Pearson elected 2019-2020 United for Libraries president

BRYN MAWR, Pennsylvania — Peter Pearson, lead consultant and co-founder of Library Strategies Consulting Group, has been elected 2019-2020 United for Libraries president. Pearson will serve as president-elect during 2018-2019 under United for Libraries President Skip Dye.

“I am honored to serve as president elect of United for Libraries,” said Pearson. “I have spent the majority of my career working with library Friends, Foundations and Trustees. Because of that, I know the critical role that these non-librarians play in keeping our libraries well governed and well-funded. I want to see United for Libraries grow so that it can meet more of the needs of these important groups.”  

Pearson was president of the Friends of the Saint Paul (Minn.) Public Library for 25 years, and was a founder of Library Strategies. As president of the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, he led three capital campaigns and coordinated an annual grassroots advocacy campaign that added millions of dollars of public funding to the library's budget. He also served as a Trustee for the Twin Cities Regional Library System for 10 years. He has been on the United for Libraries board for six years.

Two additional United for Libraries board positions were filled during the election. Rocco Staino, director of the New York Library Association’s Empire State Center for the Book, was elected to a Foundation at Large position. Dr. Gordon Baker, dean of libraries at Clayton State University in Morrow, Ga., and chair of the board of the Henry County (Ga.) Library System, was elected to a Trustee at Large position.

 United for Libraries: The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, is a division of the American Library Association with approximately 4,000 personal and group members representing hundreds of thousands of library supporters. United for Libraries supports those who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries, and brings together library trustees, advocates, friends, and foundations into a partnership that creates a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. To join, please visit www.ala.org/united or call (800) 545-2433, ext. 2161.