Join us for a Public Forum as we introduce our final Executive Director Candidates.

Date:  Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014
Time:  6:30 pm
Location:  Ronald J Norick Downtown Library [1]

Meet the Candidates

Tim Rogers [2]

As Executive Director of NC LIVE [3], Tim Rogers works closely with the consortium’s governing board (the Librarians Council), advisory committees, and a diverse and talented staff to provide programs and services that help libraries support education, enhance economic development, and improve the quality of life of all North Carolinians. He articulates the consortium’s vision and leads planning and assessment activities. Among his other duties, Tim is responsible for staff recruitment and development, partnership creation, and organizational budgeting and finance. In 2013, Tim led the establishment of the NC LIVE Foundation, a nonprofit corporation focused on supplementing NC LIVE funding.

Tim began his professional career in 1992 as director of the Oneida Public Library (NY) where he raised private funding and doubled the size of the library. In 1994, he became the administrator of the Coffey County Library (KS) where he oversaw planning and construction of two libraries, and prepared the organization for centralized automated services. In 1997, Tim began ten-year tenure with the award-winning Johnson County Library (KS), where he finished as the Associate Director for Operations. In this role, he led five departments and oversaw state and local partnerships. He served as a charter member of the county’s cross-agency Process Facilitation Cadre and as a primary sponsor for the library’s leadership development program. He represented the public library community on the Kan-Ed council, a cooperative providing shared digital networks, content, and applications to all Kansas libraries, schools, universities, and hospitals. He was also the recipient of several staff development awards, including The STARR Award for Outstanding Service and the Morale Booster of the Year.

Tim earned a BA in Linguistics from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Master of Library Science from Indiana University. He has been professionally active on both the national and state level, including a term as the President of the Kansas Library Association. He served as a member of local Rotary and Lions’ clubs, and also as the Chair of the Board of the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield (North Carolina). He speaks frequently about collaborative partnerships, digital service development and delivery, and other issues relating to library consortia. He lives in Clayton, North Carolina with his wife Carla and is an avid “lawnscaper” and sailing enthusiast.

Jon Walker

Jon was born in southeastern Kansas and lived much of his life in Oklahoma, where he served professionally at the Tulsa City-County Library System for a number of years.  His formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oklahoma State University, a Master of Arts from the University of Tulsa, and a Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Oklahoma, which he completed in 1989.  

Jon has worked in nearly all areas of libraries, including technical services and IT, reference and circulation, and management and administration.  He has been serving now as the Executive Director of the Pueblo City-County Library District [4] for ten years. Jon firmly believes that building trusted relationships with community stakeholders is the single most important key to the success of the institution. This is one of the hallmarks of Jon’s professional life. Two examples include: the establishment of Pueblo Reads (in 2005) as a signature component of PCCLD’s goal to ensure a community of readers. In 2013, 37,500 people participated in the month-long series of programs. In a similar program, the summer reading program in 2004, there were fewer than 1,500 young people enrolled per year. Again, in 2014, 30,264 people participated in the annual summer reading program. The Library's success with summer reading and other programs is due to collaboration with schools and other community organizations.  The Library has 21 partnering organizations for summer reading alone.

Additionally, Jon has worked on successful levy campaigns and several library construction and renovation projects.

He and his wife, Stacy, have two sons, Ian, who is 21 years old and recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, and Sean, who is 17 years old and a high school senior.  

For leisure, Jon enjoys reading and the arts, long distance running and all things outdoors, community service, and coffee with friends.  

Roosevelt Weeks [5]

Roosevelt Weeks is Deputy Director of Administration and Chief of Staff, Houston Public Library [6] (TX). Weeks is a 9-year Houston Public Library veteran and a member of the Houston Public Library Executive Leadership Team. He is a member of the American Library Association, Public Library Association, and the Texas Library Association.

Promoted to the Deputy Director and Chief of Staff in 2006, he has overall responsibility for day-to-day operations for the system which includes service delivery to the public, overseeing policies and procedures, oversight of finances, leadership development, training, employee relations, compensation, benefits, and outreach initiatives.

Prior to this assignment, Weeks served as Chief Technology Officer for the Houston Public Library. He was responsible for upgrading all of the computer technology in the library, providing wireless connectivity in all library locations, installing a patron reservation system and implementing videoconferencing. Prior to working for the City of Houston, Weeks worked for Accenture and Aetna.

Weeks serves on a number of non-profits and city committees and has been recognized for his leadership and contribution to these organizations. Passionate about improving technology, literacy, and education both inside and outside of the library, he works directly with community leaders to agree on shared values, vision, and measures of success.

Weeks received his Masters of Library Science degree from the University of North Texas and his undergraduate degree from Texas Southern University in Computer Science. Weeks is married and has 6 children.