Board of Directors

Ethan’s original hometown is Northbrook, Illinois, but he has lived in Palm Beach County for the last 27 years. He has worked in secondary education, both for the School District and Cardinal Newman High School, with a long period of employment in the document imaging industry. He is currently employed in the position of Library Director at Florida Atlantic University’s John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter, having begun his career at FAU Libraries in 1995 as a senior library technical assistant. He holds graduate degrees in library science and liturgical theology. In addition to his “day job”, he is a devoted volunteer, now entering his 14 th year at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary Library, where he serves as acting archivist. Further, he assists the Catechetical Media Center of the Diocese of Palm Beach with the cataloging of their holdings. Most notably, in 2001, he embarked on a long term project to establish a new library for the Benedictine monks at Norcia, Italy. To date, about one third of their collection is cataloged. His favorite hobby is family history: “The best part of working on a family tree is when you reach the point of making contact with a newly found relative.”

“I grew up in Finland a country with one of the highest literacy rates in the world. When I was little, one of my family day cares was in the same building as the town library. Not too long ago I realized those early experiences visiting the library had a profound impact on me. When looking through some old books at my parents’ house,  I saw I had actually “cataloged” many of them! Instead of librarianship, my first career was in secondary social science education and worked for a decade in many Palm Beach County schools as an intern, teacher and an ESOL Coordinator.

My educational background includes studying International Relations in the University of Tampere in Finland, BA in Political Science and MA Foundations of Education from FAU and an MS in Library and Information Science from USF. A few years ago I received a scholarship sponsored by FSU/ SEFLIN / IMLS called the “Southeast Florida Library Leaders: Building the Next Generation of Service to Underserved Populations”. As a result of this program, I received a Certificate in Leadership from FSU.

I am an active member of the Palm Beach County Library System Adult Programming Committee. I am also the leader of the FLA Outreach and Programming Member Group and trying to get more librarians online in order to encourage each other and share ideas about reaching out to our communities and providing stimulating programming for our customers. Please join us on Facebook.

Over the past 20 years, I have enjoyed the experiences of working to accomplish new and renovated library construction projects.  I have also acquired an interest in the global expansion of library services in South American countries; specifically, the work involved with improving School Libraries in these countries.   

Background:    Miami, Florida, native.  Educated:  Dade County Public Schools (Miami Northwestern Senior High) – Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (B.S. Library Media Specialization) – Clark Atlanta University (M.L.S. Library Services)

Professional positions:  Riviera Beach Public Library, Director; Lee County(FL) Library System, Director; Cumberland County & Information Center(NC) Head of Extension Services;  Atlanta- Fulton Public Library- Branch Manager, Adult Services and Children’s Librarian

Professional involvement:  American Library Association (member) 1972- present ; Palm Beach County Library Association(member) 2009-present;  Former, Georgia Library Association (member)   North Carolina Library Association (member and Roundtable Chair) Florida Library Association (member) and OCLC members Council. Current member:  ALA Council Committee on Organization (2010-2012)

Interests:  Project management, volunteering my time and resources where the need is greater!

In July 2011, I became Collection Development Division Head at Palm Beach County Library System.  I came to Florida in February 2004 to take the position of Head of Serials at Palm Beach County Library System.  Prior to that I was head of serials at University of Michigan Graduate Library for thirteen years.  University of Michigan is where I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.   My Master's Degree in Library and Information Science is from Wayne State University.  I am a member of ALA, ALCTS, LLAMA, and PBCLA. 

I was the first of my family to leave the Detroit area.  They thought I would get sick of the heat and hurricanes and go back north, but the opposite is true.  All winter long family members come to visit me to enjoy the sun and warm breezes (and my company, of course). 

In Michigan I was a Master Gardener and earned the title again in Florida by taking the required classes for certification through University of Florida Extension and Palm Beach County Extension Services.  I am a member of Mounts Botanical Garden and do a lot of volunteer work there.

In the past my volunteer work included being a literacy tutor and an usher at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.  My volunteer days with PBC Environmental Resources Management included planting bushes and trees, removing invasive plant species and picking up trash in natural areas.

For the past three years I have worked part-time at Cambridge Institute of Allied Health and Technology in Delray Beach. It is a career college with programs in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Radiologic Technology, Radiation Therapy, Nuclear Medicine and Licensed Practical Nursing.