MSU Press Marketing and Sales Manager Nicole Utter elected to serve as Library of Michigan Foundation Board President
EAST LANSING, Mich., Oct. 2025 — In July, Michigan State University Press Marketing and Sales Manager Nicole Utter was elected to serve as the Board President for the Library of Michigan Foundation after two years of service as a board member.
Nicole Utter holds a master’s degree in strategic communication from MSU and has more than 25 years of experience in communications. She began her career in journalism at Community News, which today is part of the Lansing State Journal. She then moved to the East Coast and lived in Doylestown, Pa., where she wrote for the Bucks County Courier. She was one of the first writers hired at the digital magazine Bucks Happening and worked up the ranks to become the magazine’s first editor-in-chief. She returned to Michigan after being hired by MSU IT for her expertise in digital communication, serving as head of communications. Utter eventually joined MSU Press in 2020 to pursue her long-standing passion for books.
Through her role at MSU Press, Utter attended the Night for Notables, the Library of Michigan’s largest annual fundraiser. The event sparked her interest in the foundation’s work, and when the board began seeking new members, Utter was eager to get involved. “I was so excited,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to give back, given how much I took from the library when I was younger.”
Looking ahead to her time as president, Utter plans to focus on expanding the foundation’s digitization efforts, with a specific goal of increasing discoverability. She emphasized the importance of this work, noting that “A big part of what the Library of Michigan does is preserve Michigan information. If we don’t help fund it, the information may be lost.”
MSU Press Director Elizabeth Demers shared her enthusiasm for Utter’s new role and the connection between the two positions she will now hold. “Nicole’s passion for books, her deep experience as a writer and publisher, and her commitment to the role that libraries and presses play in public life create a perfect synergy between the work of Michigan’s regional presses and the state library. Her role on the Library of Michigan Foundation board will not only highlight the wonderful work that MSU Press and the MSU Libraries are doing to support the people of Michigan, but our state’s unique and rich literary culture as well.”
The MSU Libraries, ranked among the top research libraries in North America, is at the center of academic life at Michigan State University, providing expertise, collections and infrastructure for discovery and creation. The MSU Libraries facilitates connections that support research, teaching and learning in MSU’s local and global communities.
The Library of Michigan Foundation exists to support and raise funds for the Library of Michigan to help preserve Michigan history and culture, ensure board access to quality information, and to promote rich literary programs and life-long reading.