Executive Director Louisa S. Bissett is leaving her post at the Associates of the Boston Public Library after 14 years. She leaves at a high point for the Associates, an independent non-profit whose mission is to preserve and protect the remarkable riches residing in the BPL’s vast Special Collections.

During her tenure, the Associates has grown to support the salaries of ten members of the Special Collections staff, as well as underwriting a wide range of projects within the collections. Among the efforts supported by the Associates in recent years is the digitization of every edition of The Liberator, William Lloyd Garrison’s famed abolitionist newspaper, and collaborating with the Boston Public Library and the Museum of Fine Arts for the 2019 exhibition Toulouse Lautrec and the Stars of Paris.

In addition, the Associates oversees programming to increase the visibility of the collections, including the annual Pierce Performance. In 2024, the performance celebrated the 150th birthday of renowned conductor Serge Koussevitzky, spotlighting items from the BPL’s Koussevitzky collection.

“We are tremendously grateful to Louisa for her hard work and dedication over so many years. She brought to her work a deep appreciation of the importance of the items housed in the BPL’s Special Collections, not just for our city, but for our nation and the world. Under her leadership, the Associates has dramatically expanded our programming and reach,” said Associates Board Chair Alyce J. Lee.

The Associates' Board of Directors is undertaking a search for their next leader. During this transition, Wendy Ballinger, a veteran non-profit consultant and former Development Director for the Associates, will serve as interim Executive Director.