Tracy Fulce serves as a Strategic Advisor with KEES, a national executive search firm specializing in public, nonprofit, and public-private partnership searches. Her career has been in academia as a tenured faculty member at Oakton College since 2007, and Ms. Fulce currently serves as Chair of the Business and Professional Services Department. Her strategic vision and leadership have been instrumental in shaping academic programming and fostering student success. She brings unique expertise to KEES in her role as chair of the Evanston Public Library (EPL) Board, having served as a trustee since 2020 and president since 2021. Her involvement began in 2019 as a member of the racial equity task force. With 150 years of history and tradition inspiring courageous readers, EPL operates with a budget of over $9 million, has 110+ employees and over 225 volunteers.

As President of the Evanston Public Library Board of Trustees, Tracy led a community-focused, innovative process to recruit the current Executive Director, Yolande Wilburn. The Board hired a search firm (interestingly, not an industry standard library search firm/disclosure, they did not work with KEES) to emphasize stakeholder engagement, transparency, and inclusivity, ensuring leadership aligned with the community’s evolving needs. Tracy has also overseen the library’s budget and resource allocation, advocating for financial support to enhance programming and staff development. Her efforts ensure that EPL meets community expectations while investing in its employees and fostering a supportive environment for professional growth. Tracy’s contributions have been widely recognized for promoting collaboration and forward-thinking leadership.

In addition to her professional achievements, Tracy is deeply committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. She actively participates in local initiatives, including creating a Board Bootcamp to prepare those historically underrepresented for board service and serving on the D65 Student Assignment Project Committee. She is also a proud alum of Leadership Evanston and a graduate of Evanston local schools (Districts 65 and 202).

With a proven track record of strategic planning, organizational leadership, and community engagement, Tracy offers a comprehensive approach to executive recruitment, ensuring that leadership reflects the values, mission, and future direction of the organization. Tracy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising from Michigan State University and an MBA with a concentration in Marketing from Baker College Center for Graduate Studies. She also holds a Master Online Teacher certification from the University of Illinois Springfield.