Mayor Walsh Announces Boston Public Library Board Chair, Trustee Appointments

BOSTON - Monday, November 30, 2015 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that Bob Gallery, President of Bank of America Massachusetts, has been elected Chair of the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees. Bob Gallery and Cheryl Cronin, Partner at Cronin & Leonard LLP, were sworn-in to serve on the BPL Board of Trustees on Monday, November 23, and participated in the Board's special meeting this morning at the Central Library in Copley Square.

"Bob Gallery's and Cheryl Cronin's exceptional experience will bring the valuable perspective to the board," said Mayor Walsh. "Both Bob and Cheryl have a proven track record of success in their respective industries and will make a perfect fit for leading the nation's first large, free municipal library. I thank them for their willingness to serve in this capacity, and look forward to seeing the collective work of the board in its efforts to make our library system accessible assets for the people of Boston, the Commonwealth, and visitors from all around the world."

"The Boston Public Library Board of Trustees, together with Mayor Walsh, are providing renewed strategic guidance and oversight for the library's mission as a whole," said David Leonard, Interim President of the Boston Public Library. "I look forward to the new insights and deep experience that Bob Gallery and Cheryl Cronin will bring to their Board roles, and to the work and innovations we are committed to, serving the residents of Boston and the Commonwealth."

The Boston Public Library Board of Trustees establishes policies and long-term goals of the library, oversees the general operating and administrative policies, and acts as an agent of public trust governing the library. The BPL Board of Trustees works together with the library president to carry out responsibilities that involve governance and policy-making, finances, strategic planning, human resources, and continuing education affairs.

"It is an honor to be appointed to the Boston Public Library's Board of Trustees and I am humbled to be elected to serve as Chair," said Gallery. "The role the Boston Public Library plays in this city, in the lives of residents and for visitors is tremendous and I am dedicated to strengthening our system and continuing to provide additional resources to the community. I would like to thank Mayor Walsh and my colleagues on the board for this opportunity, I look forward to working together for a brighter future for the Boston Public Library."

"I have been passionate about the Boston Public Library for 25 years since I first began visiting it with my sons when they were young," said Cronin. "The BPL is an iconic revered institution that plays such an integral part in enriching the lives of our children as well as adults. It is a real privilege to serve the Library and city in this way, and I thank Mayor Walsh for this wonderful opportunity."

Full biographies of the new board appointees are included below:

Robert Gallery, President of Bank of America Massachusetts

Robert Gallery serves as Bank of America Massachusetts president, providing business, civic and philanthropic leadership for the company throughout the Commonwealth. Gallery joined predecessor institution Bank Boston in 1991 and has held a number of positions including managing director of U.S. Trust/Private Wealth Management for Greater Boston, various leadership roles in the Corporate-Investment Bank for FleetBoston, and head of Bank Boston's European business while based in London.  

Earlier, Gallery held a number of positions at First Chicago in corporate banking and strategic planning from 1975 to 1991.  He joined the organization's Boston office in 1981 and served as regional manager from 1986 to 1989.

Gallery serves on several nonprofit boards, including the United Way of Massachusetts Bay & Merrimack Valley, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  He is a trustee of the Boston Plan for Excellence, a public/private partnership focused on driving outcomes for all students by developing great teachers and great schools. Between 2012-2014, he was chairman of the Board of Overseers at WGBH, Boston's public broadcasting station for television, radio, and the internet. Gallery served as chairman of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce from 2010 - 2012.

Gallery is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago, B.A., and Northwestern University, M.B.A.

Cheryl Cronin, Partner at Cronin & Leonard LLP   

Cronin began her professional career as the first General Counsel of the Office of Campaign & Political Finance, where she was responsible for bringing to fair conclusion many public and sometimes controversial matters. She served as Legislative Counsel to the Attorney General of the Commonwealth, and was responsible for the drafting of comprehensive legislation and playing a key role in advancing legislation through the legislature and the Governor's office. In private practice for many years since her public service, Cronin has represented individuals, nonprofit organizations and small and large companies in matters before public agencies at all levels of government.

With a particular interest in projects and organizations that focus on the vitality of the city, Cronin has served in organizations, such as Board of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and the Strategic Development Study Committee which authored "A Civic Vision for Turnpike Air Rights in Boston." She served as Chair of the Citizen's Advisory Committee for the development of "Boylston Square," Boston. She was the General Counsel and a Board Member for the Host Committee for the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.  She served as a Member of the Board of the Greenway Conservancy. She was a Member of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation Board, a Member of the Board of the Alliance for Business Leadership and a Member of the Board of the National Center for Time & Learning/Mass 2020. She has served as a finance chair for numerous state and federal political campaigns. In addition to other volunteer activities, she currently serves on the Board of Sail Boston, which is working with Mayor Walsh to bring the Tall Ships to Boston in 2017.

She was named a Massachusetts Lawyer of the Year for her work related to the 2004 Democratic National Convention and received the Eleanor Roosevelt Award from the Massachusetts Democratic Party and the Abigail Adams Award from the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus.  She has been on Boston Magazine's lists of 50 Most Powerful Women in Boston.

Cronin is a graduate of Boston College Law School and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and currently resides in Boston with her husband and sons.