Arlington Heights Library employee - sans library degree - appointed new director
The Arlington Heights library board conducted a national search for a new executive director, but in the end, it decided to give a 13-year employee now serving as interim director the job for good.
Mike Driskell, who worked his way up the administrative ranks at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library since being hired as IT manager in 2005, was appointed executive director Tuesday night by unanimous vote of the seven-member elected library board. He beat out three other finalists who are all executive directors at libraries across the country.
Driskell doesn't have a library science degree, but he said he has completed 5 of 12 courses in Dominican University's Master of Library and Information Science program, with plans to get the degree by May 2020. The two-page offer letter given to Driskell by the board mandates he obtain that degree by Dec. 31, 2022.
The job description noted that such a degree was preferred, though "an equivalent combination of experience and education would be considered."
Driskell has a bachelor's degree in computer information systems from Elmhurst College and a certificate in financial management from Cornell University, according to his LinkedIn page. After 11 years as IT manager, Driskell was named director of administration in November 2016, then acting executive director after Jason Kuhl's resignation in September 2017, and he was given the "interim" title in January 2018.
Driskell, 41, said he wasn't sure of his chances to get the job but thought he had a shot because of his involvement in the community since moving to Arlington Heights in 2005. Last year, Driskell was board chairman of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce.
"I didn't expect to be in the library industry," Driskell said of his initial professional aspirations. "But when I got here, I came to love it."
Library board President Debbie Smart said that while a library degree wasn't a requirement for the job, it is an "enhancement" that Driskell told board members upfront he was making a priority to obtain. What set Driskell apart and why he got the $132,500-a-year job, Smart said, is his "honesty, integrity and demonstrated work ethic."
"The board has the utmost confidence in Mike Driskell as a person who has the vision, values, professionalism and dedication to continue moving the library forward in addressing the needs of our community," Smart said.
Driskell's appointment follows a five-month search process that began when the board hired Vernon Hills-based John Keister & Associates for $19,500 to recruit candidates, conduct meetings with the board and staff, advertise the job opening and conduct interviews. After an initial screening, Keister brought the board five applications to review, resulting in in-person interviews with four finalists Nov. 8 and 9.
Smart said there were "thorough" closed-session discussions among board members after the interviews on both nights. She wouldn't disclose if the other finalists had library degrees, saying only they were all "experienced" library directors. And by hiring the search consultant to conduct a national search, Smart said library trustees were doing their due diligence, not knowing they were going to hire Driskell when the search began.
Driskell doesn't have a formal employment contract, but his offer letter considers him an at-will employee of the board, which can terminate his employment with or without cause at any time.