Tracie D. Hall

Executive Director, American Library Assocation

Tracie D. Hall is the tenth Executive Director of the American Library Association (ALA), the oldest and largest library association in the world with 50,000 members serving library and educational institutions throughout and beyond the US. The first Black woman to helm ALA in its nearly 150-year history, Hall has served in numerous library and arts leadership positions nationwide.

Her former posts include Culture Program Director at The Joyce Foundation where she was recognized for creating numerous programs in support of arts-based community and economic development; Deputy Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events where she received citations for her work to expand arts, fresh food, and social services access; Vice President of Strategy and Organizational Development at Queens Library where during her tenure she founded the NYC Early Learning Network; Community Investment Strategist and Community Investor for the Boeing Company’s Global Corporate Citizenship division; Assistant Dean of Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science; other library positions at the Hartford Public Library, New Haven Free Public Library, and Seattle Public Library and non-profit and public sector roles across the country. Holding dual bachelor’s degrees from University of California at Santa Barbara, and master’s degrees from the Yale University School of International and Area Studies and the University of Washington School of Information, Hall’s work in library and arts administration has focused on advancing early and adult literacy, expanding broadband access, advocating for library and literacy services for people who are incarcerated.

In 2022, Hall became only the second librarian to be honored with a National Book Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. Early in 2023, she was named the recipient of the Literacy Leader Award by scaleLIT. In April of this year, TIME Magazine named Hall to its annual TIME100 list of the most influential people in the world. Most recently, she was recognized on the Forbes 50>50 list for her leadership through the “twin pandemic and censorship crises”.