In the mid-1980s, Jill Jean lived in Kalamazoo, MI, an hour east of Lake Michigan, and realized that her only option for advancement in library service was to make a move two hours further east, to Detroit.

Instead, she moved more than 2,000 miles west, to Seattle, where she began 20 years with the city’s central downtown library.  There, Jean helped shepherd the system through the dot-com boom – and bust – as well as sat on the 3-person team overseeing the vision and construction of the Seattle’s iconic central library, which opened in 2004.

“I have a lot of fun stories from working with an international architect and it all gave me a greater appreciation of architecture,” she said, referring to Danish architect Rem Koolhaas, the designer of Seattle’s central branch. “The building is like an art piece.”

Jean is now the director of the Kitsap Public Library system and recalls thinking that, after her experience in Seattle, the move in 2006 to running the KPL system would be a more subdued role.  But there were a few things she didn’t anticipate.

“It is a very political environment,” said Jean, an Excell Puget Sound member for the past year.  “We have multiple governments and municipalities to work with.  There are partnerships, non-profit boards, and also a property tax structure that creates funding problems.  We don’t even own all of our properties. It’s never a dull moment.”

When Jean came aboard a decade ago, Kitsap’s nine libraries were run as if they were separate entities. She worked hard to pull them together so they would look – and operate – like a cohesive unit.

“We are like the ‘Little Library That Could’ because we don’t have the money that the larger systems have,” she said, saying that they have had to be creative to experience the growth that they have achieved.

Under Jean’s leadership, the Kitsap’s library system has become nationally recognized, receiving grants and awards to expand its reach, including nearly $400,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to expand its BiblioTEC program.

Along with the recognition, the library system’s positive reputation has grown considerably and is now able to lure and keep the best people.  The interns, Jean said, are instrumental in recruiting and spreading the word about KPL and an annual employee engagement survey helps Jean keep on top of what her staff needs to be successful.

“People want to come and work here,” Jean said.  “We now hire multi-skilled people that have their own goals. We want to help train and develop these staff members and keep them growing and moving.”

Last year, Jean embarked on what amounted to 180 one-on-one meetings with every person on staff in the KPL system.  Whether they met for coffee, a glass of wine, on a park bench or in a local breakfast joint, Jean learned about each person’s talents and aspirations, what equipment they wanted at the library, who were the cheerleaders — and who were the negative people.

With the information, Jean said, she acted quickly.

“I talked freely about the results of these meetings,” she said. “I moved people around.  We brought in new internships. We purchased new equipment and we instituted training for developing skills.”

Pointing to the capital budget, Jean said that it is her goal to grow the library so that it is strong and fiscally stable.  With that in mind, the library is reaching out to the people of Kitsap to determine what they want to see in the community – and how the library can help fulfill those hopes and dreams.

This series of focus groups and meetings throughout the county will help clarify the vision for KPL’s levy, expected in 2017, which will raise operational money and insure that the library system continues to be an integral part of the community’s future.

The library’s job is complicated by the uniqueness and diversity of the Kitsap area.  From rich to poor, the community is spread out over a large space and that, unlike in Seattle where libraries existed in well populated areas, requires patrons to find transportation solutions in order to get to their nearest public library.

Before joining Excell, Jean discussed such hurdles, obstacles, and personnel issues with her human resources director.  But she also knew that many issues required outside counsel.

Now, many of her thoughts are discussed and evaluated by her peers at Excell. Jean said that it is a “wonderful gift” to be able to sit with CEOs from other organizations and to tap into their expertise and different points of view.

“As different as we all are, I marvel at the sameness of our issues,” she said, referring to the the various industries that the executives come from.

Of her own goals, Jean says that she would like to pass the upcoming levy, get KPL fiscally secure, and to build a new Silverdale library.

“That would make me the happiest,” she said.  “It’s my dream and I hope it happens under my watch.”