The library is governed by the OPL Board, who work in conjunction with library staff to provide the community with resources and programs for all.

2023 Oakville Public Library Board

• Number of citizen positions: up to nine
• Meeting time: Third Thursday of each month at 7 pm
• Governance Policies: Library Board

Board members:

• Councillor Jeff Knoll, Chair
• Andrew Cashman, Vice Chair
• ​Meredith Burke
• Councillor Ray Chisholm
• Avis Maher
• Rebecca Mayville
• Celso Mello
• Roderick Sawyer
• Bill Smith

Board Members can be contacted through Jeanny Lin at 905-815-2042, ext. 5023.

 

Councillor Jeff Knoll

Councillor Jeff Knoll has served as Oakville’s Ward 5 Regional and Town Councillor since being first elected in 2000 and re-elected in subsequent elections in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018. A local entrepreneur and employer, he is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Film.Ca Cinemas in Oakville.

As Town and Regional Councillor, he has served on almost every committee and board of the town and region on behalf of the residents of Ward 5. He is currently a member of the Halton Police Services Board, President of the Halton Community Housing Corporation and is Chair of the Oakville Public Library. Knoll is also a member of the Oakville Administrative Services Committee and the Halton Health and Social Services Committee.
In addition to his current committee and board experience, he has also served on the boards of the Halton Health Care Services Corporation, the Halton Children’s Aid Society, the Oakville & Milton Humane Society and as the Halton representative on the Community Environment and Noise Advisory Committee at the GTAA (Toronto Pearson Airport).

Outside of his Council responsibilities, he is a member of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce and is a member and active volunteer with the Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre where his wife Michelle is the Executive Director. He is also a long-time member, former chairman and the current group sponsor of the 1st Trafalgar Scouts, and a founding member and volunteer with the Trafalgar Township Historical Society, a Member of the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 114.

Jeff’s life-long interests in the film industry stem from a part-time job at a local movie theatre he had as a young teen in Windsor, where he grew up. He went on to study Political Science and Communications (film and television) at the University of Windsor. He holds memberships in the Canadian Media Producers Association and is a voting member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

Jeff and Michelle have lived in Oak Park for 19 years, where they’ve raised five children, and enjoy time with their four grandchildren and rambunctious rescue beagle, Roxas.

 

Andrew Cashman

An experienced marketing and sales business consultant, Andrew holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Waterloo and has several years of progressive experience in the consumer packaged goods, retail service and B2B industries. Andrew’s expertise lies in branding and marketing strategy. In his spare time, Andrew is an active community volunteer with Scouts Canada in Oakville and participates in many other community activities and events.

 

Meredith Burke

Meredith Burke is an experienced fundraising professional and holds the role of Senior Director, Resource Development at United Way Halton & Hamilton. In addition to 10 years with United Way, Meredith has also managed national campaigns with UNICEF Canada. Meredith holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business (York University) and a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University. As a life-long Oakville resident, Meredith grew up using Oakville Public Library amenities and now her two school-aged children are enjoying using the programs and services too. Meredith is also an active Oakville School/Parent Council member.  

Councillor Ray Chisholm

Councillor Ray Chisholm is currently part of Town Council. He has an extensive background in community development and engagement. Prior to his service on Town Council, Councillor Chisholm was an employee of the town, serving as senior manager of recreation services. He has lead constituent sessions, worked with local businesses and managed countless projects. Councillor Chisholm has worked in various roles with residents to identify community needs. Whether it be through his work as a member of the West Harbour Residents’ Association, the Oakville Arts Council, or as chair of Tourism Oakville, Councillor Chisholm has been involved in local issues and is dedicated to finding solutions. Councillor Chisholm was born and raised in Oakville. He is married with two adult daughters and a grandson.
 

Avis Maher

Avis Maher has worked for over 30 years as a finance professional. She has an MBA and holds a CPA, CA designation. She has held positions in both the public and private sector and is currently the Managing Director, Finance at The Globe and Mail. Avis has lived in Oakville for 18 years and has served on several community not-for-profit boards including the United Way, Acclaim Health and Oakvillegreen. She is an outdoor enthusiast, runner, gardener, reader and life-long learner. Avis views the Oakville Public Library as an important community resource and is excited to support and contribute to the library as a Board Member. 

Rebecca Mayville

A marketing expert and a dedicated mom of two active boys, Rebecca is inspired by stories in all their forms. She earned Bachelor’s degrees in political science and English literature, and a post-graduate certificate in marketing. She has put her love of storytelling to work for some of the world’s biggest technology companies, including Microsoft and Google, as well as organizations that support entrepreneurs and women in technology. Rebecca is currently the Brand Campaign Marketing Manager at Insight, the leading solutions integrator. She's been a resident since 2002, and also volunteers for a number of non-profit groups. Rebecca is an avid reader since childhood, and she is never far from a book. 
 

Celso Mello

During his 20-year career as an executive, Celso Mello has driven the technology agenda for mid-size organizations in various industries such as field service, distribution, and government. Originally from Brazil, Celso has worked in South America, Europe, the U.S., and Canada. Celso and his family have been Oakville residents since 2004, and have been frequent visitors of the Oakville Public Library, particularly as his 2 daughters were growing up in this community. Celso earned a technical degree in Data Processing, an undergraduate degree in Mathematics, an M.B.A. with concentration in International Business and an Advanced Business Certificate in Information Technology. He is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma honour society and speaks 3 languages. In his free time, enjoys travelling with his family, and experimenting with small home improvement projects. 

 

Roderick Sawyer

Rod is an Oakville resident, retired in 2019 after 29 years with the Ontario Public Service (OPS) where he worked with Ontario's public libraries and First Nation public libraries including as a lead for Ontario's Public Libraries Act and Ontario Public Library Statistics. He also worked on broadband, library standards, building capital and project grants and published a pioneering 1995 article on public library economic impact. Prior to joining the OPS, Rod worked at the Toronto Reference Library. He was recognized by the Ontario Public Library Association with its lifetime achievement award in 2015. He has labour-managment relations experience, including 16 years as volunteer Local President of an OPSEU Local and two at a CUPE Local as well as management experience at special libraries. He has a Master of Library Science, Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts. He enjoys going on local walks, traveling and reading (mostly non-fiction and mysteries), and strives to grow veggies and fruit, despite Oakville's squirrels best efforts.

Bill Smith

Bill retired in July 2016 having spent his entire career (38 years) with CIBC in various positions including 25 years in Mid-Market Commercial Banking.  He is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers (FICB). Bill, a graduate of Illinois State University (Marketing major), lived with his family in the US for 18 years. Upon graduation in 1977, Bill moved back to the Toronto area.  He and his wife Debbie were married in 1980, have two grown children – and one (at this point) very spoiled cat.

Bill has lived in Oakville for over 33 years and has been an active member in the community beginning some 25 years ago when he was a scout leader (11th Oakville) for approximately 10 years.  Since then, he has been involved in a number of not-for-profit organizations.  Bill is currently the Board Chair of the Oakville Arts Council, a Director on the Halton & Hamilton United Way Campaign Cabinet, and a volunteer with the Northeast Oakville Fair.  Previously, Bill was the Board Chair of the Oakville Community Foundation, Board Chair of CommUnity Arts Space, Board Chair of the Oakville Waterfront Festival, member of the Oakville Community Foundation Advisory Council, member of the Town of Oakville Environmental Strategic Plan Advisory Committee and member of the Town of Oakville Cultural Hub Committee. In his spare time, Bill enjoys travelling, running, sailing and generally enjoying retirement.