Sophie Maier

Sophie Maier

She/Her/Hers

Community Advocate

An inclusive leader for immigrant and refugee rights committed to advocating for immigrant women and families.

Sophie Maier worked as the Immigrant Services Librarian for the Louisville Free Public Library for over 19 years. Sophie’s work prior to the library had been in NYC in the field of social services, working with youth in state care and teaching English abroad and domestically. Academically she earned a Master of Art in Political Science from the University of Louisville and a Master of Science in Library Science from the University of Kentucky. Years abroad included time in England, Spain and Japan. While with the library, she worked in solidarity with a multitude of foreign-born communities creating programming to welcome the most newly arrived, establishing and nurturing relationships for lifetime education. The importance of the preservation of language and culture drove programming connecting neighbors of all ages. Language Salons, unique in the nation, were created with multiple community leaders.Programs through the decades focused on the intersection of race and immigration, lifting the voices of LGBT immigrants and refugees, and teaching the untold story of Islamic civilizations’ contributions to math and science. Sophie hopes for communal advocacy for language access and expanded free and accessible English classes.