WORCESTER, Mass. — Jason Homer, executive director of the Worcester Public Library for nearly six years, will leave to lead the Baltimore County Public Library in Maryland, the Worcester library’s board of directors announced on Thursday, Oct. 1. Homer’s last day in Worcester will be Nov. 6.
Tressa Santillo, the library’s director for library innovation and public services, will serve as interim executive director while the board conducts a national search for a permanent replacement.
“Leaving Worcester Public Library is incredibly bittersweet,” Homer said in a statement released by the library. “There is no way to adequately express what this community and this library have meant to me.”
He credited the library’s staff for the changes made during his tenure.
“I am proud of what we have accomplished together,” Homer said. “But I am even more proud of the people who made it happen.”
Under Homer, the library created a Community Resources Department that pairs social work with library services. The department connects residents with help on housing, food insecurity, health, immigration, re-entry, veterans’ services and English-language learning, according to the board.
The library also expanded its digital equity and accessibility programs and adopted a new strategic plan, called the Purpose, Ambition and Strategic Roadmap. It introduced a “You Belong Here” brand during the same period.
The library and its staff collected several national and international honors while Homer led it. Those include the American Library Association’s John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions PressReader International Library Marketing Award. Staff members were named Library Journal Movers & Shakers, and the Worcester Talking Book Library was named the 2026 National Library Service Subregional Library of the Year.
The library was also a finalist for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Individual staff and board members received the Worcester Regional Research Bureau’s Thomas S. Green Public Service Award, the YWCA’s Katharine F. Erskine Award and recognition from the Massachusetts Library Association, the board said.
“For Jason, leadership has always been about people,” said Stephanie Pasha, president of the library’s board of directors. “He has challenged us to think bigger about what a public library can be, while making sure that the people doing the work had the support, encouragement and opportunities to make that vision a reality.”
Pasha said that the library is in a strong position for the transition.
“Jason leaves WPL stronger than he found it,” she said. “We are incredibly grateful for his leadership and excited about what comes next.”
The board said the search will focus on candidates who can build on the library’s strategic direction, staff, and community partnerships. It did not announce a timeline for naming a permanent director.
The library will hold a public farewell celebration for Homer from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Main Library, 3 Salem Square. Staff, volunteers, partners and residents are invited to attend and meet the leaders who will guide the library during the transition.
“I will miss Worcester enormously,” Homer said. “But I leave knowing that WPL is ready for what comes next.”
