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CHICAGO — The Public Library Association (PLA) 2025 Nominating Committee has unveiled the slate of candidates for the Association’s 2025 Election. This year, six nominees will stand for three positions on the PLA Board of Directors: 2026-2027 president and two directors-at-large.

The candidate elected in each race will serve a three-year term from July 2025 through June 2028. The candidate elected to the office of president will serve one year as president-elect (2025–2026), one year as president (2026–2027), and one year as immediate past-president (2027–2028).

The candidates and the offices for which they are running are listed below. Please click on the name of each candidate to learn more about them.

President

Nate Coulter, Executive Director, Central Arkansas Library System

Jamar Rahming, Director, Wilmington Library (Del.)

Director-at-Large (Seat A)

Maria Palacio, Director, Town of Acton Libraries (Mass.)

Debbie Winlock, Library Manager, Page Public Library (Ariz.)

Director-at-Large (Seat B)

Joseph Thompson, Director of Public Services, Carroll County Public Library (Md.)

Shauntee Burns-Simpson, Director of Youth & Family Services, District of Columbia Public Library

Per an August 2017 board resolution for PLA to better represent the needs and interests of library staff from public libraries of all sizes, the 2025 slate includes two candidates from small/rural libraries (those with service area populations less than 25,000 people), who will run opposite each other for the position of Director-at-Large (Seat A) to ensure one PLA board member represents that constituency.

PLA personal members in good standing as of January 31, 2025 are able to cast a digital ballot to vote. Online voting opens Monday, March 10, and ends Wednesday, April 2. Each eligible PLA member will receive an email containing voting instructions and their unique ballot URL.

PLA sincerely thanks the members of its 2025 Nominating Committee for their service: Dr. Maria McCauley, Chair, with committee members Sonia A. Alcantara-Antoine, Sara Dallas, Richard Kong, and Larry P. Neal.

Standing for election to the board of directors is one of several ways for members to become more deeply involved with PLA. Learn how to get more engaged with PLA on the .