| Joanna Arkans has been a high school librarian at New Paltz High School for 17 years. She teaches digital literacy, research and critical thinking skills, and has worked to create a space and a library collection that focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion. |
| Kellie C. Barbato (she/her) currently serves as Director of Library Services at Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, New York. She has a BA in Music from Mansfield University, an MLS from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a MA in Transformational Leadership from Northeastern Seminary. Her research interests include the academic library as workplace, leadership in academic libraries, and mentoring in academic libraries. |
| Sam Berry-Sullivan is an academic librarian at a doctorate granting institution who stumbled into librarianship very much by happenstance, and still marvel regularly at how incomprehensibly lucky I am to have found a profession that challenge, nourishes, and accommodates me. As a queer, neurodivergent person I understand how critical it is to serve students and faculty who do and don’t share my identities. As a white, able bodied, straight-passing, cis-passing person, I am excited to leverage my privilege to serve the profession as a whole. |
| Jessica Cartelli graduated Cum Laude from SUNY New Paltz Dec ’09. Worked in public and academic libraries from 2010-present. Current chair of the Southeastern Regional ILL Committee. |
| Giovanna R. Colosi currently serves as Associate Librarian for the School of Education and Subject Instruction Team Lead at Syracuse University. She has a BA in Psychology and a MS in Counseling and Human Services from SUNY Oswego and an MLIS from the I-School at Syracuse University. She is currently pursuing her CAS in Disability studies, also from Syracuse University. Her subject specialties and interests include Instruction, Disability Studies, Higher Education, Counseling and Information Literacy. |
| Tina Dalton is the Library Director of the Cuba Circulating Library, located in the rural Western part of the state. She’s worked as director for five years, after serving as the Youth Services Coordinator for three years. She’s worked in a variety of libraries, from public to academic to law (even a summer at the LOC) and by far her favorite type is public libraries. She’s very much looking forward to working on this project with everyone. |
| Amber Gladle is a 7-12 School Librarian at Ogdensburg Free Academy. I have been a school librarian for nine years. I am a mother to a beautiful baby girl. |
| Rakisha Kearns-White is a 2023 Library Journal Mover and Shaker and the 2022 recipient of Brooklyn Public Library’s Dr. Lucille C. Thomas Award for Excellence in Librarianship. She is also her library’s sex positive, BTS-loving, period equity advocate. She focuses on sexuality education for teens; advocating for the prevention of compassion fatigue in library workers; and making the public library a welcoming space for all especially marginalized teens. |
| Amanda McCormick is a senior assistant librarian at the University at Buffalo, serving as subject liaison to multiple science departments within the College of Arts & Sciences and the School of Social Work. Prior to working at UB, Amanda worked as a librarian with the Buffalo & Erie County Public Libraries. She has a BS in Biology from Hobart & William Smith Colleges and both an MLS and JD from the University at Buffalo |
| Haleigh Mikolajczyk is a graduating MLIS student from the University at Buffalo (’23) and I have an Interdepartmental major from Alfred University (’20). I have experience in both academic and public libraries with key interests including Reference, Public Services, Outreach & Promotion, DEIA Issues and Inclusivity within library resources. |
| Emily Van Allen is an Adult Services Librarian at Oceanside Library on Long Island, NY. She received her Master’s in Library and Information Studies at CUNY Queens College in 2021. She is also an active member of the Long Island Reads Committee. |
| Jamia Williams (she/her) is the Consumer Health Program Specialist with the Network of the National Library of Medicine(NNLM) Training Office. She earned her Bachelor of Science in History from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport and earned her Master of Library Science from North Carolina Central University. Williams is the co-creator and co-host of the podcast LibVoices which amplifies the voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who work in archives and libraries. Jamia founded The Diversity Fellow’s blog, a platform to document her journey as a Black librarian. |
