Previous Positions

No others in the last 10 years

Official MLA Activities (last 10 years)

National

• Medical Library Association: member 2014-present;
• MLA Reads Book Club Planning Committee: member 2018-2026;
• MLA Annual Meeting Innovation Task Force: member 2018-2021.

Caucus

• African American Medical Librarians Alliance: member 2014-present; Virtual Engagement Committee: 2021-2023.
• New Members: member 2024-present.
• Public Health/ Health Administration: member 2026–present.
• Resource Sharing: member 2024–present.
• Social Justice and Health Disparities: member 2026-present.
• Systematic Review: member 2019-present.

Chapter

• Midwest Chapter: member 2014-2019, 2026-present.

Professional Experience (last 10 years)

Professional Activities

• Ohio Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE): member 2025-present;
• Ohio Health Literacy Partners (OHLP): Board Member 2022-present;
• Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE): Library Council Board member 2022-present;
• Evidence Based Practice for Health Sciences Librarians Workshop: Teaching Fellow 2024;
• Institute for Research Design in Librarianship (IRDL): Advisory Board member 2017-2019, Mentor 2017-2025;
• American Library Association (ALA) Spectrum Scholars Selection Committee: Spectrum juror: 2018, 2019;
• Cincinnati Area Health Sciences Libraries Association (CAHSLA): member 2014- 2017, president 2017.

Professional Honors

• Graduate Research Travel Award, University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services & Information Technology (CECH), 2026.
• UC International Study Abroad Scholarship, UC International Office, 2025.
• Health Educators’ Institute Travel Award, Ohio Society for Public Health Education, 2025.
• Community Mental Health Champion Award, Cincinnati Reds baseball team, Black Women Cultivating Change, and the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, 2025.
• Shani Study Abroad Scholarship, UC African American Alumni Association (4A), 2025.
• CECH Study Abroad Scholarship, UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services & Information Technology, 2025.
• UC International Study Abroad Scholarship, UC International Office, 2024
• Medical Library Association, President’s Award, 2024.
• Diversity Research Grant, UC CECH, Office of Inclusive Excellence, 2024.
• Partnership Development Grant, Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST), Community Engagement Core, 2023.

Candidate Questions from the Nominating Committee

How can we (MLA) as an organization provide the maximum value to our members and provide opportunities for involvement and relevance in these changing times?

MLA must teach its members to embrace changing roles so they can stay relevant in the field of medical librarianship. We must offer training programs that promote an entrepreneurial mindset. MLA members must learn to support research teams in new ways. We can certify our librarians in team science, project management, and grant writing. This will equip our members with the skills needed to lead teams and move projects from inception to completion. Next, we can teach librarians how to monetize their skillset and start their own businesses. These businesses could center around research, tutoring, and knowledge management.

MLA must improve the use of time at the annual meeting to maximize value for members. One time-saving measure would be virtualizing major keynote presentations (e.g. McGovern Lecture, Janet Doe Lecture) and airing them prior to the annual meeting. This would add value in several ways. 1) It would provide more time for member-led podium presentations and lightning talks during the conference. 2) It would make these beloved lectures more interactive. The virtual platform would allow us to use polling, real-time social media, and moderated chat. 3) The virtual lectures would provide opportunities for our members to reflect and network. After we hear the virtual presentations, MLA members could enter virtual breakout rooms and have conversations with each other.

What would you, as a board member, do to help build community within our association and create an environment where members feel a sense of belonging?

As a member of the MLA Board of Directors, I would make it a priority to improve the communication channels within our organization. Solid communication creates an environment where members feel like they belong. Recently, MLA made an investment in a whole new website. While the website looks great and has some unique functionality, there are some issues with the communication channels. Some members are being inundated with duplicate announcements, while other members are not receiving announcements at all. Ideally, we can fix the communication system so members can receive updates on their own terms. For example, some members may want to receive notifications in real time, whereas other members may choose to receive emails once a week or once a month. We must embrace flexibility in our communication platforms.

What one strategic initiative do you think would be most helpful for ensuring that MLA remains a vibrant and useful association?

MLA must adopt a strategic initiative that develops our members’ 21st century skills (i.e., soft skills). These skills include adaptability, curiosity, empathy, teamwork, time management, and transparency. These skills transcend discipline, rank, and institutional affiliation. While AI, systematic reviews, and data continue to captivate us, we cannot lose sight of the origins of librarianship. Librarianship is built on quality customer service. We exist to connect patrons with the information that they seek. This requires creative problem solving, critical thinking, relationship building, and the ability to adapt our communication style to the audiences we serve. Sadly, many of these foundational skills have been pushed aside in favor of more tech-centered skills. While software packages and databases come and go, we can rest assured that soft skills will remain timeless.