Library Board announces new executive director

The Jefferson County Public Library (JCPL) Board of Trustees today announced that Donna Walker, currently Director of Public Services for JCPL, will become JCPL’s new executive director effective September 1, 2018.

Donna Walker came to JCPL as Director of Public Services in 2012, where she helped catalyze JCPL into a twenty-first century library through innovations in services, staffing, programs, and outreach. Her promotion to executive director is a hard-earned and well-deserved next step in an impressive library career.

She came to JCPL from the Arapahoe Library District where she served in various capacities, most recently as manager for Neighborhood Libraries, Services to Children and Families, and Outreach.  She has presented at local, state, national and international conferences on library and outreach services. She currently serves on the Public Library Association’s Leadership Development Committee and on the Board of Jefferson County’s Communities that Care initiative. She is a proud alumna of Leadership Jeffco and mentor to emerging leaders in the Colorado Association of Libraries Leadership Institute. Walker has taught at the graduate and undergraduate levels, published in library literature, and been named a “Mover and Shaker” by Library Journal.

Walker earned her Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Washington, Master of Arts in English from the University of Denver, and Bachelor of Arts in English from Elmhurst College.

“We’re excited to usher in a new era of leadership at JCPL,” said Julia Hill-Nichols, chair, Library Board of Trustees. “Donna is inheriting a library system that has a tradition of excellence, a deep commitment to the community, a team of dedicated employees, and a great vision for the future. It will be exciting to see how far we can go together.”

“JCPL is poised to implement a bold new vision – one that fulfills our potential to be a best in class library. Through active engagement and collaboration with the community, the Board and the staff, we will continue to evolve JCPL so that it serves all users in new ways now and for the future,” said Donna Walker. “I’m deeply humbled to be selected to serve our community as the new executive director of this great library system in this great county.”

Donna Walker will follow Pam Nissler who plans to retire in August.