2024 NYLA-PLS Election

Welcome to the 2024 NYLA-PLS Election Candidate Page! This election cycle will run from June 1st - June 15th. You can learn about your candidates below. If you are looking for the NYLA Council Election candidates, please click here. To vote in this election, you can either log into your account and click the "NYLA Election" link or you can click the button below come June 1st. Please note, you must be an NYLA-PLS member to vote in this election. Thank you for using your voice to shape the future of our association!

Incoming President - Kelly Harris*

Vice President/President-Elect - Alyssa Tassone

Director of Manlius Public Library

Candidate Statement: I am pleased to have the opportunity to run for the position of Vice-president/President-Elect of PLS. I attend NYLA every year, and last year was the recipient of a PLS scholarship. I volunteered at the PLS booth and had a great experience handing out bags while talking to other public librarians across the state. It has been a long-time goal of mine to become more involved in NYLA, but I was not sure how (I was also considering LAMS), and the timing was never right. After volunteering with PLS, and speaking to President Burke, as well as attending PLA in Columbus, Ohio, being on the local PLS board highly appeals to me. Besides currently being Executive Director of Manlius Library, I have also held director positions at Cazenovia Public Library and Maxwell Memorial Library. I've served many years on the Cazenovia Public Library Friends Board, where I eventually was nominated President. At the Onondaga County Public Library (OCPL) system, I've served as President of our Member Council (the decision-making body for the system) and am currently Chair of the Onondaga County Suburban Library Directors (OCSLD). I was also voted Chair of the OCPL Memorandum of Understanding Committee, leading us to revise the old memorandum and agree to a new one. These opportunities gave me valuable leadership experience. Leadership in the public library world has always been very important to me. When I was given the opportunity to co-teach the Public Library as an Institution Class for the MLIS program at Syracuse University, I was so excited. It was inspiring to teach and lead a group of 32 students interested in public libraries, and to be able to share my knowledge of our jobs with students who cared was personally motivating to me to try to get even more involved. I have worked in a public library since I was 16 years old, where I started as a Page. Since then, I've worked as a Clerk, a youth Services Librarian, an Assistant Director, and a Director. The public library is where my passion has always been, and I look forward to being able to share that passion with others on a larger scale. I have over 20 years of increasingly responsible library experience, I have a proven track record of successful library leadership, and I pride myself on bringing a positive, outgoing attitude to work.

Candidate Bio: You can learn about her professional background here.

Treasurer - Lisa Paulo*

Secretary - Jacquie Owens

Adult Services Library at the Baldwinsville Public Library

Candidate Statement: I am pleased to run for the position of Secretary for NYLA's Public Libraries Section Secretary. My latest experience in my career as a librarian has helped me grow and I believe this is a great time to contribute more to the profession and our organizations. The PLS Secretary is the liaison to the Sustainability Committee and that is a focus of mine from very early in my career. I have read and taken a class around Rebekkah Smith Aldrich's Libraries and Sustainability and find that philosophy to be a rubric for leadership in libraries of the future. I enjoy working with our Baldwinsville staff to create programming and services that help our community. As secretary, I would like to contribute to the discussion on how our organization can best serve our members.

Candidate Bio: You can learn more about her professional background here.

3rd Year Member at Large Candidate - Indira Mukherjee

Assistant Community Library Manager at Douglaston of Queens Public Library

Candidate Statement: I not only believe that knowledge is the key to human growth & advancement but also enjoy active involvement with different professional organizations and committees and would like to acquire more experiences working with those committees, besides my regular job of enriching people's lives every day.

Candidate Bio: I am an active ALA/PLA/NYLA/ESRT/PLS member. Presently serving as the Past President of Ethnic Services Roundtable. Served as a Member-at-Large of the NYLA Membership Committee for the last 2 years. Received the Brian G. Martin Professional Development Award of 2018 from ESRT/NYLA. Also received the Public Library Services Conference Scholarship Award for 2022 from PLS/NYLA. Active Member of NMRT/ALA (New Members Round Table) 2023.