Leadership

EPL staff, customers and communities deserve great leaders, and EPL leaders have the responsibility to continually strive to become better. Exceptional leadership is a journey and a practice, not a point of completion or perfection. We are always working to improve ourselves, while supporting and encouraging those around us.

Executive Team
Directors
Branch Leadership
Pilar's Picks
More About EPL

Executive Team

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If you would like to contact a member of the Executive Team, please click "Contact Executive" to fill out our contact form.

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Media Contact

For interviews with the Executive Team, please contact our Marketing and Communications Manager, Karen Chidiak.

Media Contact

Pilar Martinez

Chief Executive Officer

Biography

Pilar Martinez is the Chief Executive Officer of the award-winning Edmonton Public Library, where she is responsible for leading 650 staff and managing a $69M operating budget. Never settling for the status-quo, 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. Pilar has a broad base of experience in executive leadership including advocacy, strategic planning and change leadership.

She holds a MLIS from the University of Alberta, a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in English from Acadia University and is a Certified Corporate Director (ICD.D). Pilar is highly engaged with the community, serving on several boards nation-wide, including the Canadian Urban Libraries Council, the Public Lending Rights Commission REACH Edmonton (as chair), and as an Adjunct Professor for the University of Alberta’s School of Library and Information Studies.

Pilar has received several honours including 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, the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Library and Information Studies Alumni Association in 2018, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and was named Edifier’s Trailblazer of the year for 2023.

Corrina Chetley-Irwin

Executive Director, Employee Experience

Biography

Corrina Chetley-Irwin is the Executive Director, Employee Experience. In this role, Corrina has overall accountability for leadership and execution of EPL’s human resources strategies that support the achievement of EPL’s strategic and business plans.

Corrina brings over 20 years of experience in human resources, strategy development and business planning in both the private and public sector in the role of leader, consultant and educator. Most recently she spent six years at the Edmonton Police Service in the roles of Director, Organization & Employee Development and Director, Labour Relations. Her professional experience is supported by an MBA and a B. Comm with a major in Labour Relations, both from the University of Alberta.

Corrina is very excited to join and contribute to the EPL team and community. She is passionate about learning, conversations and relationships. She is an energetic leader who is committed to building strong and trusting relationships both within EPL and with the community.

Sharon Day

Executive Director, Customer Experience

Biography

Sharon Day is Executive Director, Customer Experience at Edmonton Public Library where she is responsible for ensuring excellence in the provision of library service to all 21 library branches through the strategic development, innovation and implementation of effective ongoing service delivery. Prior to her current role she held the position of Director, Branch Services and Collections where she provided oversight in the provision of services to branches, as well as the selection, delivery, and circulation of all EPL's physical and digital collections.

Sharon holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta, and started her career as Automation Services Librarian at Yellowhead Regional Library. Later positions included Associate Director, then Acting Director of John M. Culaenaere Public Library in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. She joined EPL as a Branch Manager in 2009.

Cody Tomanek

Chief Financial Officer

Biography

Cody Tomanek is the Chief Financial Officer at the Edmonton Public Library and is responsible for providing strategic leadership in the overall management and delivery of financial, accounting and procurement services that help EPL achieve its strategic and business plans.

Cody holds a Chartered Professional Accountant designation and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta. He brings over 15 years of experience in both the public and non-profit sectors. Most recently he spent eight years at the City of Edmonton in the roles of Finance Functional Lead, Enterprise Commons and Director and Finance Manager of Corporate Accounting and Reporting. Prior to joining the City of Edmonton, Cody was previously the Accounting Manager here at EPL.

Vicky Varga

Executive Director, Collections, Marketing and Technology

Biography

Vicky Varga is the Executive Director of Collections, Marketing, and Technology at the Edmonton Public Library. She is responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of Technology Services, Digital Literacy Initiatives, Planning, Assessment & Research, Marketing and Communications and Fund Development. She also provides direction and support to all aspects of EPL’s collection development and management through the Collection Management and Access department.

Vicky holds a B.A. with first class honours in English literature and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Alberta. Through both degrees, Vicky focused her course work on the intersection of the humanities and technology.

Vicky has worked in a wide variety of roles during her 23-year career at EPL. Her experience at the Library includes working at six branches and in five departments, notably serving as the Manager, IT Customer Service and Manager, Digital Initiatives for five years combined. She has a strong interest in software and technology and how these systems support and enhance service delivery across the Library. Vicky brought this knowledge to bear as sessional instructor in the Computer Science faculty at MacEwan University where she taught a course on digital literacy for students enrolled in the Library Information Technology and general arts and science programs for 4 semesters between 2017 and 2021.

Directors

Geoff Grimble

Director, Marketing, Communications & Fund Development

Biography

Geoff Grimble is the Director of Marketing, Communications & Fund Development at the Edmonton Public Library. As a key strategist, advisor and member of the Senior Leadership Team, he drives EPL’s marketing strategy forward as we continue to engage our customers and positively impact our communities.

Geoff has over 16 years of experience leading marketing, communications, public relations, and fund development teams across both the public and private sectors. During this time, he was recognized at the local, provincial and national level with over 20 awards. Recently, as an Account Director at the City of Edmonton, he led a team of marketing and communications experts supporting the Community Services department.

Geoff has fond memories of visiting the Stanley A. Milner branch from an early age and is eager to invite more people to explore and experience EPL.

Santiago Gomez

Director, Technology Services

Biography

Santiago Gomez is the Director of Technology Services at the Edmonton Public Library. He is responsible for overseeing the development and management of EPL’s technology infrastructure and applications, including hardware, software, networks, databases and security.

Santiago brings a track record spanning 25 years in the consulting engineering and construction industry at Williams Engineering. He has led initiatives in data analytics, business intelligence, and machine learning to provide insights for operational improvements and strategic planning. Santiago currently serves as the Vice President of the CIO Canada Association, Edmonton Chapter.

As a new EPL leadership member, he looks forward to making valuable contributions to both the Library and the community.

Dan Mirau

Director, Branch Services and Community Engagement

Biography

As Director, Branch Services and Community Engagement, Dan Mirau works closely with the Director, Branch Services and Collections to support and coordinate the provision of services at EPL locations. In addition, he is responsible for championing EPL’s community-led service philosophy and for promoting the values of collaboration, cooperation, and open communication.

Dan has an MLIS degree from the University of Alberta and over 23 years of library management experience. He’s passionate about community engagement and cross-sectoral collaboration and has provided leadership at the local, provincial, and national levels. He has a passion for building dynamic teams through the fostering of a culture of feedback rooted in listening, coaching, and mentorship. He’s a firm believer in evidence-based decision making and using data-driven approaches to ensure service excellence.