As Annual Conference Kicks Off, ALA Announces New Executive Director
Daniel J. Montgomery, currently President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, will take the helm at ALA this fall.
Nearly two years since Tracie D. Hall's abrupt departure, the American Library Association has named a full time executive director.
In a message to members sent on the eve of the 2025 ALA Annual Convention, ALA leaders announced that Daniel J. Montgomery, currently President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, will take the ALA helm. He will officially begin on November 10.
"Dan has worked on behalf of public education and the rights of workers for more than two decades," ALA president Cindy Hohl told members in an email. "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."
Montgomery will be at the ALA Annual Conference, which kicks off today in Philadephia, Hohl said, and will be introduced to members at this evening's opening general session.
Montgomery will replace interim executive director Leslie Burger, who stepped in as interim executive director on November 15, 2023 after Hall's resignation, and provided a steady hand for far longer then initially anticipated.
At last year's ALA, Burger told members the association was on track to have a fiduring her opening remarks at the 2024 American Library Association Annual Conference in San Diego, Burger told members that the association was on track to have a permanent executive director in place by that fall. But the first search came up empty, and the ALA executive board reopened its search for a new executive director.
In her message, Hohl thanked Burger for her extended service.
"She has been the leader we all needed during these challenging times," Hohl told members. "She is someone who approached this job with courage and conviction, and I am truly grateful for her partnership."
Certainly, Montgomery steps into an ALA still facing no shortage of challenges, including surging book bans, the Trump administration's bid to destroy the IMLS, and a still precarious financial picture. But under Burger's leadership, ALA has also made progress from Hall's tenure, which began during one of the most challenging periods in ALA's history.
