Art and Soul

Pat and Victoria Losinski moved to New Albany 21 years ago for work. But more than successful careers, they’ve found community and a place they’re proud to call home.

Pat was recruited for the position of chief executive officer of the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) in 2002, a position he still holds as the organization celebrates 150 years of service to all of central Ohio.

Their decision of where to live in central Ohio, however, was made by Victoria’s job. Victoria is an art teacher at New Albany High School, and over her career she’s taught elementary and middle school as well.

Both had lived and worked in many states, but the opportunity to live and work in Columbus, then New Albany, felt magical from the first weekend they visited.

“I think Columbus has a lot to be proud of,” Pat says. “And so I’m proud to be affiliated with that. Sometimes I tell people that I’m in the business of Columbus, I just happen to be the CEO of the library, because I feel sometimes it’s selling the city and all that is great about the city.”

Now, roughly two decades later, the best way Pat can describe New Albany is “home.” It’s where they raised their daughter, Abby, 26, and son, John, 29, who are both graduates of NAHS. It’s where their friends, as well as Victoria’s students and their families, live.

Pat and Victoria are from Wisconsin, and living away from their families for most of their 34-year marriage taught the pair to deeply rely on each other.

“I think we’re a team,” Victoria says. “We’ve always approached our marriage

CML will host the first Columbus Book Festival on July 15 and 16 at the Main Library and Topiary Park as part of the celebration of its 150th anniversary.

The event features more than 200 local and national authors, exhibitors, entertainment, food and more. Find out more at www.columbusbookfestival.org.

and our life and our kids as a team.”

As individuals, they’ve made and continue to make an impact on their respective communities in their own ways.

Pat is currently involved in a $300 million capital improvement plan for 20 new or remodeled buildings. He was three weeks into the job when the groundbreaking of the New Albany branch of the library took place.

New Albany was a smaller place 20 years ago. Without the $1 million pledge from the three library trustees and the New Albany Community Foundation, the library would have been much smaller than it is and unable to serve the bustling community today, he says.

“To have a library of this caliber was asking a community that had resources and people who could help, to help establish it,” Pat says. “And I don’t remember the exact timeframe but I want to say it was just a matter of months until they raised the amount of money for that purpose.”

Since then, Pat, who previously worked in library systems in Wisconsin, Illinois, Colorado and other parts of Ohio, has been involved in many library groundbreakings in different Columbus communities.

With a wealth of accomplishments, among them being named 2015 CEO of the Year in the large non-profit category by Columbus CEO Magazine, Pat has a difficult time coming up with just one for which he feels most proud. What does make the list, however, is the levy that passed in 2010 during a time of economic hardship.

“It’s not the accomplishment; it’s how much affection the community has and believes in and trusts the libraries,” he says. “I’d say that was really important because without that, we don’t do all of the building projects that we’ve done.”

Additional points of pride include the strong customer service ethic and positive culture at the libraries as well as the comprehensive programs it offers.

Victoria also reminds him of some of the gratifying moments she has witnessed alongside him.

“I, as his wife, attend all of these groundbreakings, and I remember one or two of them where an old, old library was replaced with a beautiful new one in

The couple has learned to take care of themselves so they can take care of others. That includes eating healthy and regular exercise. Both being long-time runners, they now spend more time at the gym than on the roads.

Pat finds time to get in workouts when he can, whether it’s on his Peloton bike or at the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany. Victoria has a routine of doing weights and cardio after school at the Heit Center.

“For me that connection of friends that I’ve made at the Heit Center has really been kind of instrumental because you want to go for more than just your health,” Victoria says. “It can be a little bit of a social part for me, too.”