CORONA — The Queens Library has selected a successor to head up the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center, after its longtime executive director announced that he plans to retire after decades at the helm.
Dr. Mikisha Morris, who most recently was working in the Philadelphia school district, was appointed this week and will take over the position from current director Andrew Jackson in July, according to the Queens Library.
Morris recently earned a doctorate in educational leadership, focusing on how cultural art programs could empower urban communities.
Andrew Jackson said Morris was selected because of her new way of looking at ways for the library to grow.
"She impressed me with new approaches and strategies to enhance and grow our programs and services for the 21st century," he said in a statement.
The Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center on Northern Boulevard opened in 1969 by community members who took over a former Woolworth storefront.
Jackson became the executive director in 1980, where he oversaw expansions at the space to meet growing demand.
In February, as he discussed his retirement, he said his replacement should be fluent in new tools to connect library users, but still have an understanding of the library's importance.
“Nobody’s supposed to come here and fill my shoes, they’re supposed to come here and establish their own footprints,” he said.
