We are excited to announce that we have a new Executive Director! Daniel (Dan) J. Montgomery, currently President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, will start at ALA on Nov. 10.

He will replace Leslie Burger, who has graciously led our organization for the past 1.5 years as interim executive director.

Dan will be at Annual Conference, and I will introduce him at our Opening Session on Friday evening. For those of you who will be at our Annual Conference in Philly, if you see him, please introduce yourself.

Dan has worked on behalf of public education and the rights of workers for more than two decades. He was elected to a three-year term as president of the 103,000-member Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) in October 2010 and was unanimously re-elected in every subsequent election.

The steering committee chose him because of his commitment to public institutions, his comfort working across diverse and difficult political situations, his service to both cities and rural areas, and his experience managing a complex, member-driven organization.

In addition to being IFT president, Dan is chief operating officer, responsible for managing and executing policy and programs on behalf of 400 local affiliates and members. He manages a staff of 100 professional and support personnel in 11 offices throughout Illinois. He has experience with organizational change through a multi-year process.

He has an A.B. from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and an M.S.Ed., School of Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Members of the search committee: Chair Emily Drabinski, Associate Professor, Queens College, CUNY; Sophia Sotilleo, Dean, Thurgood Marshall Library, Bowie State University; Evviva Weinraub Lajoie, Vice Provost, University at Buffalo; Paula Brehm-Heeger, Executive Director, Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library; Maggie Farrell, Dean of Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Ramiro Salazar, Retired, Former Director, San Antonio Public Library; Steven Yates, Associate Dean/Associate Professor, University of Alabama SLIS; Staff Liaison: Lorelle Hopkins, ALA Associate Executive Director, Human Resources

Thank you to the staff committee, who also interviewed the three excellent finalists and helped us choose the best person for the job.

I would also like to thank Leslie for her work as interim executive director for far longer than she or we anticipated. She has been the leader we all needed during these challenging times. The fact that she was a member and served as ALA president helped her hit the ground running. She is someone who approached this job with courage and conviction, and I am truly grateful for her partnership.

Thank you to all of you for your support!

Cindy Hohl

ALA President