Courtney Greve Hack moved with her husband and young son to Riverside just six months ago. Now she’s a member of the Riverside Public Library Board of Trustees.
Library trustees on March 14 selected Greve Hack to fill the vacancy left by the departure of Ed Lyons. Her term will expire in 2019.
According to library board President Joan Wiaduck, despite her short tenure as a Riverside resident, Greve Hack was the board’s clear top choice from a field of 12 applicants.
“Her optimism and enthusiasm,” said Wiaduck “immediately” won over trustees, who will be embarking on a major fundraising effort perhaps this fall to reconfigure space in the lower level of the library, which houses Children’s Services. According to Wiaduck, 800 children visit the Children’s Services area in any given month.
Greve Hack said that since moving to Riverside the library has been a favorite spot for her and her 5-year-old son and that it was an easy call on deciding to apply for the open spot.
“It’s the heart of the community,” Greve Hack said.
That she has a young child who attends the children’s programs provided in the lower level of the library was probably a factor in the board choosing her, Greve Hack said.
“I really want to contribute and can make a difference, especially for the children of the community,” Greve Hack said.
Greve-Hack, said she’s also interested in being able to serve as a steward for the library building, a local landmark built in 1930. A former resident of Oak Park, Greve Hack was a regular volunteer for the annual Wright Plus housewalk, which features tours of historic homes.
“You just don’t see that kind of library architecture anymore,” she said.
A resident of Oak Park for eight years, Greve Hack served on the Farmers Market Commission, bringing more child-centered activities to that weekly staple of village life.
As the library board begins its efforts to raise as much as $1.5 million for the space reconfiguration of the building’s lower level, Greve Hack’s communications experience might also come in handy.
Greve Hack worked as a reporter for the Daily Southtown for seven years before landing a job as director of communications for Cook County Clerk David Orr. She rose to the job of deputy clerk before leaving in December 2015 to become director of media relations for Loyola University Health System.
“My overall experience [as a library board member] is still pretty limited, but it seems like an active, working board, and they have a long-range vision that’s pretty exciting,” Greve Hack said.
Although the library board had to turn away 11 other applicants for the open spot, they’ll be returning to that list of names in May when the library board will be faced with appointing another new board member.
Just two people, Wiaduck and incumbent Michael Flight, filed to run for three open spots on the library board in the April 4 election. Incumbent Susan Kucera decided not to run for re-election, leaving the board a trustee short after Election Day.
“Come May we’ll be re-interviewing people and seeing where we’re at,” Wiaduck said. “All of the candidates interviewed well and came from all walks of life, but they all had one thing in common – they all love the library.”
