After serving nearly a year as an interim director, Ava Ehde has been confirmed as the Director of Neighborhood Services for Manatee County. As director, Ehde manages a $22 million budget and oversees 135 staff across Probation, Human, Veterans, Healthcare and Neighborhood Services divisions, as well as the Public Library System. She also serves as a liaison with the Health Care and Children's Services advisory boards, Public Safety Coordinating Council and Library Board of Trustees. Ehde previously served as Manatee County's Library Services Manager since 2011. Under her leadership, the library system focused on expanding educational programs, technological resources and special events. This earned the Florida Library Association’s 2013 Library Innovation Award and the 2016 Library of the Year and several awards for the Library's Recycled Dreams Teen Fashion Show and Mana Con special events. Ehde was also named Librarian of the Year by the Florida Library Association last year.

Manatee County Neighborhood Services