As the Chicago Public Library Foundation — a nonprofit established in 1986 as the fundraising partner of the Chicago Public Library — celebrates 40 years, it does so with a new leader.
The foundation’s board of directors has appointed Eva Giglio as its new president and CEO. Joining the organization Aug. 12, Giglio will leave the executive director role at the CME Group Foundation to take up a mantle left behind after former leader Brenda Langstraat Bui died in February. Giglio said she knew Langstraat Bui and that stepping into the position she held for more than seven years is a bittersweet moment.
“It’s an honor to be stepping into this role and celebrating 40 years of impact and being able to carry on Brenda’s legacy,” Giglio said. “She did a lot of amazing work — built so many strong partnerships, she was an advocate for the libraries. I’ll continue that.”
Giglio, a Rogers Park native and mother of three, brings some 17 years of experience in education, government and philanthropy to the CPLF. She spent 13 years with Chicago Public Schools in administration and inside the classroom at Kenwood Academy, where she taught middle and high school students. Giglio oversaw the district’s five-year plan to reopen schools during the pandemic. At the CME Group Foundation, an education-based grant making funder from early childhood through college and career, Giglio directed an annual grant making budget of $6.5 million and launched a grant-making endeavor focused on Chicago girls’ mental health during her five-year tenure. Listed to Crain’s Chicago Business’s “40 Under 40” in 2024, Giglio will now oversee CPLF’s 2026 $7 million budget.
Giglio said her time in both areas taught her how to build systems to effectuate change and that she will bring all her experience to libraries. “It’s a big system, 82 branches of libraries across the city, but every community is unique and may have different programming needs,” Giglio said. “At the foundation, I was working more at the systems level with connecting nonprofits to institutions to have support over all the city, and now I’m thinking about that ability to leverage libraries, to support those as anchor institutions. I love that libraries provide a safe third space, connect communities, and find a lot of different opportunities for people to engage with them across the board. That’s what drew me to this role.”
While Giglio admits she doesn’t have a secret sauce on how she will approach her new responsibilities, she will be focused on prioritizing building relationships, reducing the literacy gap, engaging more youth in libraries, and making sure the growth of artificial intelligence doesn’t leave communities and learners behind.
“Brenda always said, ‘There was a foundation before us, and there will be a foundation after us. So, while we’re all here, let’s do the best work we can to help transform the lives of every Chicagoan,’ said Bob Wislow, CPLF’s interim managing director. “Eva, with her deep understanding of our foundation as a longtime funder, is uniquely positioned to carry Brenda’s energy, devotion, and legacy forward.”
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Former CPS CEO Janice Jackson worked with Giglio at the education nonprofit Hope Chicago and CPS.
“She understands that real progress happens when institutions work together and when communities are at the center of the work,” Jackson said. “The Chicago Public Library Foundation is gaining a leader who knows how to build coalitions, unlock resources, and translate vision into impact for the people who need it the most.”
“It’s certainly about books, but it’s not only about books,” Giglio said of Chicago Public Libraries. “There’s so much opportunity there — it’s a place of safety, a place of creativity, really cool programming available. … People can find their path if they walk in those doors.”