Emporia Public Library Director Robin Newell says the board’s decision last week to not accept her resignation came at her request.
Newell tells KVOE News via text she had a job offer and reconsidered before last week’s board meeting. She then asked the board to not accept her resignation, and the board agreed after two executive sessions — one with Newell on hand, one without.
Newell did not specify where the job offer came from. She says she is “happy to be in Emporia and will continue doing what I have done for the past three years — provide leadership to move the library forward.”
Board chair Stacy Johnson admitted this was a “unique” situation and declined comment on the specifics, but she said this was the best move for the board, the library and the community as a whole.
Newell came to Emporia in 2015 after leading a library in Papillion, Neb., for almost seven years. She had also worked in libraries in Topeka and Kansas City, Kan. She replaced Sue Blechl, who directed the Emporia Public Library for over 20 years before she retired.
