July 22, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nicholas Brown
(301) 699-3500 x6241
Nicholas.Brown@pgcmls.info

Library Announces Leadership Transitions

Largo, MD - The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) announces executive leadership transitions. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Roberta Phillips will depart PGCMLS on Friday, July 29, 2022, after 3.5 years of service to Prince George’s County. The Library is grateful to Phillips for her leadership of the staff while the Library has been central to helping the Prince George’s County community recover and adapt through this unique period in history.

PGCMLS accomplishments during Phillips’ tenure include:

• Urban Libraries Council Top Innovator Award for Workforce and Economic Development (2021);
• launch and implementation of Strategic Framework 2021-2024, which has guided the Library’s growth and evolution;
• national and regional awards for the Library’s innovative new branch library buildings;
• creation of the Library’s Ask a Librarian bilingual call center;
• establishment of a cross-functional teams approach to system-wide collaboration on programs and outreach, new services, and special projects;
• leadership throughout the concurrent public health, economic, and racial justice crises;
• statewide and national recognition for the Library’s programs and marketing;
• robust new partnerships with organizations like the Washington Nationals, Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Prince George’s County Health Department, and Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights;
• and oversight of the opening of the new Hyattsville Branch Library.

Effective August 1, 2022, the Board appoints Michael B. Gannon and Nicholas A. Brown as acting co-CEOs of the Library. Gannon has served as Chief Operating Officer for Support Services since 2008, overseeing the Library’s facilities, collections, and support departments. Brown joined PGCMLS in January 2020 and he currently oversees programs, outreach, communications, digital services, and development.

About Michael B. Gannon

For the past fourteen years, Michael B. Gannon has been responsible for the oversight of facilities (including capital construction), information technology, procurement, collection development, and business intelligence. He is the 2003 recipient of the Public Library Association’s Allie Beth Martin Award for outstanding library service and a past president of the Maryland Library Association. He serves as the chair of both the statewide Library Associate Training Institute Oversight Committee and the State Library Resource Center Oversight Commission. Gannon holds a Master of Library Science from the University of Maryland and a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University (MD).

About Nicholas A. Brown

Nicholas Alexander Brown is a Honduran-American library executive and musician based in Prince George’s County, Maryland, where he serves as chief operating officer for communication and outreach at the Prince George's County Memorial Library System. He is the recipient of the 2021 Library Journal Marketer of the Year Award and was a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in 2019. Brown is a past president of the DC Library Association and Beta Phi Mu Iota Chapter, a past chair of Library of Congress GLOBE, and an active committee co-chair in the ALA Rainbow Roundtable.

COO for Public Services Michelle Hamiel recently departed PGCMLS for a new appointment as director of strategic initiatives at Urban Libraries Council. The Public Services Division is currently under the leadership of Interim COO for Public Services Megan Sutherland.

About Megan Sutherland

Megan Sutherland joined Prince George’s County Memorial Library System in 2017 as the librarian III at the Largo-Kettering Branch Library and has served as the east area director since 2019. Sutherland is a graduate of the Maryland Library Leadership Institute and the Maryland State Library Agency’s Strategic Leadership program. She is an active member of the Maryland Library Association and will serve on the executive board as the Professional Development Panel Officer and as co-chair of the Library Advocacy Interest Group.

About Prince George’s County Memorial Library System

The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) helps customers discover and define opportunities that shape their lives. The Library serves the 967,000+ residents of Prince George’s County, Maryland through 19 branch libraries, a 24/7 online library, and pop-up services throughout the community. PGCMLS is a responsive and trusted community-driven organization. Programs, services, and outreach activities serve booklovers, immigrants and refugees, job seekers, children, young professionals, seniors, and families alike. PGCMLS is the recipient of the 2021 Urban Libraries Council Top Innovator Award for Workforce and Economic
Development. Learn more at pgcmls.info/about-us.