Renee Di Pilato has been named Sarasota County's new Director of Libraries and Historical Resources. She is expected to assume the role in July.

Di Pilato has served as the deputy director of the Alexandria Library in Alexandria, Va., since 2014. She has nearly 20 years of professional library management experience, and also currently serves as an adjunct professor of library management at the University of Southern California, a position she's held since 2017. 

She earned a doctorate in managerial leadership in Information Professions from Simmons College in Boston, M.A., in 2016; in 2006, she earned a master's in public administration from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and in 2002 a master's in science, library and information science from Catholic University, in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Di Pilato earned a bachelor of arts in history and urban planning from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. 

According to Sarasota County administrator Jonathan Lewis, Di Pilato's experience, education and life-long commitment to literacy made her the ideal choice to lead the department, following the upcoming departure of current director Sarabeth Kalajian.

Di Pilato will be joining Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources prior to Kalajian's retirement this fall to ensure a smooth transition. 

"We went through a thoughtful and deliberate hiring process to find the right person. Renee comes with the experience, dedication and enthusiasm for carrying our library system and historical resources forward," said Kalajian.

For more information, visit scgov.net.