Public Programs Office Contact Information
The ALA Public Programs Office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (CT). For general inquires, please call, write or fax us at:
Phone: 312.280.5045
Fax: 312.280.5759
Email: publicprograms@ala.org
Mailing Address:
Public Programs Office (PPO)
American Library Association
225 N. Michigan Ave.
Suite 1300
Chicago, IL 60601
To suggest a partnership or program opportunity, please fill out ALA’s Request for Collaboration Form.
Director, Melanie Welch (she/her)
Phone: 312.280.5054
Contact Melanie with general inquiries regarding the ALA Public Programs Office, the ALA Public and Cultural Programs Advisory Committee (PCPAC), the ALA Cultural Communities Fund, and support for library programming through partnerships, sponsorships, grants,and donations.
Project Director, Samantha Oakley (she/her)
Phone: 312.280.5287
Contact Samantha with questions regarding Libraries Transforming Communities, Let's Talk About It, Media Literacy Education in Libraries for Adult Audiences, Community Connect, ALA PPO's annual grant opportunities, online learning, evaluation, and partnership inquires.
Communications Specialist, Hannah Arata (she/her)
Phone: 312.280.3272
Contact Hannah with questions or ideas for the ProgrammingLibrarian.org website and for questions regarding communications and promotional materials for PPO's grant opportunities.
Program Officer, Emily (Em) Gallaugher (they/them) (honorific: Mx.)
Phone: 312.280.5057
Contact Emily with general questions about PPO as well as questions regarding the Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award, Let’s Talk About It: Women’s Suffrage, Teaching with Primary Sources: Women’s Suffrage, World on the Move: 250,000 Years of Human Migration, and Great Stories Club (GSC).
Program Officer, Kaileen McGourty (she/her)
Phone: 312.280.5055
Contact Kaileen with general questions about PPO as well as questions regarding Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, Community Connect, Americans and the Holocaust, and the Libraries Transforming Communities: Engagement Grant.
Deputy Director, Sarah Ostman (she/her)
Phone: 312.280.5061
Contact Sarah with questions or ideas for the ProgrammingLibrarian.org website, including inquiries about submissions and blogging opportunities, and tips about innovative or potentially newsworthy stories about library community engagement. Questions regarding American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries, Americans and the Holocaust, the National Impact of Library Public Programs Assessment, and Exploring Human Origins should be directed to Sarah. Media should contact Sarah for more information about PPO grant offerings and programs.
Project Director, Brian Russell (he/him)
Phone: 312.280.5298
Contact Brian with questions regarding ALA Apply, the Public Programs Office's grant management system, partnership inquiries and for questions regarding Thinking Money for Kids, World on the Move: 250,000 Years of Human Migration, the Great Stories Club (GSC), and the STAR Net STEAM Equity Project.
Program Officer, BeeBee Cooper Browne (they/she) (prefix/honorific: Mx. Browne)
Phone: 312.280.5053
Contact BeeBee with questions regarding ALA Apply, the Public Programs Office's grant management system, with general questions about PPO as well as questions regarding Community Connect.
Program Officer, Meghan Gieseker (she/her)
Phone: 312.280.5286
Contact Meghan with general questions about PPO as well as questions regarding the National Impact of Library Public Programs Assessment, Peggy Barber Tribute Grant, Exploring Human Origins, the STAR Net STEAM Equity Project, Media Literacy for Adults: Architecture of the Internet, and Thinking Money for Kids.
