QPL Foundation names Jackson Heights resident to top spot
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Susan Latham, a longtime Queens resident, was named executive director of the Queens Public Library Foundation this week. Photo by David Engelman
By Jacob Kaye
Longtime nonprofit executive and Jackson Heights resident Susan Latham was named executive director of the Queens Public Library Foundation, the library announced Friday.
Latham, who most recently served as the vice president of development at Citymeals on Wheels, will take her two decades of nonprofit experience to lead the foundation, which raises funds for the programs, services and collections provided by the Queens Public Library.
“As a longtime user and supporter of Queens Public Library, I know firsthand how important the library’s programs and services are to the people and communities of Queens,” Latham said. “During the past year, the library stepped up in so many important ways to help meet the needs of Queens residents, who were particularly hard-hit by COVID-19. I’m very excited to help support the continued growth of this dynamic institution.”
Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis Walcott celebrated Latham’s appointment to the position.
“Susan joins us at a critical moment in our 125-year history, as Queens Public Library helps drive the recovery of our borough and the diverse communities we serve,” Walcott said. “Her leadership will strengthen our ability to provide free access to information, knowledge, and opportunity for all.”
The Queens Public Library recently celebrated the opening of over a dozen branches for in-person use after over a year of closed doors. On Monday, the library opened 12 branches up for limited browsing, computer use and in-person reference. The branches include Briarwood, Fresh Meadows, Jackson Heights, Laurelton, Lefrak City, Maspeth, Mitchell-Linden, Rego Park, South Ozone Park, St. Albans, Sunnyside and Whitestone.
The library system plans to have all 66 branches open for public use by the summer.
Latham’s leadership of the foundation will likely be crucial to the library system’s comeback.
“The Queens Public Library Foundation plays an essential role in ensuring we can bring the best programs and services possible to our customers,” said Michael Rodriguez, the chair of the Queens Public Library Board of Trustees. “Susan’s vast experience in the nonprofit sector with organizations that provide vital services to New Yorkers make her the perfect fit to lead the Foundation at this time.”
Latham, who has been a Queens resident for about 30 years also sees the library system, which offers workforce development programs, assistance with job certifications and training and programming for children, many of whom have spent the past year learning remotely, as a crucial piece of the city’s recovery.
“The library is going to be so essential to the recovery of Queens,” Latham said. “After the pandemic, it offers so many vital services that our residents really rely on, and will be really instrumental in helping people recover after COVID.”
Prior to role at Citymeals on Wheels, Latham served as associate director of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at NYU Law School, director of Development and Communications at the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies and associate vice president for Human Resources and Planning at Metropolitan College of New York.
Latham, whose mother was a children’s librarian, said the library has always held a special place in her heart.
“I’ve belonged to three different library branches,” Latham said. “It's a place where everybody can come together. And as a society, we really need to rebuild our sense of community and our sense of a society since things have been so divided lately. That’s a place where the library can really play a leading role.”
