spends her time reading, knitting/crocheting for charity, and tutoring. She will soon be adding babysitting to the list.

She has been on the Board of the LIWLRA since the Fall of 2022. She has enjoyed being a member of the LIWLRA which created learning opportunities and the ability to meet other Laura followers/friends. She looks forward to meeting more followers and taking advantage of the knowledge that is shared.

Interested in Serving on the Board?

To express interest in serving on the LIWLRA Board or to nominate someone, please fill out the following form and include a brief description of the skills and ideas you or your nominee would bring to the board. If nominating someone else, please ensure they are aware of and willing to be nominated.

Board Service & Terms

Board members serve three-year terms and may serve up to two consecutive terms. As terms expire, openings periodically become available for new members.  Becoming an officer can extend your term limit.

Board Participation

The board meets virtually once a month, with meeting times scheduled to accommodate members in different time zones. Meetings typically last about one hour and generally follow Robert’s Rules of Order. Agendas are distributed before meetings, and meeting notes are shared afterward via email. Board members are expected to attend meetings regularly. Because board discussions and decisions may also occur via email, members should check email regularly.  

Board Responsibilities

Board members play an active role in supporting the organization and will:

  • Chair one standing committee and serve on at least one additional committee

  • Participate in planning and organizing the LIWLRA Conference

  • Contribute articles or updates for the newsletter

  • Assist with social media or website content

Conference planning typically begins about twelve to eighteen months in advance. During this time, additional meetings occur. During conference years, board members lead and participate in subcommittees responsible for planning the conference, in addition to their normal board responsibilities. All board members are required to attend the conference.

Qualities We Value

We seek board members who:

  • Are committed to preserving and promoting Laura Ingalls Wilder’s legacy

  • Work well as part of a collaborative, geographically dispersed team

  • Communicate respectfully and value differing viewpoints

  • Bring useful skills or expertise (such as research, finance, marketing, writing, technology, or nonprofit experience)

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