Chief Executive Officer

The St. Louis Public Library (SLPL) seeks a strategic, collaborative, and visionary leader as its next Chief Executive Officer and Foundation President (CEO) to lead a highly regarded civic institution. The next CEO will bring a strong commitment to serving St. Louis’s diverse communities and to advancing the Library’s role as an essential public resource, while navigating a complex urban and political environment with diplomacy, credibility, and deep community engagement.

The St. Louis Public Library is a high-performing, deeply trusted urban institution that plays a critical role as both a cultural anchor and a core provider of social infrastructure across the city. With a strong financial and operational foundation, the library serves as a stabilizing presence in a variety of neighborhoods throughout the city where it often functions as a primary point of access to essential services, particularly in neighborhoods with significant socioeconomic challenges. Its reach and reputation extend beyond traditional library services, supported by active partnerships with schools, cultural organizations, and civic institutions, positioning it as a collaborative hub within the region. At the same time, the library operates within a complex city landscape and is entering a period of transition and opportunity, including system changes, expanded regional collaboration, and the potential for a major fundraising initiative. Together, these factors underscore an institution that is both well-established and poised for continued evolution as it redefines its role in meeting the needs of the community.

Anchored by an engaged and mission-centered senior leadership team and reporting to the Board of Directors, the next CEO will provide strategic, financial, operational, and cultural leadership for the Library, ensuring that SLPL fulfills its public mission with excellence, transparency, and long-term sustainability. In partnership with the Board and throughout the community, the CEO will be expected to articulate and execute a compelling vision for the Library’s future relevance and impact in St. Louis, one that advances thoughtful strategic planning, strengthens the Library’s visibility and community-centered service, deepens philanthropy and resource development, builds strong civic and regional partnerships, and sustains a collaborative, high-performing organizational culture.

APPLICATIONS, INQUIRIES, AND NOMINATIONS

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent below.

Karen Avery is leading this search with Robin Dougherty and Caroline Corry.

The St. Louis Public Library is committed to extending to each applicant and employee the protection of their individual rights by fair and consistent treatment. All applicants and employees, regardless of race, creed, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, disability, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, predisposing genetic characteristics, or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law, shall be treated with the human dignity that all people deserve. The St. Louis Public Library is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. As such, the St. Louis Public Library shall adhere to all pertinent provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Missouri Human Rights Act. In accordance with these Acts, the St. Louis Public Library shall not discriminate against qualified people in regard to any employment practices or terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, regardless of race, creed, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, disability, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, predisposing genetic characteristics, or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.