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The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy congratulates Dennis Walcott, a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council, on his appointment as president and chief executive officer of Queens Library. Walcott, a former New York City schools chancellor and deputy mayor for education and community development under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, joins the library system after a six month national search. Walcott, 64, a Queens native, began his career as a kindergarten teacher and went on to lead the city’s Department of Education from 2011 to 2013.
As libraries are becoming more than just depositories of print materials, and increasingly serving as centers of community activity, Walcott’s background in education will serve him well as he leads the Queens Library in nurturing community initiatives and through the challenges of institution building.
Carl S. Koerner and Judith Bergtraum, trustees for the library who led the lengthy search to fill the position, said in a statement, “We are confident that Dennis Walcott has exactly the right skills and depth of experience to lead the library through the challenging years ahead.”
Walcott was quoted in the Daily News saying, “I look forward to working with all the fantastic, creative, dynamic staff and friends and visiting every community library, meeting and listening to their ideas and participating in initiatives that make life better and richer for their neighborhoods. I have been a lifelong patron of the Queens Library and wholeheartedly believe in the mission of this great institution.”
Walcott’s appointment to lead the library needs the approval of the State Department of Education. He is expected to start later in March.
