Tamara Prato, currently group publisher at Tiger Oak Media, will be the new executive director of the James J. HIll Center. She is scheduled to take the helm of St. Paul's century-old reference library April 4.

"I am thrilled to be back in St. Paul and have the opportunity to lead an organization that has been serving the public for nearly 100 years" Prato said in a statement released by the center. "The Hill Center's mission of connecting business, entrepreneurs, and community is more important than ever as St. Paul and the surrounding metro look to accelerate economic development and job growth. With all of the momentum at The Hill I could not be joining at a better time."

Patrick H. O'Neill Jr., new board chair of the Hill Center, said: "Tamara has more than twenty years' successful management, community commitment, and marketing experience with a demonstrated track record of business success. Her experiences at Tiger Oak Media, Twin Cities Public Television, and the St. Paul Pioneer Press will serve us well at The Hill."

Prato graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and completed post-graduate work at the University of St. Thomas. She spent more than six years in advertising and marketing at Twin Cities Public Television and at the St. Paul Pioneer Press before becoming the group publisher at Tiger Oak Media, overseeing more than a dozen magazines, including Minnesota Business, Saint Paul Magazine and Minnesota Bride.

For more information, go to www.jjhill.org.