Valerie Lynne Shaw, President of the Board of Library Commissioners, was appointed to the Board of five by Mayor Karen Bass in April 2023. With the City Chartered authority of the Los Angeles Public Library, she leads the commission that has the power to control its own funds and make and enforce all rules and regulations. Shaw's career has been marked by her unwavering commitment to public service and a tireless commitment to quality of life improvements through education and infrastructure, all for the betterment of residents throughout Los Angeles and California.
She was appointed in 2015 by Gov. Jerry Brown to the Board of Governors for the California Community College System and served until 2023. The Board provides leadership and policy direction to the system’s 116 community colleges throughout California, serving more than 1.9 million students and representing the largest educational system in the nation.
From 1996 to 2013, Shaw served as the president, vice president, and commissioner of the full-time, five-member L.A. Board of Public Works. The Board acts as the general manager of the Department of Public Works, with an annual budget of $1.5 billion and more than 5,500 employees. Shaw made history as the first commissioner appointed by three consecutive mayors and as the first African American woman Board President of the now 151-year-old Board of Public Works. From 2008-2013, Shaw also led the Mayor and Council-sponsored South L.A. Initiatives program, successfully investing more than $650 million into the community.
Born in Los Angeles to a family with a long history of public service, Shaw has a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Southern California and served as an adjunct professor in the Political Science Dept. from 2003-2012. Shaw is currently a board member of LA County 211, California Community Foundation's $60 million Centinela Medical Fund, the L.A. African American Women's Political Policy Institute, PV Jobs, and a member of the Wilfandel Club.