Indianapolis Public Library Board of Trustees Names New CEO: Gabriel Morley, EdD

The Board of Trustees of The Indianapolis Public Library held a public meeting on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, and passed a resolution to name Dr. Gabriel Morley as the CEO of The Library.

Morley has served as the leader of libraries in Atlanta, New Orleans and elsewhere, with experience ranging from small institutions to college libraries to large urban library systems. He earned his master’s in Library Science and a doctorate in Adult Education from the University of Southern Mississippi. Morley served as executive director of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, has managed significant budgets, and overseen strategic planning, building projects, and capital campaigns.

“We are very pleased to have Dr. Morley join us as CEO, after a nine-month search process, which was based on the leadership qualities determined by the board, staff, and community, and was focused on the future, mission, and health of our organization,” said Hope Tribble, chair of the diversity policy, and HR committee of the board. “We are grateful to Nichelle M. Hayes for her leadership as the interim CEO and to all our amazing Library staff who kept everything running smoothly during this interim period.”

The Board worked with Library leadership to accomplish some important initiatives specifically to support Library employees during the interim period, including approving a 5-7% salary increase for all employees, bringing minimum wage for Library staff up to $15/hour, and making continued progress on IndyPL’s climate improvement plan that includes increasing diversity training and instituting an anonymous employee grievance tool.

The search process, led by consultant Bradbury Miller Associates, was extended in May to include more diverse, qualified candidates, from which finalists were selected by a search committee comprised of internal and external Library stakeholders. The ultimate decision from the full IndyPL board took into account candidate qualifications, interviews, library leadership experience, references, staff and public feedback, search committee evaluations, and other inputs to get a holistic understanding of the finalists.

Judge Jose Salinas, Indianapolis Public Library board president, noted “We are offering Dr. Morley a three-year contract and will institute a 360-degree evaluative process to ensure ongoing accountability within leadership and throughout the organization. We are excited for him to begin working with staff and to measure the internal and external impact of this new, visionary leader in the role.” “I’m honored to be selected as the new CEO of the Indianapolis Public Library and am grateful for the opportunity to serve this vibrant community,” said Morley, who will start his new role within the next week. “I look forward to getting to know the dedicated staff as we work together to continue making IndyPL one of the most dynamic and welcoming libraries in the country.”