The Evanston Public Library is governed by a diverse, dynamic and committed Board of Trustees. The Board brings their leadership, skills and commitment to excellence in library service to their role as a governing board. Find contact information here.
Tracy Fulce is the President of the Board. She is a proud graduate of Districts 65 and 202 and holds a bachelor’s degree in Advertising and an MBA with a concentration in Marketing. Tracy has been a tenured faculty member at Oakton Community College since 2007, where she serves as Chair of Business and Professional Services. She’s active in her community, as a member of EPL’s Racial Equity Task Force, Second Baptist Church, an alum of Leadership Evanston, SEED, Beyond Diversity, and the Admin of District 65 Parents and Guardians. She and her husband are the proud parents of 3 sons, a Freshman at ETHS, a first grader at Kingsway Preparatory School in the 5th ward, and a Shih-Tzu, Max.
Arikpo Dada is serving her first term as a Library Trustee. She is passionate about community building and service and has spent her career within the STEM field to ensure quality educational access for all people. Currently at Northwestern University, she used her unique set of skills within the Equity in Opportunity Landscape Lab. As a lifelong learner, she believes the library is a great place to engage and connect with different people from different walks of life. She and her husband are proud to raise their 3 children here in Evanston.
Rachel Hayman is the Vice-President of the Board and Co-Chair for the Reimagine Fundraising Committee. She received her B.A. and M.A. in English (Phi Beta Kappa) from Indiana University. Rachel has worked as an Editor at World Book Encyclopedia and in communications, training and education at Presbyterian Homes, Evanston Township High School, and Womencare Counseling & Training Center. Rachel is a long-standing volunteer in the Evanston community, having served two four-year terms on the District 202 Board of Education, ten years on the Board of the YWCA Evanston-North Shore (and was a founding member of the YWCA’s Racial Justice Committee), and currently serves on the Youth & Opportunity United Board of Directors. As a docent for the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie, Rachel has led hundreds of school groups toward an understanding of the importance of being an “upstander” in the face of prejudice and oppression. Love of libraries runs deep in Rachel’s DNA…both her father and sister have served on their local library boards.
Shawn Iles earned a Master of Library and Information Science degree from San Jose State University and a Bachelor of Arts in International and Political Studies from the University of Saskatchewan. Prior to moving to Evanston in 2011, he worked at the Orange Public Library and History Center in Orange, CA. He is currently the Assistant Program Director at Interfaith Action of Evanston where he manages the Emergency Overnight Shelter. His volunteer work includes AYSO soccer coaching, Lincoln School Bookery, Co-Organizer of the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Evanston Producemobile, Co-President of the Lincoln School PTA (2017-19), and President of the Rotary Club of Evanston’s Charitable Board (2019-2021). Shawn and his wife live in Southeast Evanston and are the proud parents of four avid library users.
Margaret Lurie, Co-Chair for the Reimagine Fundraising Committee, has a long history of community service including 20 years on the District 202 Board – with 3 terms as President. In addition to raising four children, Trustee Lurie and a friend owned and operated Possibilities, an iconic store which was located on Chicago Avenue. A graduate (Phi Beta Kappa) with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and an M.A. from the University of Chicago, Lurie has also taught American History at the high school level. Margaret and her husband Paul have lived in the 3rd Ward for 43 years.
Benjamin Schapiro is the Treasurer of the Board and has been a librarian for more than 35 years, graduating from Columbia University with a Masters of Science in Library Service in 1978. During his career, he has worked in almost every major branch in the profession. Schapiro raised his two sons in Evanston; living in the City since 1981. Over the years, Ben has been active in the Dawes School PTA, on the Board of the Chute Booster Club (athletics promotion/fundraising) and served on the Chute PTA, held the office of President of the Dewey Community Conference, was an AYSO soccer coach, and is active in the Evanston Bicycle Club.
Russ Shurbet is serving his first term as a Library Trustee. Russ received a Bachelor’s degree in Education from McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. He received his M.ED from the University of Cincinnati. Retired from from public education and administration in Texas, Israel, Ohio, and Illinois where he focused on serving students with disabilities, before relocating to Evanston for retirement. Russ is an avid reader and learner and advocate for the role of libraries in advancing equitable spaces for all community members to feel valued, welcomed, and supported.
Terry Soto is the Secretary of the Board and is serving her first term as a Library Trustee. She received her B.A. in English with High Honors from Lehman College (City University of New York). She has lived in Evanston since 2013 and has worshiped here since 1987. She was a member of the YWCA’s Racial Justice Committee for several years, is an alumna of the Evanston Citizen Police Academy, and a community volunteer of the Evanston Police Department’s restorative justice for youth program. For eight years she co-facilitated racial healing training and community and police dialogues in North Lawndale and was trained as a Peacemaking Circle Keeper. Decreasing geographical, language, economical and educational barriers for all Evanston residents to more easily access library services is important to her. Terry’s earliest childhood memories include 7 ½ mile round trip public bus rides to her family’s closest public library. Her gratitude as a library patron, her experience as a Latina and her two years living outside of the US will also inform her perspective on the board.
Esther Wallen is serving in her first term as a Library Trustee and a member of EPL’s Racial Equity Task Force. She has been a proud Evanston resident since 2016. Esther obtained a Doctorate in Education with a specialty in Leadership in Innovation and Continuous Improvement. She has spent nearly two decades in higher education, serving in both student affairs and as an instructor in universities throughout Chicagoland, and she is currently the Director of Academic Advising and Study Abroad at Concordia University, Chicago. Esther is also the proud parent of a recent District 65 graduate and two adult children.