On June 27, the American Library Association (ALA) issued the following statement announcing its new executive director, Daniel J. Montgomery:
ALA has selected Daniel J. Montgomery to be its next executive director. He will replace Interim Executive Director Leslie Burger.
Montgomery has worked on behalf of public education and the rights of workers for more than two decades. He was elected to a three-year term as president of the 103,000-member Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) in October 2010 and has been unanimously reelected every three years since then.
He will start at ALA on November 10.
“We are excited that Dan Montgomery will join us as our new executive director,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “Dan’s strong background in public service and public education is a great fit for our goals. We had three excellent finalists, and I want to thank all of them. Dan is exactly the leader we need in these times.”
The steering committee chose Montgomery because of his commitment to public institutions, his comfort working across diverse and difficult political situations, his service to both cities and rural areas, and his experience managing a complex, member-driven organization.
“As someone who believes strongly in public education, I am eager to bring my passion for service and leadership to the American Library Association,” Montgomery said. “Education and libraries are a part of the same fabric, and they are foundational to a healthy democracy. And they need defending now more than ever.”
In addition to serving as IFT president, Montgomery is chief operating officer, responsible for managing and executing policy and programs on behalf of 400 local affiliates and members. He manages a staff of 100 professional and support personnel in 11 offices throughout Illinois. He has experience with organizational change through a multiyear process.
Montgomery holds a master’s degree in education from the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and a bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The following were members of the search committee: Chair Emily Drabinski, associate professor at Queens (N.Y.) College, City University of New York; Sophia Sotilleo, dean at Bowie (Md.) State University’s Thurgood Marshall Library; Evviva Weinraub Lajoie, vice provost at University at Buffalo (N.Y.) Libraries; Paula Brehm-Heeger, executive director of Cincinnati and Hamilton County (Ohio) Public Library; Maggie Farrell, dean of university libraries at University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Ramiro Salazar, retired former director of San Antonio (Tex.) Public Library; Steven Yates, associate dean and associate professor at University of Alabama’s School of Library and Information Studies in Tuscaloosa. The staff liaison was Lorelle Hopkins, ALA associate executive director of human resources.
