Search for new Indianapolis Public Library leader continues, community members call for Hayes

Community members continue to protest the Indianapolis Public Library's most recent CEO choice, even after it backfired when that candidate declined the offer last week. Many call on the board to install Nichelle M. Hayes, who applied for the job after serving as the library’s interim CEO. She also spearheaded its Center for Black Literature and Culture. WFYI’s Jill Sheridan spoke with the Indianapolis Recorder's Chloe McGowan, who has been following this story closely.

Sheridan: Chloe, this has been a long time that this issue has been going on at the Indianapolis Public Library. More than a year ago was when longtime Library CEO Jackie Nytes, resigned. Can you give us just a tiny bit of background on, you know, what happened ahead of her resignation from that post?

McGowan: Yeah, so there was a lot of controversy surrounding that issue. She had been accused of, you know, racism and ableism, during library hours and virtual board meetings. She resigned, and they've been searching for a CEO ever since.

Sheridan: What do you know about that search for the new library CEO, and how that went.

McGowan: So they put together a special committee for the CEO search, and their job was to find a diverse pool of candidates from then they would narrow down the candidates to their final two.

Sheridan: So there was a public meeting, I know that it was pretty well attended, a lot of people, out for those issues. How was that meeting? And there were only two candidates who then spoke there?

McGowan: Yes, only two candidates. So it was Nichelle M. Hayes and Gabrielle Morley. You know, each of the candidates were given about 15 minutes to speak. And there was a very stark difference in how their presentations were accepted by those in attendance. I think there's a very clear favorite amongst the crowd, and a little, I guess, tension, pretty telling how that went.

Sheridan: If you've, you know, read a lot of social media or been involved in this issue at all, you know, that many people in the community have been very outspoken, about Hayes, who has been the interim library CEO for for quite a while now. What have you heard people say about who she is and what they really like about her?

McGowan: Well, you know, one of the main things that people are saying about Nichelle is that she rose up through the ranks of the library, you know, she's been working with the library for seven years. She knows the library, she knows the community, and she's been doing great work trying to, you know, help improve things for the staff and the community. And, you know, generally I hear that a lot of people really love working with her and her style of leadership.

Sheridan: Ultimately, though, last week, as we know, the Board did not choose Hayes. They chose the other candidate, again, tell us who he was. And what happened then, quickly, after he was offered that position.

McGowan: So Gabriel Morley, he worked at two other major libraries prior to running here. It was in Fulton County in Atlanta, and the other was in New Orleans. He had a little, I guess it'd be a little bit of a questionable history with both of those libraries, you know, regarding some of the ways he handled different issues there. And that kind of controversy made its way here to Indianapolis, whether it was through the community doing their own research, or even current and former employees of that library, making that situation known.

Sheridan: And ultimately he did not accept this position?

McGowan: Correct. I think it was less than 24 hours after the board voted to offer him this position. He declined. I believe the statement we were given was, he's grateful the board wanted to extend him his offer, but he believed that this was not the right fit and sad how the circumstances came to be.

Sheridan: So there is now a community call for Nichelle M. Hayes to be installed as the leader of the library moving forward, you know, what is the library planning to do though?

McGowan: They released a statement that they would install a new interim CEO, while they extend a new search for a CEO. We don't really know the details of how long that search is going to take or when they're even going to start the search.

Sheridan: Thank you, Chloe, for taking time today.

McGowan: Of course. Thanks.