President and Leadership

Tony Marx

President & CEO

Anthony W. Marx is President of The New York Public Library, the nation’s largest library system, with 88 neighborhood libraries and four scholarly research centers. Since joining NYPL in 2011, Marx has strengthened the Library’s role as an essential provider of educational resources and opportunities for all ages. Under his leadership, the Library has created new early literacy and after-school programs for children and teens, dramatically increased free English language classes and citizenship support for immigrants, and improved services for scholars and students who rely on the Library’s world-renowned research collections. Under Marx, the Library has also become a national leader on bridging the digital divide through its efforts to increase access to e-books, expand computer classes and coding training, and a groundbreaking program that provides home internet access to families of low-income students. Before joining the Library, Marx served as president of Amherst College from 2003 to 2011, during which time he tripled enrollment for low-income students. Before Amherst, Marx was a political science professor and director of undergraduate studies at Columbia University. Marx has a BA from Yale, an MPA from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, and a PhD, also from Princeton.

Contact information:

Anthony W. Marx, President	president@nypl.org
President's Office	212-621-0580

 

Brian Bannon

Merryl and James Tisch Director of Branch Libraries and Education

Brian Bannon is The New York Public Library’s first-ever Merryl and James Tisch Director. Bannon is the chief librarian responsible for directing NYPL’s 88 neighborhood branches, as well as the Library’s educational strategy. Most recently, Bannon was commissioner and chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Library, serving as chief library officer for one of the largest urban public library systems in the world. Bannon came to NYPL in 2019 with 20 years of experience in developing and implementing educational programs and leading large-scale operations that maximize impact for all citizens and contribute to a culture of learning, reading, and community learning. Before his successful tenure in Chicago, Bannon was Chief Information Officer at the San Francisco Public Library, and worked at the Seattle Public Library and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He has been recognized as an innovator throughout his career: amongst many other accolades, he has been named to Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business” list, and was named one of Chicago’s top 100 innovators by Blue Sky Innovation, a publication of the Chicago Tribune. Bannon received his bachelor of arts from Pacific Lutheran University and his master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Washington Information School.

 

Jennifer López

Chief Digital Officer

Jennifer López is the Chief Digital Officer of The New York Public Library. She is responsible for the consumer-facing digital experiences which enable access to the extensive collections and services of the Library. She joined NYPL in 2024 after spending 11 years at Capital One where she had many roles, including running their award-winning Innovation Lab, overseeing the early-stage venture capital team, helping introduce human-centered design to the organization, and helping train thousands of employees during their immense digital transformation. Prior to Capital One, Jennifer was a lecturer at Stanford University, a startup founder, and a jeweler. She received her BA in Geography and Fine Art from Dartmouth College and an MFA focused on Human-Centered Design and Innovation at Stanford. Jennifer is an Advisory Board member for Dartmouth College’s Hopkins Center for the Arts and is on the Corporate Advisory Board of Hispanic Technology Executive Council.

A proud leader in Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Jennifer is on a mission to make technology and entrepreneurship a more inclusive, representative, and innovative place for everyone.

 

Brent Reidy

Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Research Libraries

Brent Reidy is The New York Public Library’s Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Research Libraries, responsible for NYPL’s research centers and their 460 staff members, 45 million collection items and approximately 4 million annual visitors. His purview includes collection strategy, acquisition, preservation, and access, while also serving as a national voice on the direction of humanities research.

Reidy’s work has focused on the digital transformation of the research experience; since 2019 he has led the Digital Research team responsible for digitization, digital preservation, access for the library’s research collections. Under Reidy’s leadership, the library has doubled its digital storage, launched a digitization strategy focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and renegotiated its contract with Google to increase access to hundreds of thousands of digitized books.

Reidy began his tenure at NYPL in May 2017 as Deputy Director, and later Interim Executive Director, for the Library for the Performing Arts. He was previously a Senior Consultant at AEA Consulting, a global management consulting firm focused on the cultural sector. Reidy holds a BA from Dartmouth College and a PhD from Indiana University.

 

Sam Rubin

Chief Strategic Planning Officer & Chief of Staff

Sam Rubin is the Library's Chief Strategic Planning Officer and Chief of Staff. He serves as a strategic advisor and partner to the President and is responsible for library-wide strategic planning, cross-functional initiatives, goal-setting, data analysis and reporting, and internal and external communications. On behalf of the President, Rubin drives alignment across NYPL leadership, the Board, external partners, and other key stakeholders to ensure that the Library continually delivers on its core objectives. He leads the Communications & Marketing as well as the Strategy & Public Impact teams.

Rubin began his Library career in 2012 in the Strategy office, moving to the President’s Office a year later. He received a BA from Brown University and an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from Columbia University, focusing on Turkey and Ottoman History.

 

Bridget Smith

General Counsel & Secretary

For over a decade, Bridget Smith served as one of the Library’s in-house lawyers and worked with former Vice President and General Counsel Michele Coleman Mayes. In 2020, Smith joined the Ford Foundation as Senior Counsel, where she oversaw operations and the contracts team at Ford, as well as serving as the attorney for Ford’s Southeast Asia regional office in Jakarta and the Central America regional office in Mexico City. She also held positions at Davis, Polk & Wardwell and Skadden, Arps, Meagher, Slate & Flom, LLP, as well as serving as a law clerk for the Honorable Robert L. Carter of the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York. She is admitted to practice in New York State and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York federal courts.

Smith received her BA at Wellesley College, a Master in Public Policy and Urban Planning at Harvard University, and her JD at the University of California at Berkeley, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Berkeley Journal of Employment & Labor Law. She was awarded the Harry S. Truman Scholarship (New York) while at Wellesley and was also featured in the Harvard Business Review Press book Geeks and Geezers: How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape Leaders.

 

Iris Weinshall

Chief Operating Officer & Treasurer

Iris Weinshall is The New York Public Library’s Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the Library’s expense and capital budgets, its $1 billion endowment, and all construction projects across the system’s three boroughs. Additionally, she has oversight over the Library’s operational and outreach departments, including Finance and Investment, Human Resources, Capital Planning and Construction, Facilities Operations, and Government Relations.

Prior to this role, Weinshall served as the vice chancellor of facilities planning, management, and construction for the City University of New York, where she was responsible for overseeing the university’s multi-year capital construction program across 24 campuses in the five boroughs. She served as commissioner of New York City’s Department of Transportation from 2000 to 2007 and was responsible for all daily operations, including the agency’s expense and capital budgets, both totaling well over $100 million. Weinshall also served as first deputy commissioner of the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services, and deputy commissioner of management and budget for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

She graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College and has a master’s degree in public administration from New York University.

 

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Geetanjali Gupta

Chief Investment Officer

Geetanjali Gupta joined The New York Public Library as the Chief Investment Officer in February 2018. Prior to joining the Library, Ms. Gupta was a Senior Vice President of Absolute Return and Public Market Funds with the Harvard Management Company for more than 10 years and helped manage portfolios valued at more than $15 billion across a wide array of asset classes globally. Earlier in her career, she worked for Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division. Ms. Gupta graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Applied Mathematics and Economics, and received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and J.D. degree from Harvard Law School.

 

Gesille Dixon

Vice President, Branch Programs & Services

Gesille Dixon is the Library’s Vice President of Branch Programs & Services, responsible for developing and executing a strategic vision for the creation, expansion, and continuous improvement of learning initiatives, programs, outreach, and services offered by two key departments: Youth Programs & Services and Adult Programs & Services. Additionally, Dixon is responsible for managing a staff of over 100 educational and outreach professionals and a significant program budget.

Dixon started her Library career in 2000 at Woodstock Library as a Librarian Trainee. Since then, she has served in positions of increasing responsibility, from a Senior Librarian to a Library Manager, where she was recognized with the 2006 New York Times Librarian Award. From there, she became a Library Network Manager in charge of a dozen branches, and in 2016 she was tapped to serve as the Bronx Borough Director, in charge of all 35 branches. In 2019, she was awarded the Sloan Public Service Award. Prior to being named Vice President, Dixon served as Senior Director, Branch Programs & Services. 

Gesille holds a Bachelor’s Degree in the School of Education for Therapeutic Recreation Management from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Library Science degree from Queens College. In 2018, she obtained her Master’s Degree in Labor and Industrial Relations at Baruch College.

 

Jennifer Fermino

Vice President, Communications & Marketing

Jennifer Fermino was appointed Vice President for Communications & Marketing in December 2022. She is the chief spokesperson for the Library, and responsible for guiding and implementing all internal and external communications and marketing efforts. This includes public relations, media relations, creative services, and social and digital media. Prior to joining the Library, Fermino was the Communications Director for the New York City Council and the Senior Advisor for External Affairs to Speaker Corey Johnson. She began her media career as a “copy kid” at The New York Post. After being promoted to staff reporter, she spent a decade at the Post covering a wide range of topics, including politics, transit, courts, crime, and breaking news. She was also the City Hall Bureau Chief for The New York Daily News, where she covered Mayors Bloomberg and de Blasio.

Fermino graduated from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts with a degree in English/Communications and a concentration in Journalism. She is originally from Boston, and also lived in London, England and Sydney, Australia prior to moving to New York City.

 

Caryl Matute

Vice President, Branch Libraries & Patron Services

Caryl Matute is Vice President of Branch Libraries & Patron Services, overseeing staffing, operations, and services at all of the Library’s neighborhood branches, including the flagship circulating branch the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL). Matute began her long, successful career at the Library in 1998 as a Librarian Trainee in the Bronx, progressing through the ranks as a Children’s Librarian, Branch Library Manager, Manhattan Borough Specialist for Children’s Services, and Bronx Borough Specialist for Teen Services. In 2007, Matute was appointed to a newly created position of Neighborhood Library Network Manager where she had overall responsibility for the branch libraries in northern Manhattan and subsequently in lower Manhattan.

In 2013, Matute became the new head of the Mid-Manhattan Library, now known as the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL), where she developed and implemented strategic operational efficiencies and led the team through a period of extremely high attendance and circulation. She also led the branch through a transformative renovation: both collaborating with stakeholders to envision and develop a programmatic plan that met the needs of staff and patrons in the new space, and executing plans to temporarily operate the branch out of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building during construction. In October 2018, Matute also held the position of interim Chief Branch Library Officer and, most recently, Senior Director, Branch Libraries and Patron Services.

Matute has a BA and post graduate diploma from University of the West Indies, and a Masters in Library Science from Pratt Institute.

 

George Mihaltses

Vice President, Government & Community Affairs

Appointed Vice President of Government and Community Affairs in 2009, George D. Mihaltses acts as The New York Public Library’s liaison with elected officials and their staffs at the federal, state, and city levels. His responsibilities include planning, developing, and implementing strategies for sustaining and increasing government support of the Library and its programs. During his tenure, the Library has seen public expense and capital funding reach historic levels. Mihaltses also led the development and implementation of the library's Building for You community outreach program, connecting the NYPL more deeply with the communities it serves. 

Mihaltses previously served as chief of staff to New York City Council Member Peter F. Vallone, Jr., Chairman of the Council’s Public Safety Committee. He was responsible for managing all aspects of the office’s daily operations, including legislation, budget, communications, and constituent services. Additionally, he was responsible for handling the office’s land use and zoning matters and assisted in the preparation of Public Safety Committee hearings. Active in the community, Mihaltses serves on Community Planning Board 11 in northeast Queens as a member of the Zoning and Budget Committees. He also serves as a board member of the Astoria Performing Arts Center and HANAC, the largest Greek-American social services organization in the country.

Mihaltses has a BA from Fordham University, where he graduated summa cum laude, and a JD from St. John's University. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and the National Jesuit Honor Society.

 

Terry Neal

Vice President, Human Resources

Terrance “Terry” Neal was appointed Vice President of Human Resources in October 2018.  Neal has been tasked with championing, collaborating, and innovating on a broad range of Human Resources disciplines, including talent acquisition, employee relations, labor relations, performance management, compensation management, employee engagement, learning, benefits and wellness management, and information systems. He works closely with leaders on aligning the Library’s strategy of More People Reading More Working Together to the HR vision and ensuring this alignment extends to all aspects of people management.

Neal began his journey at the Library in March 1994 as a page in the Human Resources Department. Since that time, he has progressed through the ranks serving as a labor relations assistant, human resources associate, senior human resources manager, and director of employee/labor relations and talent acquisition. Throughout his career, Neal has had the opportunity to grow, learn, and refine his craft as a respected, knowledgeable, and trusted HR professional.  He has successfully negotiated numerous union contracts, counseled all levels of staff on countless HR matters, developed a solid team of HR business partners and talent acquisition partners, and most recently created and launched the popular Dialogue on Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Identity series. 

Neal is also an Adjunct Professor at his alma mater—Baruch College, where he earned his Bachelor's in Business Administration and Executive Masters in Industrial Labor Relations/Human Resources. Lastly, he is an active mentor with the National Association for African Americans in Human Resources.

 

Fay Rosenfeld

Vice President, Public Programs

Fay Rosenfeld is The New York Public Library’s Vice President of Public Programs, charged with developing and implementing a comprehensive program designed to enlighten and engage the public in the work and mission of The New York Public Library. This includes strengthening current NYPL programming, collaborating with staff to develop new programs, identifying and engaging new audiences, and more.

Rosenfeld started at the Library in 2016. Prior to her arrival, she worked as senior director of programs and chief operating officer at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, an institution that she helped launch and build into one of the city’s premier spaces for dialogue around history, public policy, and human rights.

Rosenfeld graduated cum laude from Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a BA in international relations and received a JD cum laude from NYU Law School. She is a native of Montreal, Canada.

 

Shannon Sharp

Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Treasurer

Shannon Sharp is The New York Public Library’s Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Treasurer, responsible for financial strategy and resource management. Sharp oversees budgeting, accounting, reporting, procurement, insurance, banking, debt management, payroll, and all financial operations. Her team administers the Library’s balance sheet of over $2 billion, more than $300 million in operating expenses across 92 locations, and a portfolio of multi-year capital expenditures.

Sharp came to the Library from the Brooklyn Museum, where as CFO she led a cross-functional team's creation of a new operating model, with an engaging special exhibitions program at its core. She raised the quality and clarity of the museum’s internal and external financial information, including the early adoption of sweeping new accounting standards, archival endowment research, and implementing new budgeting, expense, and endowment management software. Throughout her prior career in public finance investment banking, Sharp has helped mission-driven organizations access the capital markets, structuring asset-backed financings for affordable housing, as well as educational and cultural financings. Earlier, she worked for the City of New York to improve the stock of affordable housing through loan and grant programs.

She earned a BA in Public Policy at Brown University and an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Jadrien Steele

Vice President, Development

Jadrien Steele was appointed Vice President of Development at The New York Public Library in 2016. In this capacity, he oversees all private fundraising efforts for the Library, including Individual Giving and Major Gifts, Foundations, Corporations, Special Events, and Planned Giving. As a department within a public/private partnership, Development plays a critical role in helping support the Library's annual budget of over $400 million.

Steele joined the Library in 2006 as a member of the Individual Giving team and has served in various leadership roles since, including campaign gift officer and senior director of development. Prior to joining the Library, Steele spent six years as a talent agent at ICM Partners.

Steele graduated cum laude from Princeton University and has an MFA in film production from the University of Southern California. He is also the author of two novels for young adults.

 

Garfield Swaby

Vice President, Information Technology

Garfield Swaby is the Library’s Vice President of Information Technology, responsible for the planning, implementation, operation, and stewardship of Library technology systems and services. These include the staff and public computers, the digital and digital repository infrastructures, cybersecurity, networking, and telecommunications services, on-premise and cloud data centers, cloud platforms and related technology infrastructure, workforce applications, and administrative systems.

Swaby started his Library career in 2001 as the Product Manager of the Library's former email system. In 2008, he was promoted to steer the Library's entry into cloud computing for workforce technologies. Seeing his success in this area, Swaby was later tapped to become the Director of Enterprise Solutions. In this role, Swaby provided strategic and operational leadership related to the design, development, and implementation of the Library’s enterprise systems, technology service management, and productivity tools. In 2016, he was named Senior Director of Information Technology.

Garfield's tenure as Senior Director of IT has been characterized by a solidifying of traditional IT operations, transformative innovation, and partnership-based service delivery. Some of Swaby’s most notable accomplishments include automating all critical paper-based processes across the Library, incorporating AI and machine learning, securing credit card industry compliance for the Library and maturing its cybersecurity operations, and enabling the relatively smooth transitions for staff and Library operations into the pandemic lockdown and back to the "new normal."

He earned a BBA in Finance & Insurance at Howard University's School of Business and is completing a Master's Degree at the Hartford Seminary.