Tracie D. Hall is Distinguished Professor of Practice at the University of Washington Information School in Seattle, Washington. Formerly executive director of the American Library Association, Hall was the first Black woman to helm that organization in its 150-year history and has previously served in key library, arts, and philanthropic leadership roles nationwide including Seattle, New Haven, Hartford, and Queens Public Libraries; The Boeing Company where she worked as a community investor in the Global Corporate Citizen division; Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science where she served as Assistant Dean; Deputy Commissioner for Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; and Culture Program Director at The Joyce Foundation. Holding degrees from University of California at Santa Barbara, Yale University, and University of Washington, Hall’s work has focused on advancing early and adult literacy and the right to read. In 2022, Hall received the National Book Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2023, Hall was named to TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world and received the Medal for Freedom of Speech and Free Expression from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Institute. Hall’s writings have appeared in American Libraries, the American Bar Association’s Human Rights Magazine, Maine Policy Review, Obsidian, TIME Magazine, and in numerous other books and periodicals. She has been profiled by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Chicago Magazine, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, and Publishers Weekly.

Image credit: Photo by Doug Parry.