Community Leader to Address Grads

Mon., May 14

Community leader Christopher J. Korenowsky (right), the executive director of the New Haven Free Public Library since October 2010, will speak at the School of Graduate Studies  Commencement, which will be held at at Bridgeport's Webster Bank Arena on Thursday, May 18, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Two graduate commencement ceremonies were on campus at the Lyman Center for the last several years, but there will be one combined ceremony at the Webster Bank Arena for 2012. The undergraduate commencement is also moving indoors at Bridgeport after being held outside at the Connecticut Tennis Center in Westville for the last eight years.

A graduate of Kent State University, where he received his Master of Library and Information Science degree, Korenowsky has almost 18 years of public library experience gained through his work at the Columbus Metropolitan Library in Columbus, Ohio. From direct public services to administrative management positions, he played a strong role in helping to shape the Columbus Memorial Library from 1991 to 2009.
 
In 2010, the Columbus Memorial Library was awarded the top prize in the industry when it was named Library of the Year by Library Journal magazine. Korenowsky holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Ohio State University. In February 2009, he became the director of professional development for the Ohio Library Council, the statewide organization that advocates legally and educationally for all 251 public libraries in the state of Ohio.
 
In addition to leading library teams through successful fund raising, building projects and budget and revenue generating initiatives, Korenowsky has extensive experience in working with strategic messaging and branding initiatives in public libraries.