Yolande Wilburn, executive director of the Evanston Public Library, has resigned from her role after two years, with trustees voting unanimously at the Feb. 18 Board meeting to accept her resignation.
Wilburn was appointed as executive director of the library in October 2023 after a 15-month-long search by trustees. Wilburn has been on leave from her position since December, and was not present at the meeting. Assistant Library Director Heather Norborg has since been serving as interim director.
In a Thursday press release, Board President Tracy Fulce confirmed Wilburn’s resignation from her position, effective Feb. 18.
“Yolande expressed a desire to end her tenure as the executive director. The Library Board was disheartened by Yolande’s decision because we have full confidence in her abilities,” the statement read. “However, the Board respects Yolande’s decision and is currently working on a transition plan.”
Wilburn could not be reached for comment.
In an automated email response, Wilburn wrote that she appreciated “the opportunity to have worked with the Library’s Board, staff, partners, vendors and community in support of its mission.”
Following the Board’s approval of the resignation, Fulce expressed concern over the upcoming search, suggesting a lack of organizational structure within the organization.
“It is very difficult to find new leadership when the Board itself does not appear to be stable,” Fulce said. “I think we need to have really honest and transparent conversation around how leadership works and who’s going to do this.
“When I came on, there were no real systems for onboarding, at all. And so that was literally my labor and it concerns me that I will transition off and all of the years of effort will just [end].”
Fulce said during the meeting that she does not intend on applying for the position, but issued caution for incoming Board leadership.
“[The position’s] meaningful, but it does come at a personal cost and so you have to weigh the capacity, the bandwidth for it. But somebody has to do it,” she said. “Just imagine what it would be like to have a search where the candidates know that nobody on the Board wanted to lead it.”
Catie Huggins, Board secretary, also alluded to prior tensions among the Board members that haven’t been publicized. “What I find increasingly difficult is what we know, what everyone else can’t know. And I’m not sure how much longer I can deal with that.”
Last year, trustees drew criticism from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the largest trade union of public employees, when the Board considered a potential split from the city to become an independent library district.
Wilburn supported the decision at the time, despite public backlash concerning the future cost, labor implications and maintenance involved with leaving the city’s jurisdiction. The library currently remains a component unit of the City of Evanston, but is continuing to pursue conversations around a split.
Union members have also expressed concern at previous Evanston City Council meetings in regards to the library’s working environment and transparency from leadership.
Evanston Public Library Employee Tracy Olasimbo called out Wilburn and the Board at an October 2025 City Council meeting, citing that library staff “deserve leadership that builds trust, not secrecy,” and “a library that serves the people, not itself.”
“As a Black and Latino woman, I take no pleasure in calling out other women of color, but I can’t stay silent while our rights are violated,” Olasimbo said, referring to Fulce and Wilburn. The latter served as the library’s first Black director.
Trustees voted at the meeting to begin accepting proposals to conduct a search for an interim and permanent director. The committee has set a goal to fill the position by June.
