Nancy Dulniak - wife, mom, librarian
In memoriam of Nancy Dulniak, Nana’s Books Foundation was born. Nancy Jane Downey was born in 1951 in Granville, NY, to Robert and Charlotte Downey, where she grew up along with her three older sisters, Pat, Peg, and Pam. She thoroughly enjoyed small-town life, ice-skating on the local pond, getting sweet treats from the local store, Scotty’s, and making life-long friends. In 1969, she ventured off to college at SUNY Fredonia where she met her husband-to-be on the first day of orientation. She and Dennis were never separated after that day, graduating college and starting a family together. They settled in Bozeman, MT where she had 2 boys, Mark and Craig. Her passion to become a librarian grew stronger as her boys started school. In 1987, she was able to obtain her Master’s in Librarianship from University of South Carolina. She started her professional career at Piedmont Technical College as a research librarian. Later, she worked at the the federal law library in Nashville, TN, then as a tenured Librarian at Austin Peay State University, and Cataloger at Maitland Public Library, FL. In 2014, she retired from the Florida A&M University College of Law Library thereupon being diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, a precursor to Alzheimer’s Disease.
During retirement, Nancy enjoyed countless athletic events, musical and theatrical performances, sang weekly with the Central Florida Community Arts Musical Minds choir, and traveled the world with Dennis, visiting places she had dreamed of seeing, including Ireland, Wales, Poland, and Italy, and cruising the Panama Canal and the Alaskan coast. Though distance limited frequent visits, Nancy loved her grandsons deeply and enjoyed playing with and watching videos of them.
Nancy loved books immensely and often had 2-3 books in the works of reading. She also loved the International Storytelling Festivals, which she attended annually until she could no longer. She would often read to her grandsons, passing along her joy. This love of books and reading is the reason behind Nana’s Books Foundation. In Nancy’s honor, we pass along not only her enjoyment of reading, but also helping to educate youth about Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Dennis Dulniak - husband, Founder, President, Ed.D., M.S., B.S.
Dennis has poured his retirement life into the world of service through care partnering, caregiving, advocacy and providing support and mentorship to those who have a Loved One facing Alzheimer’s. Through this Foundation, he hopes to further educate youth and communities about the disease and opportunities to provide loving caregiving activities, support and creating treasured memories. His efforts in promoting the Nana’s Books Foundation, creating Central Florida Dementia-friendly Dining and providing programming and support for several Dementia-friendly Cruise opportunities have awarded him with several achievements: Florida Council on Aging Senior Media Vision Award and Health 2.0 Outstanding Leadership Award.
Mark Dulniak - son, Co-founder, Treasurer, B.S.
Mark, eldest son of Nancy and Dennis Dulniak, lives with his wife and son in Knoxville, TN. Mark started donating books in his Mom’s honor to local Knoxville classrooms in 2018. The students wrote Thank You notes back to her, which brought her great joy. The tradition continued each Christmas, and as Nancy’s health declined, Nana’s Books Foundation was founded to continue her legacy to share her love of books. Mark advocates for Alzheimer’s awareness and encourages families to speak to their children, at a young age, the journey and expectations as the disease progresses.
Craig Dulniak, son, Co-founder, Secretary, M.P.P., B.S.
Craig, the youngest son of Nancy and Dennis Dulniak, lives with his wife and son in Philadelphia. During one of Nancy's last visits to Philadelphia, Craig took Nancy to the public library near his home to sign her grandson up for a library card at the age of 1. Craig hopes that Nana's Books Foundation will help children better understand dementia and other disabilities by providing books about these topics that are underrepresented in children's literature.
April Levy, M.L.S., B.A.
Resource Acquisition Librarian, OhioLINK
Columbus, OH
Fundraising Committee Chair
April is an academic librarian who has worked to help people find the best information for their needs at colleges and universities in Tennessee, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Ohio during the past 25 years. She is currently Resource Acquisition Librarian at the Ohio Library and Information Network (OhioLINK) consortium. April is excited to contribute to NBF's mission both as a tribute to her former colleague and friend Nancy, as well as in remembrance of her mother Betty, who lived with dementia for over 10 years.
Board of Directors
Colleen Kapklein, B.A.
Self-employed writer/editor
Bronx, NY
Publisher Engagement Committee Chair
Colleen, writer and editor who has ghost-written more than a dozen nonfiction books, and a former editor at a major New York City publishing house. She is a volunteer college essay coach at Yonkers Partners in Education, which works to improve college access and persistence for first gen college students. She is a member and past board president of the Westchester Community for Ethical Culture. She has a family history of Alzheimer’s disease, is a care partner for her mother, who has a current diagnosis of MCI, and has a young adult son who is on the autism spectrum. Her hobbies include yoga, knitting hats and scarves for people living in shelters – and her book club of 30+ years.
Deborah L. Mills, B.S.
Author and Director of Agape Embassy Christian Academy
Fairfax, VA
Media Chair
Deborah is author and the administrator of a preschool in Fairfax, VA where learning is made fun and challenging. She loves being with family and friends with her family as her highest priority. Deborah is the author of “Granny Needs My Help,” that offers a look at Alzheimer’s disease from a child’s perspective. After caring for her parents for many years and watching the interaction between her grandchildren and her mother, she knew “Granny Needs My Help” was a much needed book to pen, in addition to six other books and projects. “Granny Needs My Help” is among the Nana’s Book distribution in 2024. Deborah is honored to be a part of the Nana’s Books Foundation team.
Selena Lawrence, M.S., B.S.
Early Literacy Support Teacher
Garland Independent School District
Rowlett, TX
Volunteers Coordinator Chair
Selena is dedicated to education over the last 19 years, especially in high-needs/Title I schools, where she demonstrates her commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of students facing various challenges. As an Early Literacy Support Teacher (Literacy Coach) in Garland ISD, she plays a crucial role in fostering literacy skills and supporting students with diverse needs.
Selena and her husband are both educators, supporting two active sons in Rowlett, TX. She has been a lifelong lover of reading, and as an adult has been an advocate for students who are from multilingual backgrounds, those who struggle with literacy, and those with special needs such as ADHD and Autism. She has applied the master's degree in teaching English as a second or other language and has successfully presented at multiple conferences including TNTESOL, SETESOL, BEAM, and GISD EBCON, along with district presentations on early literacy, multilingual, and newcomer education. She is proud to have been on the front end of Nana's Book Foundation when the Dulniak family originally donated books to her students in Knoxville, TN. Because of this, she is pleased to be able to work to further the education of students about Alzheimer's and other terminal illnesses honor not only Nancy but also her mother June Skeen, who passed away the same year from colon cancer.
