Eric Lashley receives W.D. Kelley Leadership Award

The W.D. Kelley Foundation announced this week that it has named Eric Lashley, director of the Georgetown Public Library, as the recipient of the 2018 W.D. Kelley Leadership Award. The award acknowledges and celebrates extraordinary leaders in the nonprofit community in Georgetown.

The award comes with a grant in the amount of $20,000 to be used for the benefit of the Georgetown Public Library. When he learned of the award, Lashley said, “I was extremely surprised and humbled by this award. It was truly unexpected. I consider this an award for my entire staff. I want to thank the W.D. Kelley Foundation for this recognition.”

Georgetown attorney Dale Illig, president of the W.D. Kelley Foundation, said, “When we thought of outstanding leaders in the non-profit community in Georgetown, we immediately thought of Eric Lashley and his incredible staff and the extraordinary work that he and his staff do to make this library an ‘oasis’ for the citizens of Georgetown.”

The W.D. Kelley Leadership Award has only been awarded once before, in 2015, to Tamara Hudgins, executive director of Girlstart.

The W.D. Kelley Foundation was established in 1997 with funds from the estate of William D. Kelley (1914-1996). The foundation aims to support organizations, projects, and individuals with a proven history of strong leadership or educational innovation. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded over $6 million to nonprofit organizations primarily in the greater Georgetown area. The Georgetown Public Library has been a recipient of a previous grant from the foundation for the purchase of art exhibit panels.

Pictured in the photo (left to right) are Eric Lashley, Dale Illig, Katelyn Illig, and Carl Illig, executive director of the W.D. Kelley Foundation.

For more information about the Georgetown Public Library visit library.georgetown.org.