Every Budget Tells a Story: A Fond Retirement Farewell to Beth Schoeppler
I met Beth 15 years ago, in a job interview that would shape the course of my career. She was on the hiring team, and I remember being struck by how deeply she understood the Loft—not just what we did, but how it all fit together. She saw the moving pieces not as chaos to tame, but as an ecosystem to tend. Beth had a systems mind and an artist’s heart. She believed in the power of data, budgets, and evaluation because she knew these tools could help us fulfill our purpose with clarity and integrity.
From the beginning, the Loft was and is a literary organization, attracting dreamers and poets. Beth had those qualities too, but she helped professionalize us, grounding us that much more deeply in our mission. “Every budget tells a story,” she liked to say. And she meant it. A budget, to Beth, wasn’t just a spreadsheet—it was a mirror of our values, our priorities, our hopes.
As former colleague Brian Malloy put it, there "is often behind-the-scenes and occasionally thankless work done outside the spotlight, but it is absolutely critical stuff that has kept the Loft rock solid over the past 17 years. We all owe her big time.”
Beth's work propelled others, she was there for writers, readers, fellows, interns, volunteers, and staff members. “She consistently and quietly ensured that extraordinary things happened,” said former Executive Director Britt Udesen. “Her questions and insight made every meeting, every program, and every policy better.” Britt added, “None of her budgets were ever just about numbers—they were about people and the possibility for magic.”
Over those 17 years, Beth played nearly every behind-the-scenes role imaginable: development, finance, operations, strategic counsel, hallway therapist, spreadsheet wizard, and even (during the height of Covid) an air purifier wrangler. She’s been a steady hand through leadership changes, budget crises, a global pandemic, and the temporary closing of Open Book. “She kept the ship upright and sailing through all of it,” said colleague Lynn Casale. “She’s kept the Loft ship afloat, steered it through murky waters, avoided icebergs—no small task in these seemingly impossible times,” echoed former colleague Edward McPherson.
She’s done it all with humility and clarity. “Her compassionate financial storytelling has shown me that numbers aren’t just numbers,” said former colleague Hannah Holman. “They are reflections of values, priorities, and the people that make the work happen.”
Beth brought a deep curiosity to everything she did—and she inspired that in others. “Her eye for organization and systems is unmatched,” said colleague Marianne Manzler. “I learned so much from her about how to approach tricky problems with an open mind and how to love data!!!”
Her office became a kind of “Free Space” on the Loft bingo card—a place you went when you needed an answer, a sounding board, or just a moment of grounding. “Beth is the person who helps everyone else complete their work,” said colleague Marcy Woodard. “If you aren’t sure what questions to even ask... ask Beth.”
And she answered—with grace, clarity, and the kind of institutional wisdom that only comes from being both deeply invested and deeply kind. “Beth is a true wizard at the Loft,” said colleague Zach Goldberg. “So generous with her talents and knowledge... she’s always my first stop when I have a question about the Loft, our history, our programs, and our people.”
Beth helped build things too. When David Mura proposed launching a class specifically for BIPOC writers, Beth rolled up her sleeves and helped build the scaffolding to support it. The class filled with 80 writers in a hall built for 12. When funders raised questions, Beth stood firm. “Beth was adamant about supporting the class in the face of these inquiries,” David recalled. “The Loft was willing to lose funding rather than stop the class. Several of the BIPOC writers from that class have gone on to teach at the Loft—that’s part of Beth’s legacy.”
Beth also played a key role in making Loft classes more accessible. “She helped build and sustain the Loft’s Access Fund,” said colleague Jack Harris, “ensuring more people could participate in Loft offerings regardless of means. That fund just wouldn’t exist without her.”
Teaching artist Sun Yung Shin added: "Beth has awesome energy and it’s contagious. I’ve always enjoyed seeing her at Loft events and I am so grateful that she has shared her talents and skills with this organization. She and the team have made so much possible in our community and rippling outward. The practice of supporting language work and creative spaces can be so serious, hard, thankless — and nonprofit work is very, very challenging — and she always projected fortitude. I loved her attitude. Thank you forever, Beth!"
Every day, she showed up with humor and heart. “She can talk to anyone about anything,” said Marcy. “A hello in the hallway could turn into a 15-minute dive into love, loss, or the crushing weight of late-stage capitalism. And you’d walk away lighter for it.”
Sometimes that lightness came with a croissant in hand. Britt remembers seeing Beth run down the hall whenever former colleague Bao Phi emailed that there were pastries in the kitchen. Britt also fondly recalls her fierce competitiveness in the annual Easter Beer Hunt or catching her on the dog bed under a desk snuggling with a colleague’s pup.
“She made spreadsheet wizardry pleasant, if not fun,” recalled Edward, who said he was “threatened” into learning pivot tables when he served as Education Director.
As Jocey Hale, former Executive Director, shared: “Beth threw her brains, skills, and love into the Loft. She partnered with three different executive directors and served as interim director during transitions. She guided the Loft through easier and challenging times. When you read a Loft-supported author, know that Beth is a ghost within the acknowledgments.”
Arleta Little, the Loft’s current Executive and Artistic Director, echoed that sentiment. “For nearly two decades, Beth has been the backbone for the Loft’s finance and operations,” she said. “She served in leadership at the Loft and Open Book during key periods of transition—most recently through the COVID shutdown—and championed the Loft’s early antiracism work. So much of the magic of the Loft has happened because Beth was working tirelessly behind the scenes to make it so. She’s been a rock star and a gift to the Loft and Minnesota’s literary community.”
Arleta added, “I knew I could depend on Beth to tell me the truth, even when it was hard. This was invaluable for me as a new leader serving in difficult times.” Their connection extended beyond work: “We shared a passion for dogs, gardening, red wine, and travel. I loved meeting on Beth’s screened-in porch when her crabapple trees were in bloom—a slice of heaven!”
Former colleague Tanner Curl summed it up beautifully: “Beth has this wonderful way to balance hard things (financials, budgets, spreadsheets) with soft things (beauty, ideas, heart, feelings). That approach helped people in the Loft community connect through words and literature and made sure that work was sustainable, aligned, and able to adapt to a shifting nonprofit landscape. It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes work that makes the magic happen.” Tanner also recalled being part of the affectionately named “Beth’s Babies”—a group of direct reports who admired her unique mix of mentorship and accountability. “She was really game to let us grow and spread our wings,” he said, “but was always there to provide support and remind us what we were accountable for in our roles and service to the Loft’s mission. The nonprofit sector and the world generally would be better with more Beth Schoepplers in it.”
Beth has given so much of herself to the Loft. She has been the steward, the strategist, the shoulder to lean on. The one who knew the answers but always helped you find your own. The ghost in the acknowledgments, and the soul in the spreadsheets.
And now, as she turns the page to the next chapter, we send her off with deep gratitude. For her grace. Her brilliance. Her quiet courage. Her friendship. Her legacy.
Beth, thank you. We will miss you and seventeen years of stories well told!
