City-County Council to consider former IPS leader Dr. Eugene White for library board
The City-County Council will consider appointing Dr. Eugene White, the former Indianapolis Public Schools superintendent and former Martin University president, to the Indianapolis Library Board.
“I spent my entire career in education, much of it focused on trying to build more equitable educational opportunities for students of any age,” White said in a news release from the City-County Council. “Serving on the library board is an opportunity to keep meeting our community’s educational needs.”
The City-County Council on Monday evening will refer the proposal to its Municipal Corporations Committee, which meets on Wednesday.
“Dr. White brings great strengths as a past educator and administrator, and his years of experience make him a great choice,” Indianapolis City-County Councilor Monroe Gray, Jr. said in the release. “I believe Dr. White will have a positive influence on the library going forward.”
The proposal to appoint White comes at a tenuous time for the Indianapolis Library Board. Public outcry against the board ensued in December after members offered the job of CEO to Gabriel Morley, a white man from Louisiana, rather than then-interim library CEO Nichelle Hayes, a Black woman with deep roots in Indianapolis.
After Morley declined the offer, the board decided to restart the search process rather than appointing Hayes, the only remaining finalist.
Who is Dr. Eugene White?
White is a former IPS superintendent. He served in the role for nearly eight years until his retirement in 2013. His term ended when the IPS Board bought out his contract, two and half years before it was supposed to expire, according to IndyStar archives.
Previously, White served as superintendent of Washington Township Schools and principal of North Central High School.
Several months after leaving IPS, White was appointed interim president of Martin University, a predominantly Black private university in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood. He then served in the role in a permanent capacity for over five years before officially retiring in June 2019.
White is widely credited with lifting Martin University out of financial probation from its accrediting agency during his term as president.
The Indianapolis Public Library CEO search
If White is appointed to the board, all eyes will be on him as to his thoughts on who should be the library’s next CEO.
Even before Hayes was passed over for the CEO job, relations between the library and the Black community in particular were strained following former library CEO Jackie Nytes' resignation in 2021 over accusations she contributed to racism, discrimination, and a toxic work environment during her tenure. Nytes has denied those claims.
White would be the second of two new recent appointments to the Indianapolis Library Board. The IPS board appointed Stephen Lane, a former Indianapolis Public Library special collections librarian, activist and vocal supporter of Hayes, to the board Jan. 19. Lane replaced former board member Judge Jose Salinas, whose term expired at the end of 2022.
The Council appoints two of the seven library board members. If his appointment is approved, White would replace Dr. TD Robinson, who resigned from the board and, like Salinas, did not support Hayes for CEO.
The search is currently still under way and Gregory Hill is acting as CEO. In mid-January, the board appointed professional executive leader Anita Harden as No. 2, to serve as chief administrative officer. Library board president Hope Tribble said they hope to appoint a permanent leader within the next six to nine months.
IndyStar city hall reporter Ko Lyn Cheang contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Eugene White under consideration for Indianapolis Public Library board
