Cohen steps into the role after serving as vice chair since 2022 and a board member since 2017. Her immediate focus involves steering the organization’s strategic direction while laying the groundwork for its 100th anniversary celebration in 2032. She succeeds D. Jarrett Arp, who is departing the board after nearly a decade of service.

Before transitioning to the cultural sector, Cohen built a career in communications, holding leadership positions at Weber Shandwick and Sandoz Nutrition. Her background includes a Silver Anvil award from the Public Relations Society of America for crisis communications. Dr. Karim-Cooper noted that the appointment signals a commitment to using the library’s extensive historical collections to foster civic discourse, with the new chair expected to apply her extensive management expertise to the institution's ongoing expansion of its research and educational programs.