PLA names Clara Bohrer as first fiscal officer

CHICAGO — Today, the Public Library Association (PLA) officially announced the appointment of Clara Nalli Bohrer, director of the West Bloomfield Township (Mich.) Public Library, as its first fiscal officer. Through a ballot initiative approved by the members earlier this year, the position of fiscal officer was added to the PLA Board of Directors. In her capacity as immediate past-president, board member Pam Sandlian Smith selected Bohrer for the fiscal officer role. Bohrer will serve a three-year term on the PLA Board, ending in 2022.

“It is a great honor to be selected as the first PLA fiscal officer and a responsibility I take very seriously, Bohrer remarks. “I look forward to helping maximize our financial resources to ensure that PLA remains a vital resource for our members.”

Clara Bohrer brings to the fiscal officer role a tremendous amount of experience in financial oversight within PLA and its parent organization, the American Library Association (ALA), as well as a deep understanding of the complex financial relationship between ALA and its divisions. For the past eight years, Bohrer has chaired PLA’s Budget and Finance Committee. She also served a four-year term, including two years as chair, on ALA’s Budget Analysis and Review Committee, eight years on ALA’s Planning and Budget Assembly and two years on ALA’s Finance and Audit Committee. Bohrer will continue to chair the PLA Budget & Finance Committee and serve as liaison to the ALA Budget Analysis & Review Committee.

“As ALA moves forward with organizational change, which includes potential changes in the financial relationship, one of my main priorities will be ensuring PLA’s voice is heard in the process and deliberations,” she adds.

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About the PLA
The Public Library Association (PLA) is the largest association dedicated to supporting the unique and evolving needs of public library professionals. Founded in 1944, PLA serves nearly 10,000 members in public libraries large and small in communities across the United States and Canada, with a growing presence around the world. PLA strives to help its members shape the essential institution of public libraries by serving as an indispensable ally for public library leaders. For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext.5PLA, or pla@ala.org.