Jessica Hudson is no longer Fairfax County Public Library’s director after stepping down to take a county manager position in San Juan Islands, Washington.
Sara Prohaska, marketing and communications director for the FCPL, confirmed that Hudson vacated the position she’d held for eight years on June 14. The Library Board of Trustees has begun the search for a new director in cooperation with the county’s Department of Human Resources.
Christine Jones was appointed acting director at the board’s June 12 meeting.
According to The Islands’ Sounder, a local media outlet that covers San Juan Islands, Hudson will serve as a staff liaison to the county council, oversee county department operations, and manage the county’s budget. She’s expected to start on July 15.
Hudson was appointed to lead FCPL in June 2016 with a bold vision to embrace modern technology and incorporate community-centric programming. She led multiple library systems in California before heading to Fairfax County to become director.
Arriving at a time when FCPL had been depleted by post-recession budget cuts and declining usage, she led the library system through the pandemic and oversaw its elimination of overdue fines beginning in January 2022. FCPL saw an uptick in returned materials in comparison to prior years.
Under Hudson, the library expanded operating hours after a year of reduced hours due to staffing shortages. The county’s fiscal year 2024 budget included an additional $6 million to fund library personnel, which enabled FCPL to hire additional staff and fill the nearly 20% vacancy rate from April 2023.
Suzanne Levy, the new chair of the FCPL Board of Trustees, said in an email that the board hopes to have a permanent new director in place this fall.
“A successful candidate would provide results-oriented leadership to address emerging trends in a digital environment and the general issues libraries face, such as fiscal constraints and challenges to the collection,” Levy said.
The board is also looking for someone who ensures programs, services, and functions are designed and operated to deliver the best experience for users and who can help launch initiatives to expand their reach, Levy said.
