We are pleased to welcome Tracie D. Hall, Executive Director of the American Library Association (ALA) as our keynote speaker at Michigan Library Advocacy Day!

Tracie D. Hall is a librarian, author, curator, and advocate for the arts and has served as the Executive Director of ALA since 2020. Prior to her appointment at ALA, Hall served as the director of the Joyce Foundation Culture Program. She also served as Chicago's Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. In libraries, Hall was vice president of the Queens Public Library and assistant dean of Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice, Superintendent of Michigan Department of Education, will join us at 1:10 PM for a Conversation on Diversity in Literacy and Censorship.

Dr. Michael F. Rice was appointed Michigan's 44th Superintendent of Public Instruction by Michigan's State Board of Education in May 2019. He came to the Michigan Department of Education after serving 17 years as a local district superintendent - most recently at the Kalamazoo (MI) Public Schools. Prior to serving as Kalamazoo's superintendent, Dr. Rice served five years as superintendent of the Clifton (NJ) Public Schools. Dr. Rice began his career in public education in the Washington, D.C. Public Schools, where he taught high school French, and founded and coached an award-winning speech and debate program.