RAILS Member Update

Kyla Williams Tate is the inaugural Director of Digital Equity for Cook County, Illinois, where she leads efforts to expand access to technology across the nation’s second-largest county. She spearheaded the county’s first Digital Equity Action Plan and Digital Equity Map. In 2025, she was recognized as NDIA’s Digital Equity Champion and ScaleLIT’s Literacy Leader.

Her work sits at the intersection of public policy, AI, digital equity, and art. Kyla is a Rising Civic AI Leader through Aspen Digital and the Aspen Policy Academy, and has completed both the Advanced and Basic AI Policy Clinics with the Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP), earning certificates of distinction. She is also an Illinois Road Scholar.

Nincy George is the Cataloging Services Manager at RAILS (Reaching Across Illinois Library System), where she oversees cataloging and cataloging-related services for member libraries. In this role, she develops and delivers training, coordinates specialized cataloging support, and manages statewide initiatives such as the Illinois Cataloging Mentorship Program (iCAMP). She also leads RAILS’ efforts to provide high-quality cataloging for world language materials, ensuring libraries across Illinois can offer inclusive, accurate, and discoverable records to their communities. She has more than 20 years of cataloging experience in academic, public, and school libraries. 

Yolanda Everson is the RAILS Data Intern. She attended the University of San Francisco graduating with a BA in International Studies with a concentration in Global Politics and Societies, Regional Focus: Latin America. She also has a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington.