Pilar Martinez

Pilar Martinez is Chief Executive Officer of the award-winning Edmonton Public Library, where she is responsible for leading 650 staff and managing a $69M operating budget. Pilar is passionate about service excellence and is continually striving for improvement. She has championed numerous innovative services, including community-led and digital initiatives, such as 3-D printing. She has a broad base of experience in executive leadership including advocacy, strategic planning and change leadership

Pilar is highly engaged with the community, serving on several boards nation-wide, including the Urban Libraries Council Executive Board, the Public Lending Rights Commission, and as an Adjunct Professor for the University of Alberta’s School of Library and Information Studies. She has served on the Working Group of the Centre for Free Expression for several years and is passionate about advocating for the fundamental value of intellectual freedom.

Pilar has received several honors including the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, the CLA/Ken Haycock Award for promoting librarianship, the Library Association of Alberta’s President’s Award in 2016 for her contributions to the library field, and the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Library and Information Studies Alumni Association in 2018. She holds an MLIS from the University of Alberta, a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in English from Acadia University and is a Certified Corporate Director (ICD.D).