The Boston Public Library has a new interim director
Trustees at the historic Boston Public Library chose library administrator David Leonard to serve as interim president on Thursday and Exec at Natixis John Hailer to replace Chairman Jeffrey B. The Globe reports that this comes at a particularly awkward time for Natixis Global Asset Management president and CEO Hailer, who is the subject of a sexual harassment and discrimination case brought by a senior saleswoman who rejected his advances. In legal documents, Natixis refuted the claims and said the saleswoman was let go due to poor performance. The 167-year-old public library, which has been through some difficult and turbulent times, has experienced yet another unexpected turn of events. Trustees have made the right choice in appointing John Hailer as interim chair, and the mayor supports that choice, according to McGilpin. The library’s 48-year-old head of administration and technology, Leonard, will fill in temporarily for departing president Amy E. Ryan, a renowned career librarian who resigned under protest last month after two priceless works of art went missing for over a year before being located.
Walsh and his administration were quite critical of Ryan. The theft prompted police to look into the library’s collection of valuable artwork, books, and prints. When facing the worst controversy of her nearly eight-year career, the situation revealed a chasm between City Hall and the library. Mayor Walsh’s chief of staff, Daniel Koh, blasted trustees for not acting as “an independent check” on Ryan and her team during an emergency meeting of the board that was called for by the mayor.
As Ryan explained, they were mistakenly filed. On Thursday, Ryan recommended Leonard to the board, hailing him as a skilled leader who had been working with the mayor’s office to ensure a seamless transition. He is currently responsible for managing the administration of the library’s physical spaces, human resources, labor relations, and the major projects office. After Ryan’s departure on July 3, he will begin his new position.
Ryan addressed the board, “We’ve had many goods, credible alternatives to step in as interim president,” Leonard received unanimous support from the board members. South End native and 2009 library employee Leonard remarked, “It’s fairly evident that we need to go over the issues of the previous several weeks and truly focus on delivering and improving our fundamental services to the people of Boston.” Officials have confirmed that Leonard is pursuing a master’s degree in library science. Koh expressed gratitude to Ryan and Rudman and the administration’s eagerness to collaborate with the board during Thursday’s meeting.
The 54-year-old native of Roslindale was nominated to the library board in March 2013 by Walsh’s predecessor, Thomas M. Hailer said he is comfortable in his new role as board chairman and that his experience will be beneficial to the library this time of transition. On the day he was named interim chairman; however, John Hailer was questioned about the harassment complaint he had been named a defendant in seven years earlier.” The years of hard work I put in, Hailer said in an interview, greatly outweigh any potential damages “just one unjustified claim.