Skip Auld, Chief Executive Officer of the Anne Arundel County Public Library system since 2010, has been selected as Grand Marshal of the second annual Pride Parade and Festival scheduled for this June, Annapolis Pride Chair and Founder Jeremy Browning announced today.
The parade will begin at noon on Saturday, June 27 on Amos Garrett Boulevard and West Street, and will end at Calvert Street and West Street. Just like last year, the festival will run from noon to 5 p.m. on West Street between Church Circle and Calvert Street, as well as in Whitmore Park.
“We can’t think of anyone more deserving to be our Grand Marshal this year than Skip Auld,” Browning said today. “He has been a courageous leader in promoting and advancing LBGTQ+ rights in Anne Arundel County through his position with the library system and through his own personal values.
“Last year, Skip recognized the need for the library to better serve the LGBTQ+ community and the system began holding ‘Drag Queen Storytimes’ and other LGBTQ-friendly programming in their branches,” Browning continued. “Despite vocal public criticism, he never wavered in his commitment to creating libraries that are open, welcoming, and accepting places for all, especially for young people.
“In that regard,” Browning added, “the parade is the perfect intersection between the missions of our two organizations.”
Auld, who has been working in public and academic libraries across the East Coast for more than 40 years, said he was excited to get the phone call last week from Browning, asking him to be parade Grand Marshal.
“Our library system strives to be a leader in celebrating diversity, inclusion, and respect for all people,” Auld said. “It was great fun for many of our staff and trustees to march in last year’s inaugural parade, a day when joy, love, and acceptance were in the air. We look forward to being at the front of this year’s parade, and we thank Annapolis Pride for recognizing the fantastic LGBTQ+ programs, services, and resources we create for the community!”
As head of the Anne Arundel County Public Library, Auld and the library team manage a $28 million budget, 16 branch libraries, and a headquarters operation, employing more than 300 full-time staff. Auld successfully negotiated increases in library hours across the county and the funding of new libraries in Annapolis, Riviera Beach, and Glen Burnie, as well as an expanded Discoveries: The Library at the Mall at Westfield Annapolis. He holds a Master of Library Science degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and a certificate of public management from Virginia Commonwealth University. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts from Davidson College. Auld and his wife are the parents of two grown children.
“We are so thrilled to have such a strong partnership with the Anne Arundel County Public Library,” Browning said. “The collaboration is helping us to reach our goals to build visibility and awareness of LGBTQ+ issues, create safe spaces, and connect the LGBTQ+ community with resources.”
Founded in May 2018, Annapolis Pride is a grassroots, volunteer organization focused on creating a safe and welcoming environment for the LGBTQ+ community in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County.
June is recognized worldwide as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Pride Month (LGBTQ+ Pride Month). This June marks the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, an uprising to resist harassment and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, which was a pivotal point for the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
