Tracie D. Hall was appointed executive director of the American Library Association. When she takes office on February 4, she will be the first African American woman to hold the position.
The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 57,000 members in academic, public, school, government, and special libraries. The association was founded 143 years ago.
Most recently, Hall directed the culture portfolio at the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation, developing new grant programs designed to catalyze and scale neighborhood-based arts venues, cultural programming, and creative entrepreneurship. Over the years she has worked at the Seattle Public Library, the New Haven Free Library, Queens Public Library, and Hartford Free Public Library.
Hall is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she double majored in law and society and Black studies. She earned a master’s degree in international and area studies from Yale University and a master of library and information science degree from the University of Washington.