Anchorage, AK – Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson today appointed longtime educator Judy Norton Eledge to serve as the next Director of the Anchorage Public Library. This appointment fills the vacancy left open following the Anchorage Assembly's failure to confirm Sami Graham to the position earlier this week.
“I've long said that reading and literacy must be a top priority for the Anchorage Library, which is why I remain committed to appointing a highly qualified candidate with the background and experience to help refresh and refocus our children's attention on reading," said Mayor Dave Bronson. “Like Sami Graham, Judy Norton Eledge is immensely qualified for the role of Library Director. She brings to the Municipality decades of leadership and educational experience, at the state and local level, including as a teacher, school administrator, and champion for literacy and reading. While some members of the Assembly will balk at Judy's nomination, our administration will continue advocating for Library leadership we believe will best facilitate and promote literacy and lifelong learning."
Judy Norton Eledge has been an educator for almost fifty years and has taught in both urban and rural school districts. Eledge was nominated and confirmed to the Alaska State Board of Education under Governor Walter Hickel, and to the Anchorage Health and Social Services Commission under Anchorage Mayor Tom Fink. She worked in the Anchorage School District for almost two decades, including as a Migrant Education Supervisor, before becoming an administrator in two rural school districts. Eledge, a recipient of the “Alaska State Excellence in Public Service" award, also has served on the Alaska State Commission on Juvenile Justice and on the Board of Directors for the Learning Disabilities Association of Alaska.
“I'd like to thank Mayor Bronson for giving me the opportunity to advance the library's mission and values, including literacy which has been my life's passion," said Judy Norton Eledge. “I will work hard to make the Anchorage public libraries the most welcoming and relevant of our City's facilities."
Upon her retirement, Alaska Department of Education and Early Development Commissioner Roger Sampson selected Eledge to develop a program known as Alaska Reading Course. In 2020, Governor Dunleavy recognized Eledge in his State of the Union address for her enduring efforts in the area of reading and literacy. Eledge has served as President of the Anchorage Republican Women's Club since 2008. She is a member of Cornerstone Church and remains active in her community. She and her husband, Randy, have four grown children and seven grandchildren.
Media Contact: Matt Shuckerow, Interim Communications Director, Mayor's Office, matthew.shuckerow@anchorageak.gov, 907-744-2771
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