The Henry Crown Fellowship seeks to develop the next generation of community-centered and global leaders, ages 30-45, providing them with the tools necessary to meet the challenges of business and civic leadership in the 21st century. It honors the memory of Chicago industrialist Henry Crown (1896-1990), whose legendary career was marked by a lifelong commitment to honor, integrity, industry, and philanthropy. Henry Crown Fellows include Fortune 500 CEOs, White House Cabinet members, Governors, and the Co-Founder of Fast Company’s 2015 Most Innovative Company.

Appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2012 to turn around this 140-year-old institution, has since dramatically changed the library’s organizational direction and brought design thinking—specifically human-centered design—and experimentation front and center to the CPL’s programming and operations. Library access, materials circulation, and patron and employee satisfaction all significantly increased.• Spearheaded and launched ambitious and comprehensive 5-year strategic plan aligned with the Mayor’s education and economic development priorities.• Infused design-thinking methodology into all levels of library operations; through partnership with IDEO and funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.• Efficiently manages a $130 million annual budget, employing 1,000 individuals that provide services across 77 retail sites, 2 regional hubs, and a 750,000-square-foot central facility (HWLC). • Oversees distribution and logistics for 10 million items annually. This includes ordering, inventory, warehousing, and fulfillment across 80 retail locations.• Expanded YOUmedia. This teen program has been replicated in museums, libraries, and after school centers nationally as a proven model for college and career success. • Expanded capacity to offer the largest, most comprehensive free homework help program in the country. • Launched the first-of-its-kind Maker Lab in CPL’s central facility, demonstrating responsiveness to patron needs and leading the way in offering innovative models of learning and engagement.• Increased new philanthropic investments in the CPL by more than $100 million since 2012.

Joined the organization as the Chief of Branches, responsible for leading all 27 city neighborhood locations. Added Chief Information Officer duties to role 9 months before official promotion was made in April 2011.• Led unprecedented $200M capital improvement initiative to design, build, staff and open 24 new and renovated branch locations across the city, resulting in a 40 percent increase in use. • Managed all teams responsible for technology support, networking, website, public access technology, and digital strategy.

Within two years went from overseeing the design and delivery of technology instruction to managing the design and launch of three new branches.• Supervised branch operations and led staff efforts to design and reopen three new retail facilities. Built and led the team responsible for creating services in multiple languages and within diverse communities.• Managed team of staff and volunteers responsible for designing and teaching technology classes in multiple languages citywide.

Part of the team involved in one of the foundation’s first initiatives – to provide internet access to all by leveraging public libraries, first in the US, and then globally.• Collaboratively built, managed, and implemented a $7M digital skills and access grant program within Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.• Delivered technology training as part of the $200M national grant program in Georgia, Louisiana, and Kentucky. Developed technology curriculum for networking, web design, and software applications.