Priscilla Douglas appointed to Boston Public Library Board of Trustees

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that executive coach, author and speaker Priscilla Douglas has been appointed to the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees. Douglas was sworn in on Tuesday, June 27, at City Hall, and fills the vacancy of Carol Fulp, who departed the Board in February 2017. Priscilla’s professional career includes key executive positions in government, academics, and business, for many of which she was the first woman and the first African American appointment. 

“Priscilla Douglas has a distinguished history of public service at both the state and national levels, and the City of Boston is honored to have her join Boston Public Library’s Board of Trustees and utilize her knowledge and expertise to further our iconic institution’s important work,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh.

“On behalf of my fellow Trustees, we are thrilled to welcome Priscilla Douglas to the Board and are confident her extensive experience in both the public and private sectors will be a tremendous asset to the Boston Public Library,” said Robert Gallery, Chair of the BPL Board of Trustees.

"I am honored to be appointed a Trustee of this treasured institution. The Boston Public Library has been a place of discovery and engagement for me, and I am eager to contribute to its future.  I especially appreciate the Library’s contribution to the cohesiveness and quality of life in Boston, and hope to help it remain vibrant and relevant now and in its next hundred and fifty years,” said Priscilla Douglas.

The Boston Public Library Board of Trustees establishes policies and sets the strategic goals of the library, oversees the general operating and administrative policies, and acts as an agent of public trust governing the library. The BPL Board of Trustees works together with the library president to carry out responsibilities that involve governance and policy-making, financial and development oversight, and the work of strategic planning.

Priscilla brings over thirty years of experience from leadership roles in business and government to her firm PHDouglas & Associates which helps leaders achieve breakthrough results. Priscilla co-chaired the International Women’s Forum Conference in 2015 that welcomed 828 leaders from 30 countries to Boston. Priscilla has worked with individuals and teams in the automotive, financial services, and technology industries, as well as in government, bringing real-world experience and thought leadership from the public and private sectors to client engagements.

Previously, as a White House Fellow, she served as a Special Assistant to William H. Webster, Director of the FBI.  For the Commonwealth of Massachusetts she held two key positions: as Assistant Secretary for Public Safety she launched the Governor’s Task Force on Domestic Violence and instituted Hate Crimes Tracking, and as Secretary of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations she led consumer protection and regulatory reforms.  In addition, she successfully introduced the techniques of total quality management across the Commonwealth, which led to an invitation by the Australian Parliament to keynote the launch of their quality initiative.

Priscilla was an instructor in the MA program for Harvard University Radcliffe Seminars, and taught courses in management, leadership and organizational behavior. She introduced seminars to bring the voice of women in business and in politics to her students.  While at General Motors, she worked closely with the originator of the quality movement, Dr. W. Edwards Deming. At Xerox she designed a knowledge sharing engagement process and curriculum that was deployed globally.

Priscilla Douglas holds master of education and bachelor of science degrees from Northeastern University and an Ed.D from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where her thesis was accepted with distinction. Honors include a Distinguished Service Award from the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, an Abigail Adams Award, and her service as a White House Fellow.

Boston Public Library has a Central Library, twenty-four branches, map center, business library, and a website filled with digital content and services. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library has pioneered public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. Each year, the Boston Public Library hosts thousands of programs and serves millions of people. All of its programs and exhibitions are free and open to the public. At the Boston Public Library, books are just the beginning. To learn more, visit bpl.org.