NEWS RELEASE: City Council Confirmation Scheduled for New Directors

Published on August 05, 2021

Interim Directors to be Promoted After Showing Exceptional Leadership throughout Pandemic

PALO ALTO, CALIF. – The City Council will consider confirming the appointments of new Director of Library Services Gayathri Kanth and Director of IT Darren Numoto—both of whom served as interim directors with great leadership during the pandemic—at the August 9 meeting.

Recruitment for these vacancies were conducted prior to the pandemic. However, final appointments were put on hold due to a COVID-19-related hiring freeze.

“We’re really pleased to move forward with promoting Gayathri and Darren, who have each demonstrated outstanding leadership throughout the pandemic, showing great ability to adapt to everchanging circumstances while supporting the workforce and community,” said City Manager Ed Shikada. “Both have a proven track record in leading teams and are dedicated to finding creative ways to maintain and expand customer service with leaner resources.”

Gayathri Kanth, Library Director

Prior to her appointment as the new Director of Library Services, Kanth stepped into the role of Interim Director in October 2019, leading the department through COVID-19 and related fiscal challenges. Before that she served 3.5 years as an Assistant Director, overseeing the library’s Public Services division, drawing on her long history of leading the Cupertino and Saratoga libraries as a Community Librarian. She has more than 20 years of experience in library administration and services.

“I’m really proud of the work we’ve done to continue providing accurate information and library resources throughout the pandemic, including virtual and Sidewalk Services, earning grants to provide online programs, and helping run the City’s Community Support Call Center,” said Kanth. “My short-term goal as Director is to continue the phased reopening all the five libraries. My long-term goal is to work with the leadership team to continue providing seamless services while navigating the pandemic, from Library-on-Demand vending machines to automated materials handling machines.”

Gayathri holds a Master of Library & Information Science degree from San Jose State University. She also earned a Master’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Madras, India.

Darren Numoto, Director of Information Technology

Before assuming the role of Director of Information Technology, Numoto stepped into the Interim Director of IT position in December 2018, managing the IT Operations division. He joined the City in 2014 as the IT Operations Manager, bringing 25+ years of experience in building and supporting IT infrastructure and technology throughout Silicon Valley, including 3Com Corporation and a variety of startups.

“I am excited to partner with departments to solve problems and provide innovative services to our community and businesses,” said Numoto. “I will continue to promote forward-thinking and continually improve the IT infrastructure, enabling us to support new initiatives and defend against cyber-attacks.”

Find more information on Library Services department, and IT department.