New York, USA

Brian Bannon is the Merryl and James Tisch Director of Branch Libraries and Education and Chief Librarian at The New York Public Library, overseeing the Library’s 88 neighborhood branches and leading its citywide reading and learning strategies. He guides teams that support more than a million New Yorkers each year through early literacy, school-age, teen, and adult learning programs. His work focuses on strengthening reading, language, and digital skills across communities and advancing NYPL’s role in expanding access to learning, reading, and community connection.

Before joining NYPL in 2019, Mr. Bannon served as commissioner and chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Library, leading one of the country’s largest urban public library systems. He previously held leadership roles at the San Francisco Public Library, the Seattle Public Library, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Throughout his career, he has focused on expanding access to reading and education, building large-scale public programs, and positioning libraries as centers of opportunity and lifelong learning.

Mr. Bannon received his bachelor’s degree from Pacific Lutheran University and his master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Washington Information School. He has served on Leaders Council since 2025.