Caroline Mandler has been elected as the next Chief Executive of the Wilton Library Association following the Wilton Library’s recent announcement on Tuesday 2nd February.
Mandelr will officially take on the role on Monday, March 7th.
The new library director succeeds Elaine Tai-Lauria, who resigned on Monday, January 31, after 10 years at the helm of the organization.
Mandler will join the Wilton Library after having worked at the Darien Library for 11 years.
Most recently she was Assistant Director of Operations in Darien. Her responsibilities included managing the library’s budget, finances, fundraising, human resources, materials management, and strategic and capital planning for the future.
Mandler also played a large role in planning and executing the Darien Library’s annual fundraiser and in creating and managing budgets for the City of Darien and the library’s Darien Friends group.
In 2020, Mandler even served as associate director of the Darien Library for two months, where she oversaw the library’s first reopening after the coronavirus pandemic lockdown and the many adjustments it had to make.
Before joining the Darien Library, Mandler worked in donor relations and management for nonprofit organizations in New York.
“I am delighted to welcome Caroline as the new Executive Director of the Wilton Library Association,” said Wilton Library Association Board of Trustees President Rob Sanders. “She brings 15 years of management experience in all facets of library and community service.”
He continued.
“After an exhaustive search that identified a number of talented candidates, she emerged as the best qualified to lead the Wilton Library in the next phase of its growth and development. In welcoming Caroline, I would also like to pay tribute to Elaine Tai-Lauria, under whose enlightened and inspired leadership the Wilton Library has grown from strength to strength over the past decade, most recently with the acquisition of the Brubeck Collection,” said Sanders.
The new library director shared her excitement in a press release.
“It is an honor to have been elected as the new Executive Director of the Wilton Library,” said Mandler. “It’s a truly inspiring place and I look forward to embracing the opportunities and challenges it faces in the future.”
“Libraries play an important role in the cultural life of the communities they serve. Understanding and responding to the changing needs and requirements of our customers in Wilton and elsewhere will always be paramount in my approach,” she said. “I look forward to working with the library’s very talented team and building on Elaine’s strategic partnerships with other Wilton organizations and community leaders.”
She will be responsible for picking up where Tai-Lauria left off and overseeing the full scope of fundraising efforts for the library going forward.
Mandler will also work closely with the Wilton Library Association’s Board of Trustees and staff to maintain a library that anticipates and meets the needs of its growing community by utilizing all available resources.
For more than 126 years, the Wilton Library has served as “the cultural and intellectual center of Wilton with a mission to inform, enrich, connect and inspire the community,” according to the library. It continues to offer a wide range of programs and events for all ages and interests.
The Wilton Library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Road.
For more information, visit www.wiltonlibrary.org or contact Wilton Library Marketing Communications Manager Nuchada Julavits at [email protected] or 203-762-6324.
