BOSTON, MA – June 1, 2026 – Mayor Michelle Wu announced the appointment of Meredith DeWitt, Marta Garcia, Paul Lee, Alexander Leventhal, and Wadi Muhammad to the Boston Public Library (BPL) Board of Trustees. Outgoing trustees include Dr. Raymond Liu, Navjeet Bal, Jim Canales, Cheryl Cronin, and Christian Westra.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Meredith DeWitt, Paul Lee, Alex Leventhal, Wadi Muhammad, and Marta Garcia into the shared stewardship of one of our city’s most historic and fundamental institutions,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “I’m grateful to Chair Garcia and all the incoming trustees for their steadfast service and exemplary leadership through this board, and I look forward to continuing to celebrate the impact of the Boston Public Library throughout all our neighborhoods.”
Mayor Wu also announced the selection of Marta Garcia to succeed Dr. Raymond Liu as Chair of the Board of Trustees.
“I am incredibly honored and grateful to Mayor Wu for the opportunity to serve as Chair of the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees,” said Marta Garcia. “As a Boston resident and parent, I have seen firsthand the important role the BPL plays in supporting families, students, and lifelong learners. I look forward to working alongside my fellow trustees, President David Leonard, and the library’s dedicated staff to ensure the BPL continues to thrive as a welcoming and innovative resource for all.”
“The Library’s Board members contribute so much to the BPL and the people of Boston and the Commonwealth,” said BPL President David Leonard. “I want to convey particular thanks to our outgoing Chair, Dr. Ray Liu, for helping guide the BPL through an important period of strategic planning and organizational growth. I know that all of us are grateful as well to outgoing trustees Navjeet Bal, Cheryl Cronin, and Christian Westra for their time and energy in helping BPL meet its mission of remaining, as always, Free to All.”
In addition to the appointment of DeWitt, Garcia, Lee, Leventhal, and Muhammad, Mayor Wu reappointed Trustees Joe Berman, Jose C. Masso III, and Senator Michael Rush.
Incorporated in 1878, 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.
The Board of Trustees consists of 15 trustees, all residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and appointed by the Mayor of Boston. Trustees hold their office for a term of five years and until their successor is appointed. The BPL Board of Trustees works together with the library president to carry out responsibilities that involve governance and policymaking, financial and development oversight, and setting strategy.
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ABOUT MARTA GARCIA
Marta Garcia is a Principal at Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP in the Intellectual Property Litigation Group. Prior to joining Choate, Marta practiced at Finnegan, where her work spanned all areas of patent law, including complex patent and intellectual property litigation, strategic counseling, and patent prosecution across the chemical, mechanical, and biotechnology industries. She has experience managing complex patent litigation matters through all phases of litigation, including discovery, trial, and appeals. Marta graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering and a minor in Biomedical Engineering, and obtained her law degree from Stanford Law School. Marta lives in Boston with her husband, three children, and Bernedoodle.
ABOUT MEREDITH DEWITT
Meredith DeWitt is the Principal of DeWitt Consulting, where she provides clients with focused strategic counsel, aligning their public interactions with personal and organizational goals. Meredith has worked in national Democratic politics, speechwriting and fundraising for over 20 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. Meredith also served as Executive Director of Corporate Outreach for Wenner Media, where she was responsible for developing and implementing advertising sales strategies for Wenner Media’s three magazine properties - Rolling Stone, U.S. Weekly, and Men’s Journal. She serves on the Board of the Better Angels Society, a foundation dedicated to supporting the creation 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 summer camp experiences for children from Boston’s at-risk neighborhoods, as well as Opportunity Nation, a bipartisan campaign working to expand economic opportunity in the United States. 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.
ABOUT PAUL LEE
Paul W. Lee is a retired partner at Goodwin Procter LLP in Boston, where he was a corporate transactions lawyer and one of the first Asian American partners at a Boston law firm. Born in Boston’s Chinatown, Paul has devoted himself to serving the Asian American community as well as all communities of color in Massachusetts and nationally. He is the Co-Founder and Chair of the Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation, which works to unite AAPI community in Massachusetts and build a stronger collective voice, and the Asian Business Empowerment Council, which assists AAPI-owned small businesses in Massachusetts. He is also the Co-founder and first President of the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts. Co-Founder and past Board President of the Asian Community Development Corporation, which develops affordable housing in Chinatown and other Asian American communities. Nationally, he is a past President of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and past Board Chair of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC, the leading national Asian American civil rights organization. Paul is a member of the boards of the Conservation Law Foundation, WGBH, and the Coalition for Anti-Racism and Equity in Education (CARE), and a past Board member of the Boston Foundation and Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence.
ABOUT ALEXANDER LEVENTHAL
Alexander D. Leventhal is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Faros Properties. He is focused on development, asset management, and leasing. Prior to founding Faros, Alex served as a Managing Partner of the investment division at Boston Realty Advisors. His earlier experience includes positions at Jones Lang LaSalle and RM Bradley Real Estate. Alex holds a B.S. in Management from Bentley University. In recognition of his leadership and accomplishments, he was honored in 2013 with the Forty Under Forty Rising Star Award from the Business Council of Westchester. In addition to his professional pursuits, Alex is deeply committed to civic and cultural engagement, serving on several boards, including the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library and the Advisors Council at WGBH Boston.
ABOUT 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. He is a Corporate Advisor at Amazon Business. Deeply committed to community impact, Wadi serves as Treasurer and Board Member of the Daddy and Me Literacy Program. He 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.