The Boston Public Library Board of Trustees oversees the Library’s operating and administrative policies, votes on and establishes Library policy, sets the institution’s strategic goals, and acts as an agent of public trust governing the Library. The Trustees work together with the Library president to carry out governance and policy-making responsibilities, as well as finance and development oversight and strategic planning. Trustees are appointed by the Mayor of Boston.
Marta Garcia, Chair
Marta Garcia is a Principal in the Intellectual Property Litigation Group at Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP. She represents leading technology and life sciences companies in complex patent and intellectual property disputes. She focuses her practice on high-stakes patent litigation and related proceedings, drawing on a technical background in materials science and biomedical engineering to advise clients across the chemical, mechanical, and biotechnology sectors.
Marta has extensive experience managing all phases of litigation, from pre-suit analysis through trial and appeal. She plays a leading role in case strategy and execution, including briefing dispositive motions, overseeing fact and expert discovery, and preparing expert witnesses for deposition and trial. Marta also represents clients in administrative proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, including inter partes review matters.
In addition to her litigation practice, Marta advises clients on patent strategy, diligence, and risk assessment. She conducts patentability and non-infringement analyses, prepares written opinions, and works closely with inventors to develop prosecution strategies aligned with business objectives.
Marta is a longtime resident of the city and a parent raising a young family here. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Hill House, the Region I Board of the Hispanic National Bar Association, and the Boston Children’s Museum President’s Council. She is also a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Boston Intellectual Property Law Association. As the first lawyer in her family, she cares deeply about education, mentorship, and public institutions.
Evelyn Arana, Vice Chair
Evelyn Arana is a trailblazing Latina whose journey embodies Puerto Rico’s enduring spirit: “¡Pa’lante siempre y nunca pa’atras!”- always forward, never backward. Born in San Juan and a proud graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, with a Masters from Lesley University, she carries the fierce heart of a true "Gallito": determined, rooted in heritage, and devoted to uplifting others while standing up for what’s right.
With over 30 years in healthcare IT, Evelyn is known for solving complex challenges with creativity and heart. Her leadership style centers on connection—“¡La mesa se hace de cuatro patas!”- the table stands on four legs, and every voice matters. From steering top healthcare organizations in London to strengthening healthcare networks across the U.S., she blends technical excellence with deep empathy, proving that “trabajo en equipo es la clave”—teamworkis the “magic sauce”.
Her impact reaches far beyond the boardroom. Through multiple mayoral appointments to the Boston Public Library Board, volunteer work with Rosé’s Bounty, and leading her teams in various corporate Give Back events in her career Evelyn lives by “Mano que da, corazón que late”- a hand that gives is a heart that beats. Her compassion shines through in her advocacy for youth at 826Boston and the Boston Arts Academy Foundation, where she champions opportunity and amplifies emerging voices.
Now based in Boston, Evelyn is a devoted wife and mother whose path from “mi isla del Encanto”—her enchanted island—to the forefront of Massachusetts leadership continues to inspire. She leads with joy, unity, and unwavering courage, living her truth: “¡Boricua donde quiera!”—carrying her heritage, values, and vision wherever she goes.
Joe Berman
Joseph S. Berman is the general counsel of the Board of Bar Overseers of the Supreme Judicial Court, having been appointed by the justices of Court in 2017. As general counsel, Mr. Berman oversees the enforcement of the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct, the code of ethics for Massachusetts lawyers. He writes and speaks frequently on legal ethics. Prior to holding this position, Mr. Berman practiced commercial litigation for more than twenty-five years and worked exclusively as a mediator and arbitrator for two years. In connection with his position at the BBO, Mr. Berman served on the board of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, an agency funded by the legal profession to assist lawyers in need of mental health services. He was the President of the National Council of Lawyer Disciplinary Boards and serves on the editorial board of the Massachusetts Law Review.
In addition to serving as a Library trustee, Joe serves on the board of the Associates of the Boston Public Library, an independent organization whose mission is to provide funding for the BPL's special and research collections. He currently is on the board of the Conservation Law Foundation. For many years, he served on the national and regional boards of the Anti-Defamation League, chairing the ADL's Boston region from 2020-2023.
Joe has received numerous awards for his legal and civic work. In 2007, he was one of several recipients of the Boston Bar Association’s President’s Award for his work on behalf of a client detained by the United States military at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The ADL has bestowed on him its Young Leadership Award and the David A. Rose Civil Rights Award.
Joe graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1986 and cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 1990. Immediately after law school, he clerked for the Honorable Richard Matsch of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Joe and his wife, Sharon Cantor reside in Boston.
Meredith DeWitt
Principal of MJD Associates, Meredith is a donor advisor who provides her clients with focused strategic counsel on their political and philanthropic engagements.
Meredith has worked in national democratic politics, policy and fundraising for over 30 years, including work on five U.S. presidential campaigns and six years as a congressional legislative advisor in Washington, D.C. She served as an aide to President Clinton, Vice President Gore, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Senator John Kerry.
She serves on the Board of the Better Angels Society, a foundation dedicated to support the making of historical documentaries by Ken Burns and other American documentary filmmakers. Meredith also serves on the Advisory Board of the Camp Harbor View Foundation, which provides a summer camp experience for children from Boston’s at-risk neighborhoods.
Meredith received her B.A. degree in Government from American University in Washington, D.C. and her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law at Austin.
John T. Hailer
Mr. Hailer is the President & Co-Chief Executive Officer of 1251 Asset Management of the 1251 Capital Group, a financial services holding company with deep industry operating experience. As former President & Chief Executive Officer—The Americas and Asia of Natixis Global Asset Management, Mr. Hailer was responsible for distribution strategies worldwide and oversaw the business activities of the firm’s asset management affiliates in the United States and Asia.
Mr. Hailer joined the firm in 1999 and was named Chief Executive Officer of what was then IXIS Asset Management Advisors Group that same year and Chief Executive Officer of Natixis Global Associates in 2006.
In these roles, Mr. Hailer developed a strategic global strategy that has repositioned the firm as a solutions provider. His mission was to ensure that the company’s asset management business is responsive to the needs of institutions, intermediaries, and individuals by providing relevant solutions globally.
Before joining the company, Mr. Hailer was with Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Company (FIIS), where he was responsible for new business development in North America and Latin America, directing product and marketing development for institutional channels.
Before joining Fidelity, he was director of retail business development for Putnam Investments, spearheading the development of pricing models, product offerings, and marketing strategies for multiple distribution channels as well as development of international products.
Mr. Hailer received his BA from Beloit College and is a former member of the college's Board of Trustees. He is Chairman of the Board for the New England Council and the Back Bay Association and served more than twenty years on the Board of Directors of The Home for Little Wanderers, the oldest continuous children’s charity in the United States. Additionally, Mr. Hailer serves as a trustee on several other boards, including Boston Medical Center and the Newport Festival Foundation as well the Boston Bruins Foundation Board.
Jeffrey B. Hawkins
Jeff Hawkins is the Deputy Managing Partner of Bain Capital Credit and Special Situations, the $57 Billion credit arm of Bain Capital, one of the world’s leading multi-asset alternative investment firms. Founded in 1998, Bain Capital Credit has organically grown into a global organization of more than 400 employees operating from a network of fourteen offices around the world.
Jeff is involved in a number of philanthropic activities and currently serves as the Chair of the Boston Public Library Fund and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Trinity College. He formally served on the board of Buckingham Browne & Nichols. Jeff received a B.A. in Soviet Studies from Trinity College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Julie Kim
Julie Kim is CEO-elect of Takeda. She was appointed by the Takeda Board of Directors to succeed Christophe Weber as president & CEO of Takeda in June 2026. In this role, Julie is focusing on activities that will help set the future direction for the company. She is also serving as the interim head of the Global Portfolio Division.
Julie joined Takeda in 2019 through the acquisition of Shire and has held several diverse roles with increasing responsibility, including president of the Plasma-Derived Therapies Business Unit and president of the U.S. Business Unit.
With three decades working in health care and leadership positions at global, regional, country and functional levels, Julie’s experiences have spanned a variety of therapeutic areas, international market access, country and regional general management, marketing and emerging market development.
Julie is known for her strong, collaborative and inclusive leadership style that enables Takeda to meet the needs of the people the company serves, while also driving innovations that will improve patients’ lives. Her global outlook, a result of having worked in many countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America, as well as having lived in the U.K., Switzerland, Hong Kong and the U.S., has helped her foster diverse teams to enable inclusive decision-making that keeps the patient at the center.
A committed community leader, she served on the Massachusetts Governor’s Economic Development Planning Council in 2023 as the lead for the life sciences working group and will serve on the Governor’s newly created advisory commission for the Discovery, Research, Innovation for a Vibrant Economy (DRIVE) initiative to advise on ways to strengthen the Massachusetts research and innovation ecosystem. She was appointed by the Mayor of Boston to the Board of Trustees of the Boston Public Library, one of the most iconic and respected institutions in the city. She also serves on the board of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and is a member of the Council of Korean Americans.
Julie earned an MBA from the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dartmouth College. Julie splits her time between Boston and Tokyo, where Takeda is headquartered.
Jonathan S. Lavine
Jonathan Lavine is Chair of Bain Capital, a leading global private investment firm with approximately $185 billion in assets under management, more than 1,750 employees and 25 offices worldwide. He served as Co-Managing Partner of the firm from 2016 – 2024.
Mr. Lavine founded Bain Capital Credit, formerly known as Sankaty Advisors, in 1998. Bain Capital Credit invests across the full spectrum of credit strategies, including leveraged loans, high-yield bonds, distressed debt, private lending, structured products, non-performing loans, equities and insurance solutions. He also created Bain Capital’s special situations investment strategy which provides bespoke capital solutions leveraging credit, equity, corporate and real estate expertise. Together, Bain Capital Credit and Bain Capital Special Situations have approximately $67.5 billion in assets under management, more than 420 employees and offices in Boston, Chicago, Dublin, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York, Seoul, Singapore, and Sydney.
Mr. Lavine joined Bain Capital’s private equity group in 1993. Prior to joining Bain Capital, he was a consultant at McKinsey & Company. He began his career at Drexel Burnham Lambert in mergers and acquisitions.
Mr. Lavine and his wife, Jeannie, formed and oversee the Crimson Lion Foundation which delivers financial resources to a wide variety of nonprofit organizations focused on leveling the playing field for individuals and families. The foundation works to address pressing social challenges in the areas of education, community and public service, health and welfare, discrimination and poverty. It supports the multi-disciplinary efforts of organizations that serve to strengthen society through research, innovation, public policy, direct service and advocacy. To that end, Mr. and Mrs. Lavine have supported a diverse array of organizations including City Year (where Mr. Lavine is Chairman Emeritus of the National Board of Trustees), uAspire (where they have dedicated the Lavine Family Center for College Affordability), WBUR/NPR (where they have dedicated the Lavine Broadcasting Center at CitySpace in Boston), LIFT, Cradles to Crayons, the Equal Justice Initiative and many others. In addition, they have provided major support to healthcare institutions including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital as well as other medical research organizations. They are longtime supporters of Columbia University, where Mr. Lavine is Chair Emeritus of the Trustees of the University; and Harvard University, where they endowed the Lavine Family Humanitarian Studies Initiative at the Harvard School of Public Health and provided substantial support to fund scholarships for first-generation students at Harvard Business School.
Mr. Lavine is the 2017 recipient of Columbia University’s Alexander Hamilton Medal, the highest honor awarded to a member of the college community for distinguished service. He is a past recipient of Columbia’s John Jay Award for professional achievement, Columbia’s David Truman Award for outstanding contribution to academic affairs, the Dean’s Leadership Award for the Class of 1988 25th Reunion, Columbia/Barnard Hillel’s Seixas Award, Opportunity Nation’s American Dream Award, Voices for National Service Citizen Service Award and of the New England Anti-Defamation League’s Distinguished Community Service Award. He is the first recipient of the London School of Economics Alternative Investments Conference’s “Distinguished Speaker Honour.” Mr. Lavine was appointed a Member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council by President Obama and reappointed by President Biden. He is also a member of the investor group and a director of the Boston Celtics.
Mr. Lavine graduated from Columbia College, Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude, and holds an M.B.A with Distinction from Harvard Business School. He received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Columbia University in 2023.
Paul Lee
Paul W. Lee was born Boston, and grew up in the city’s Chinatown, where his Chinese immigrant parents worked in restaurants and garment factories. His family later moved to Brookline where he attended Brookline High School. He earned a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Columbia University. After working as a computer programmer, he decided to change careers and pursued a law degree at Cornell Law School to work for social justice.
After graduation, he worked for four years at a major New York law firm and then returned to Boston at Goodwin Procter in 1980, where he became a partner in 1984, one of the first Asian American partners at a major law firm in Boston. He is currently a retired partner.
Mr. Lee concentrated his practice on corporate and securities law and representing financial services and technology companies. Mr. Lee advised boards of directors and represented large and small public and privately held companies in business, securities, governance and transactional matters. He also advised high technology ventures regarding their organization, seed and venture capital financings, IPOs, technology transfers and licensing issues.
Mr. Lee is dedicated to helping empower communities of color, especially Asian Americans, to have a stronger collective voice and to have opportunities to enter the legal profession.
Paul is currently a Co-Founder and Chair of the Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation, the first and only philanthropic fund dedicated to uniting and strengthening the voice of the Asian American community in MA as well as the Asian Business Empowerment Council which supports Asian owned small businesses. He also serves on the Board of the Coalition for Anti-Racism and Equity in Education (CARE) which is advocating for culturally inclusive education in K-12 schools.
Mr. Lee is a past Board Chair for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC in Washington DC, leading national Asian American civil rights organization. Mr. Lee is a past president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), and the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts (AALAM), where he was also a founder.
Mr. Lee is a founder and past Board President of the Asian Community Development Corporation, which has successfully built and rehabilitated several housing projects in Boston’s Chinatown, contributing a total of over 800 units of housing to the community, including over 400 affordable units. ACDC is currently building an affordable housing project in Chinatown which will house a BPL branch, marking the return of BPL to Chinatown after 60 years. He previously served as Chair of the Massachusetts Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission, and a Board Member of the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence which promotes public awareness of the problem of domestic violence in Asian American families and operates a shelter for domestic violence victims in the Boston Area.
Mr. Lee has also served on the American Bar Association Board of Governors and the House of Delegates as well as many ABA Commissions and Committees, including the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity, Commission on Women in the Profession, Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Commission on the Future of Legal Services. In 2007, he received the ABA Spirit of Excellence Award for his work in promoting opportunities for minorities in the legal profession. In 2013, he became the first individual to receive the Boston Bar Association Beacon Award for Diversity and Inclusion.
He is a past Board member of the Boston Foundation, where he chaired the Governance and Nominating Committee. Mr. Lee currently serves on the Boards of the Conservation Law Foundation and WGBH.
Alex Leventhal
Alexander D. Leventhal is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Faros Properties, where he focuses on development, asset management, and leasing. Prior to founding Faros, Alex served as a Managing Partner of the investment division at Boston Realty Advisors and previously held positions at Jones Lang LaSalle and RM Bradley Real Estate.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Bentley University and was recognized with the Forty Under Forty Rising Star Award by the Business Council of Westchester.
Alex is also actively involved in several civic and cultural organizations, including the New England Aquarium, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library.
José C. Masso III
José Masso is the host and producer of “¡Con Salsa!” a weekly bilingual program that airs on WBUR 90.9FM, National Public Radio in Boston.
José was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2010. He has the distinction of being the first Puerto Rican/Latino to join such a renowned group of radio and television broadcasters throughout the Commonwealth and received the prestigious gold medal for service to National Public Radio in 2015.
For nearly half a century “¡Con Salsa!” has served as a musical and cultural bridge for a diverse audience and José was recognized by the Jazz Journalists Association as one of the 2021 Jazz Heroes, as an advocate who has had significant impact in their local communities.
He began as a bilingual teacher in the Boston Public Schools at Copley Square High School (now the Muriel Sutherland Snowden International School) and later working for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under Governor Michael Dukakis. Followed by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration and ending at Massport. In 2021 José retired from Massport as the Director of Policy.
José serves as principal of JCMIII Consulting LLC. His nearly five decades of experience are now providing professional consulting to corporate, public, academic, and non-profit organizations in the areas of Policy, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Community Relations, and Government Affairs.
He is a respected leader in these areas and has used his unique skills and expertise in strategically building the skills and knowledge of his clients that result in transformational change.
Then, Mayor- elect Michelle Wu appointed José to her Transition Team as an advisor after the 2021 mayoral elections for his leadership and community service. In 2022 Boston Magazine named José one of the 100 Most Influential Bostonians.
A native of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, he is fluent in Spanish and skilled in cross-cultural communications. José and his wife Divina reside in their home in Hyde Park with Jett, their Yorkshire Terrier.
Wadi Muhammad
Wadi Muhammad is an experienced business executive serving as principal at MTK Development and CEO of Bioclean Boston, with over a decade of experience in enterprise software sales and a current role as Corporate Advisor at Amazon Business.
Deeply committed to community impact, Wadi serves as treasurer and board member of the Daddy and Me Literacy Program and has held leadership roles including chair of the board for Greater Grove Hall Main Street, Deputy Political & Field Director for a Boston mayoral campaign, and public engagement lead for Youth, African American, and Faith Based organizations at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Porsha Olayiwola
Porsha Olayiwola is a native of Chicago, IL who writes, lives, and organizes in Boston, MA. Olayiwola is a writer, performer, educator, and curator who uses Afrofuturism and surrealism to examine historical and current issues in the Black, woman, and queer diasporas. She is an individual World Poetry Slam Champion and the founder of the Roxbury Poetry Festival. Olayiwola is the 2021 Artist-In-Residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum as well as a 2020 Poet Laureate Fellow with the Academy of American Poets. Olayiwola is currently teaching in her role as the Jacob Ziskind Poet-In-Residence at Brandeis University. She is the author of i shimmer sometimes, too. Olayiwola is the current poet laureate for the City of Boston. Her work can be found in or forthcoming from TriQuarterly Magazine, Black Warrior Review, The Boston Globe, Essence Magazine, Redivider, Split This Rock, The Academy of American Poets, Netflix, Wildness Press, The Museum of Fine Arts, and elsewhere.
Olayiwola is the co-founder of the literary gathering space Words as Worlds and just Book-ish, opening in 2024 in Fields Corner.
Mike Rush
Mike Rush is the Majority Whip of the Massachusetts State Senate. He proudly serves the people of the Norfolk & Suffolk District, which includes five neighborhoods in the city of Boston and the towns of Dedham, Dover, Needham, Norwood and Westwood in Norfolk County. Prior to being elected to the Senate, Mike served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives where he was Chair of the Boston Delegation.
Mike is a former high school history teacher, an Iraq War Veteran and a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy Reserves. He holds a JD from Southern New England School of Law and holds both a MA Degree with distinction and a BA Degree from Providence College. He is a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the International Honor Society for Historians, an Adjunct Instructor of History and an Eagle Scout.
He has received recognition for his legislative advocacy for our state’s Veterans, their families and our Gold Star Families as an award recipient from; the Massachusetts Marine Corps League, the Massachusetts Veterans Service Officers Association, DAV Massachusetts awards. He has been named a recipient of many other awards for his advocacy on issues of importance to the people of the Norfolk and Suffolk district.
Currently, Mike sits on the national Board of Trustees for the US Navy Seabee Historical Foundation. He and his wife live in West Roxbury with their three children who attend Boston Public Schools.
Lynn Perry Wooten
Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten, a seasoned academic and an expert on organizational development and transformation, is the ninth president of Simmons University and the first African American to lead the institution.
Specializing in crisis leadership, diversity and inclusion, and positive leadership, Dr. Wooten is an innovative leader and prolific author and presenter. She is the co-author of the Wall Street Journal best-selling book Arrive and Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership, which was released in April 2022. In addition, she has authored two additional books, nearly 30 journal articles, and more than 15 book chapters.
Dr. Wooten came to Simmons from Cornell University, where she was the David J. Nolan Dean and Professor of Management and Organizations at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. Prior to that, she served on the faculty of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business for nearly 20 years.
A resident of Brookline, Dr. Wooten is actively involved in the Boston philanthropic and civic community. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the International Women’s Forum of Massachusetts, the Fenway Alliance, and MASCO. In addition, Dr. Wooten serves on the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Trustee Advisory Board, the JFK Library Foundation Board of Advisors, and the WBGH Board of Trustees. Dr. Wooten is also an active member of several national volunteer leadership organizations and university boards of trustees.
Dr. Wooten holds a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina A&T State University, where she was valedictorian; an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business; and a doctorate from the University of Michigan. In addition, she received a Certificate in Advanced Educational Leadership from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Dr. Wooten is married to David Wooten, a chaired marketing professor at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. They have two children, Justin and Jada.