The New York Public Library Names Three New Trustees to Its Board: Jelani Cobb, Kristin Fisher, and John Chao

March 6, 2024—The New York Public Library’s Board of Trustees elected three new members at its meeting on Wednesday: Jelani Cobb, Kristin Fisher, and John Chao. The new Trustees will begin their tenures immediately. 

“I am delighted to welcome Jelani Cobb, Kristin Fisher, and John Chao to the Library’s Board of Trustees.  They join us at an important moment for public libraries, both in our city and our country.  They each bring terrific experiences and skills that will benefit this institution and the patrons we serve.  I look forward to engaging with Jelani, Kristin, and John in the vital work ahead,” said New York Public Library Board of Trustees Chair Abby Milstein.

“The New York Public Library is incredibly fortunate to have a Board of Trustees with varied and complementary talents, which is why we are so thrilled to welcome our three newest members – Jelani Cobb, Kristin Fisher, and John Chao. We are so lucky to have their vision and perspective working on behalf of our community of learners. Together, we can build upon the Library’s inspirational work over the past 125 years, and scale even further heights,” said New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx. 

"I have always loved and admired public libraries and their mission to provide free access to knowledge to all. They are the most democratic of our institutions. It is an honor to be a trustee with The New York Public Library. I look forward to the work ahead to improve lives through literacy and learning,” said Jelani Cobb.

"For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a critical resource for New Yorkers – including me. I am beyond grateful for the wealth of information it has provided over the years, and will continue to provide for generations to come. This is one of New York City’s greatest assets. I'm honored to join a board that works diligently to provide so many services to all," said Kristin Fisher.

Jelani Cobb joined the Columbia Journalism School faculty in 2016 and became Dean in 2022. He has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 2015. He received a Peabody Award for his 2020 PBS Frontline film Whose Vote Counts? and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary in 2018. He has also been a political analyst for MSNBC since 2019. He is the author of The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress and To the Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the Hip Hop Aesthetic. He is the editor or co-editor of several volumes including The Matter of Black Lives, a collection of The New Yorker’s writings on race and The Essential Kerner Commission Report. He is producer or co-producer on a number of documentaries including Lincoln’s Dilemma, Obama: A More Perfect Union and Policing the Police. Dr. Cobb was educated at Jamaica High School in Queens, NY, Howard University, where he earned a B.A. in English, and Rutgers University, where he completed his M.A. and doctorate in American History in 2003. He is also a recipient of fellowships from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation and the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Kristin Fisher is the President of The Adler Group, Inc., her family’s real estate business, which manages and owns properties mainly in New York. Previously she worked in production at Cablevision. She is a former Co-Chair of the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Committee. She is also the former Vice President of Brearley’s Alumni Board. Currently she serves on the Board of Trustees for The Buckley School, The Boys’s Club of New York Women’s Board and the Board and Executive Committee of the Hudson Yards/Hells Kitchen Alliance (a BID).

Mrs. Fisher attended Nightingale, Brearley and Princeton. Mrs. Fisher and her husband, Charlie Allen, live in New York City with their two sons, Charlie and Carter.

John Chao is an investor living in New York City. He served formerly as the chief operating officer of New York Public Radio (NYPR). Prior to NYPR, Chao was a partner in the strategy and finance practice at McKinsey & Company, where he advised a wide range of companies, from media to consumer goods. Chao is also a musician and writer. Chao received a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Rice University and a masters in business administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He currently serves on the boards of Westlake Corporation, Texas Tribune, and PEN America.

About The New York Public Library
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library receives millions of visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.