Written by Melissa Stan
We’re pleased to welcome Cassie (KC) Pfannenstiel to the Johnson County Library Foundation Board. Cassie is an attorney and owner at Bloom Legal Advisors, where she assists individuals and families with estate planning and bankruptcy. She’s passionate about helping to educate her clients on how the law can make their lives better, an approach that aligns with the Library’s mission of access, learning, and empowerment.
Cassie was drawn to the Foundation as a way to pair her professional experience with something she has loved since childhood: libraries.
“I learned about the Foundation and thought, what a wonderful way to be around people who love libraries as much as I do,” she says. “I’m excited to help raise funds so Johnson County Library can keep offering amazing resources for our community.”
Her passion for libraries began early. Cassie credits her elementary school and hometown library with shaping her into a more open-minded, empathetic, and imaginative person. “I truly believe those early stories and biographies helped shape who I am,” she says, noting that she likely never would have read about topics like the hunting of gray wolves, Helen Keller, or Ryan White without library access.
Some of Cassie’s favorite library memories connect past and present. She remembers playing in a small castle at the Hays Library after picking out books as a child. Years later, she experienced that same joy while taking her daughter to Johnson County Library’s Lenexa branch and watching her delight in putting on a puppet show after choosing her books. “I feel like I have come full circle in my library journey,” Cassie says.
As she begins her board service, Cassie is eager to learn more about everything Johnson County Library offers and to help share that information with others. “I want to share what the Library offers with my community so the love of the Library just keeps growing,” she says.
Outside of work and volunteer service, Cassie enjoys gardening, listening to audiobooks on Libby, watching Masterpiece Theatre, playing pickleball, taking road trips, and spending time with her family and dogs. She recently enjoyed The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin and In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan.
With her professional expertise, lifelong love of libraries, and commitment to education and community, Cassie brings thoughtfulness and enthusiasm to the Foundation Board. We’re excited to have her help in supporting Johnson County Library and the people it serves.