Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada

Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada is an American librarian. She is the acting director for the Glendale Public Library in Southern California. In 2021, Pelayo-Lozada was elected as president of the American Library Association for the 2022–2023 term; she is the youngest person to be elected ALA president as well as the first Pacific Islander.

Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo was born in Southern California.^[1] She is multiracial, describing her heritage as "half white and half Hawaiian-Filipino-Portuguese-with a smidge of Chinese."^[2] Pelayo-Lozada has described her background as a multiracial Native Hawaiian raised on the Continent as being influential in her work in diversity, equity, and inclusion.^[2][3]

She grew up in Torrance and Gardena, graduating from Bishop Montgomery High School in 2003.^[3]

Pelayo-Lozada attended El Camino College, receiving an associate degree in philosophy in 2005.^[4] She went on to earn two degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles: a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2007 and a Master of Library and Information Science in 2009.^[4][5] She wrote her master's thesis describing how cultural information is retained and disseminated among those in the Native Hawaiian diaspora in Southern California.^[6]

Pelayo-Lozada has worked in multiple public libraries in the Los Angeles area, beginning as a library aide for the Los Angeles Public Library from 2006 to 2010.^[7] From 2009 to 2015, she worked as a youth librarian at Redondo Beach Public Library, the Glendale Public Library, and the library of the city of Rancho Cucamonga.^[7] She joined the Palos Verdes Library District in 2016 as a youth services librarian.^[3] In 2018 Pelayo-Lozada became the library district's adult services assistant manager.^[3]

Pelayo-Lozada has held multiple leadership roles within the American Library Association (ALA), including chairing the Advisory Committee for ALA's Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services from 2016 to 2017.^[4] She has served on the ALA Council for several terms, as well as a term on the ALA Executive Board from 2017 to 2020.^[8]

In April 2021, Pelayo-Lozada was elected as president of ALA for 2022–2023.^[8] After winning, she released a statement discussing her intention to work to make ALA a more inclusive and antiracist organization as well as "a model of organizational excellence and sustainability."^[8] She is the first Pacific Islander and the youngest person to be elected president of ALA.^[3]

From 2016 to 2017, she was the president of the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association, later going on to become the organization's Executive Director.^[9] She also helped establish "Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture," a literacy program specifically designed for Asian Pacific American and American Indian/Alaska Native children.^[1]