Meet MLC Monday: Susan Liles

MLC's new logo

Meet Susan Liles, Public Relations Director at the Mississippi Library Commission. As you may have inferred from her title, Susan is the go-to person for all things PR at MLC. She recently led the agency's rebranding, which included a new logo and new promotional materials. You've got to admit, that's one gorgeous logo! Our quarterly newspaper received a much needed update as well. (You can check out On the Same Page on our website.) Susan also travels the state with our staff so that she can learn more about public libraries across Mississippi and their needs. She has quickly become an indispensable contact for local libraries to use in their own PR efforts. Liles has been instrumental in the budding library advocacy push in Mississippi, including the recent Legislative Lawn Party. Last but not certainly not least, Susan assists with MLC's bimonthly art shows, popular events for folks who love seeing work by Mississippi's talented artist community. This is all rather extraordinary when you realize that Liles has been at the agency for less than a year. She began working at MLC in September 2015 after ten years in PR at the Mississippi Arts Commission.

One of Susan's favorite aspects of her job is when she travels to other parts of the state to visit public libraries. "I love having the chance to see all our wonderful libraries and to meet all the great staff who work at them." When asked why she loves libraries, she says that, "Libraries are the heartbeat of every community and the door to knowledge."

Susan enjoys reading within a variety of topics. For the past several years, she has been on a self-help journey via books, finding treasures by such voices as Wayne Dyer and Eckhart Tolle. "The Power of Now is the best book I've ever read. It changed my life," says Susan. She also loves books that focus on specific points in history, like the Tudors. She's currently reading Outlander and A Game of Thrones. (Yes, she's a fan of both shows!)

Susan is an award winning filmmaker and a published photographer. She and her husband are avid campers and Harley riders. They also love to garden on their one acre of property. Susan is an avid birder and loves adding new birds to her list of ones she's spotted. For instance, she spied some pileated woodpeckers on her latest camping trip to Tennessee and Georgia.