Administration
Wayne M. Crocker
Library Director
wcrocker@ppls.org
Wayne M. Crocker was born and raised in Petersburg. He is a graduate of Petersburg High School and Virginia State University, with a Master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Atlanta. He has been library director of library services since 1980. He also oversees museums and cemeteries. He founded the Petersburg Library Foundation, which is responsible for the building of the new library building. Most recently, he has founded the McKenney Foundation, which is working on renovating the old McKenney Library into a Civil Rights museum and City archive. On the rare occasions that he has time, he enjoys the works of John Grisham and David Baldacci.
Felita Tucker
Administrative Assistant
ftucker@ppls.org
A daughter of Dinwiddie County, Felita Tucker worked 26 years with the state. She receives the Library’s phone calls, does the buying, gets the bills paid and generally keeps things going. She is mother to one son, of whom she is very proud. Her second love is drag racing; she has worked for the Dinwiddie Sports Complex since 1994.
Customer Service
Antonia Robles
Customer Services Manager
arobles@ppls.org
A proud native of the Bronx, Antonia Robles has lived in Virginia for 30 plus years. She came to the Library from Tri-Cities Funeral Home. She is responsible for scheduling and overseeing the customer service staff. She is a Spanish speaker. She loves gardening and decorating; the impressive plants and visual displays in the Library are her work. She is a mother to three grown children and five grandchildren.
Janet Sullivan, Library Assistant
sullivan@ppls.org
Sheila Jarratt, Library Assistant
sjarratt@ppls.org
Marilyn Estes, Library Assistant
mestes@ppls.org
K’Vahzsa Roberts, Library Assistant
kroberts@ppls.org
Aisha Muhammad, Library Assistant
amuhammad@ppls.org
Technical Services
Dana Cragg
Technical Services Librarian
dcragg@ppls.org
Dana Cragg has worked for the Petersburg Library in various roles since 2001. She has a degree in History from Old Dominion University and a Master in Library Science from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. She currently selects and purchases materials for the Library, as well as adding them to the Library catalog. She loves reading and sings with the Chesterfield County Choral Society. She is the loving mother of one dog and one cat.
Audrey Hall, Library Assistant
ahall@ppls.org
Youth Services Librarian
Yolanda Risher, Library Assistant
yrisher@ppls.org
Autumn Berneking, Library Assistant
aberneking@ppls.org
Marketing and Programming
Raleigh Desper
Marketing Director / PR
rdesper@ppls.org
Originally from Maryland and raised in a library, Raleigh Desper brings a wealth of experience and creative energy to his role at Petersburg Public Library. After elementary school, the library became his second home, sparking a lifelong passion for learning and storytelling. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business marketing and is the author of Breakthrough Marketing. A skilled videographer, cinematographer, and photographer, Raleigh leads the library’s visual storytelling and public outreach efforts. His cinematography credits include Prison Plumbline, a feature available on Tubi and YouTube, which he filmed entirely on his own due to budget constraints—serving as a one-man cinematography team. He is also a passionate teacher and speaker, known for inspiring others through his love of both the creative and literary arts. Whether behind the camera or leading a workshop, Raleigh is dedicated to making meaningful connections and sharing the library’s story with the world. In his downtime, Raleigh enjoys reading business books, studying social media trends, and staying inspired by new ideas.