Helen Fried
Orange County Public Libraries Director
Santa Ana, CA
Helen Fried is the director of Orange County Public Libraries overseeing approximately 400 employees who operate 34 libraries, in 24 cities including the unincorporated areas located throughout Orange County, California. She confers with city and elected officials of the 24 member cities and the unincorporated area of the County of Orange, the 26 member Library Advisory Board, and the 5 member Orange County Board of Supervisors. She collaborates with 2 bargaining units and 25 Friends of the Library organizations. As director, she establishes and executes administrative controls, and directs the preparation of the annual budget; analyzes cost effectiveness of services, facilities and equipment for budgetary purposes; evaluates proposed new projects and services to determine fiscal impact and program effectiveness on overall departmental functions.