GILLETTE, Wyo. — Today, the Campbell County Public Library Board selected a new executive director, and the individual has accepted the post.
The board voted 4–1 in a meeting this afternoon. Board member Chelsie Collier voted against hiring the candidate, but did not say why.
Campbell County Human Resources Executive Director Brandy Elder, who is the interim director for the library, said the name of the individual would be announced in a news release Sept. 29. She is delaying the release of the name as a normal procedure for hiring.
“I need to give him a 12-hour think about it even though he said yes,” she said.
Elder said that aside from herself, 10 staff members and four board members were on the hiring committee. The staff and all board members unanimously approved the person to go to the second interview. The staff Elder selected for the hiring committee were a mixture of managers and hourly employees. There was also an individual from Wright. Staff on the committee ranged on their beliefs regarding library issues.
“I tried to get a good mix of levels and people,” she said. “A lot of institutional knowledge was in the room.”
Elder said that in “true HR neutral fashion,” the committee had to make sure it was an even playing field.
“This candidate is outstanding in numerous ways, so I’m very, very happy,” she said.
The man, who does not live in Wyoming, saw the job posting on the Wyoming State Library website and will move to Wyoming, she said. The man is a very highly qualified candidate, by any standard. He has two master’s degrees, and one of them relates to library science.
“He’s no stranger to the type of controversy that’s going on now,” she said.
At the board’s Sept. 25 meeting, Elder said the board had received 11 applications and interviewed five individuals for the executive director position. The board appointed Elder after firing Terri Lesley.
