Nicholas Lee joins King County Library System as its Finance Director

Nicholas E. Lee
Finance Director KCLS

King County Library System (KCLS), one of the largest and busiest library systems in the nation, has named Nicholas E. Lee as its new finance director. 

A public service leader within the Puget Sound region, Lee will be responsible for steering KCLS’ financial strategies and ensuring the library’s fiscal prudence. 

Lee will begin his leadership role Thursday and report to KCLS’s Interim Library Director Stephen Smith until the new Library Director is appointed.

"Nicholas has a unique combination of financial expertise and management success in the government sector,” said KCLS Interim Library Director Stephen Smith. “He is the ideal leader to drive an efficient financial strategy for our Library System.”

Lee joins KCLS after working as chief financial officer of the City of Snoqualmie for two years. Prior to joining the City, Lee served as finance manager for King County and as senior budget analyst for the City of Bellevue.

"As one of the largest libraries in the country with more than 10 million visitors each year, I am thrilled to be a part of the King County Library System,” said Lee. "As a taxpayer-funded organization, it is my priority to map and lead a strategy that is financially responsible and responsive to its patrons who have supported KCLS over the years."

Lee holds a bachelor's degree in finance and international business from Washington State University and a master’s degree in agribusiness from Arizona State University. In addition to his role at KCLS, Lee serves as an executive board member for Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank.


Founded in 1942, the King County Library System (KCLS) is one of the busiest library systems in the country. KCLS currently has 49 libraries spread throughout King County in Washington State with more than 700,000 cardholders.

In 2016, King County residents checked out almost 21 million items, including 3.8 million digital eBooks and audiobooks, making KCLS the number one circulating library for online downloads in the United States. Last year, KCLS also had 10 million library visitors and 64 million catalog searches.