Mayor Menino Names John Hailer to the Board of Trustees of the Boston Public Library

Mayor Thomas M. Menino named John T. Hailer to the Board of Trustees of the Boston Public Library on Monday. Trustees appointed by the Mayor oversee the Boston Public Library, which has an annual budget of about $40 million. Mr. Hailer joins seven other current board members: Jeffrey B. Rudman, Evelyn Arana-Ortiz, Zamawa Arenas, Carol Fulp, Paul A. LaCamera, Dennis Lehane, and Representative Byron Rushing.

“I am confident that John Hailer will be an asset to the Boston Public Library Board,” Mayor Menino said. “His unique experiences as a civic and business leader make him an excellent addition to a board committed to moving the library forward.”

“Boston Public Library has a long history of attracting civic leaders, business leaders, scholars and authors to its board,” said Jeffrey B. Rudman, Chairman of the Library’s Board of Trustees. “In keeping with that tradition, I am honored to welcome Mr. Hailer to our board.”

Mr. Hailer is President and Chief Executive Officer –The Americas and Asia, of Natixis Global Asset Management. He has also held leadership positions with Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Company and Putnam Investments. Mr. Hailer received his BA from Beloit College and is a former member of the college’s Board of Trustees. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Home for Little Wanderers, the oldest continuous children’s charity in the United States.

“Mr. Hailer will contribute to the library’s success with his acute business sense along with his understanding of the importance of libraries today and for future generations,” said Amy E. Ryan, President of the Boston Public Library.

Boston Public Library has a Central Library, twenty-five branches, a literacy center, map center, business library, and a website filled with digital content and services.

Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library has pioneered public library service in America. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in America, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. All of its programs and exhibitions are free and open to the public.