The Board of Trustees of Central Rappahannock Regional Library has selected Deputy Director Rebecca Purdy as Executive Director after a national search which attracted over 40 applicants.
Rebecca Purdy first started at the library in 1984 as a Library Page, shelving books and working her way up to her current role as Deputy Director, which she has held since 2016. Purdy is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington and has a Master of Library and Information Science from The Catholic University of America. Purdy is a graduate of Leadership Development at the Virginia Institute of Government, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Government at the University of Virginia; the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Fredericksburg; Public Innovators Lab for Libraries; and the American Library Association’s Leadership Institute.
Purdy has worked at the library in several Youth Services positions, including Youth Services Coordinator. Purdy became CRRL’s Deputy Director in 2016, where she was instrumental in the opening of Spotsylvania Towne Centre Branch, CRRL’s joint use library at Germanna’s Barbara J. Fried Center, IdeaSpace, and two satellite locations in Spotsylvania County. Purdy worked on multiple facility projects, including the move of CRRL’s administrative offices from Fredericksburg Branch to the Library Administration Center and renovations and expansions at Fredericksburg and Porter branches. Purdy’s responsibilities included developing a successful COVID Response Plan, collaborating with a consultant on CRRL’s Strategic Plan, drafting policy updates, managing fiscal reports and budgets, increasing internal communication among staff, and multiple hiring, training, and emergency response projects.
Rebecca Purdy will start in the role of Executive Director October 1. CRRL’s current Director Martha Hutzel retires September 30.
