Massachusetts, USA

David Leonard is President of the Boston Public Library in Boston, Massachusetts, comprising a central library, 25 branches and collections estimated to be over 20 million items. He joined the BPL in 2009, bringing experience in technology, management, and consulting, initially as Chief Technology Officer and then appointed President of the Library in June 2016. As Interim President from 2015 to 2016, he oversaw the completion of the $78 million renovation of BPL's Central Library. He has directed several major branch and collections management improvement projects, as well as the development of the 2026-2030 BPL Strategic Plan. He has centered the work to improve access with a customer oriented philosophy, and built strong relationships with City of Boston departments and many local cultural institutions.

Among Mr. Leonard's areas of focus are civic engagement, technology modernization, public space renewal, intellectual freedom, and access for all. Mr. Leonard authored a Boston Globe op-ed titled "The assault on libraries must end" (2025), in which he warned of threats to library funding and intellectual freedom and called for protecting libraries' role in providing access to knowledge. He has spoken on digital equity and the future of libraries in civic life at ISKME's Big Ideas Fest and delivered the 2022 keynote at the Evergreen International Library Conference on maintaining library services amid cyber threats. Mr. Leonard has served on Leaders Council since 2025.