The Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library is pleased to announce the appointment of its newest board member, Melissa M. Soto-Schwartz. Her term begins this month.
Soto-Schwartz, who is a professor of History and Women’s and Gender Studies at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), has lived in Cleveland Heights for twenty-seven years and will serve a seven-year term on the Library board, which will end in 2029. Soto-Schwartz replaces outgoing board president Gabe Crenshaw, whose service ended in December 2022.
“Melissa brings years of knowledge and experience to our board, including time serving as the faculty chair of Tri-C’s Racial Justice Initiative Advisory Committee,” said Heights Libraries Director Nancy Levin. “She also is a passionate fan of public libraries, and a champion of free access to information.”
“I am both honored and humbled to be appointed to the Board of Trustees. I’m looking forward to working with the other board members who are just as dedicated to preserving our Heights Libraries heritage and commitment to intellectual freedom, freedom of the press, and overall community development,” said Soto-Schwartz. “Libraries have always been a place of awe and inspiration for me; and knowing that I will now play a part in the care, safe guarding, and preservation of a library system is an incredible privilege.”
In addition to her work at Tri-C, Soto-Schwartz is a member of the Organization of American Historians and sings in the women’s choir Kol Isha at the Temple-Tifereth Israel.
