PO Box 75498 Tampa, FL 33675 | 813-622-8252
It is my pleasure to announce Jim Walther as the new Executive Director of the Tampa Bay Library Consortium.
Jim comes to the TBLC from Emporia State University’s School of Library and Information Management where he was an Assistant Professor. His teaching included leadership and management, adult learning, and much more. He served two years on the Faculty Senate, including chairing the Committee on Campus Governance and serving on the Faculty Senate Executive Committee.
Jim’s work before ESU includes a successful record in law library research, management, and leadership (Bryan Cave and Greenberg Traurig), positions in publishing (LexisNexis and Emerald Group), and work in training and staff development (The New York Public Library and The Metropolitan Opera). As a faculty development officer with Emerald Group, he directed all publishing seminars at colleges and universities across the US for over twenty areas of research. As the Director of Staff Development of The New York Public Library, Jim managed a $2 million grant aimed at expanding staff development including two Leadership Academies for managers. Further affiliations include the Department of Education, National Library of Education, and his ten-year involvement with Presidential Classroom, a civic education organization for high school students.
Jim is a seasoned project manager and brings extensive experience as a liaison with organizations, management boards, committees, and working groups. He is active in the American Library Association through work on committees for LLAMA (Library Leadership & Management Association) and GODORT (Government Documents Round Table) as well as LIRT (Library Instruction Round Table).
Jim’s degrees include an MLIS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he also has a bachelor of arts in Sociology and Political Science. His doctorate is from The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development.
We are excited by the breadth of experience, knowledge, and enthusiasm Jim brings to TBLC. The search committee consisted of Elise Aiello, Andrew Breidenbaugh, Kevin Griffith, Cheryl Morales, Susan Sharpe, and myself, working along-side Sue Hall and Peter Pearson of Library Strategies. In the end, the committee and the Board were unanimous in the decision and felt that the overall process was thorough and complete.
I want to extend my gratitude and appreciation to the search committee for their diligent work. I would also like to thank the TBLC staff and the Board for their support and collaboration throughout the entire process. Additionally, I want to thank Sue Hall and Peter Pearson from Library Strategies for their professional and productive search as well as their guidance. Last but not least, I would like to extend a special thank you to Diana Silveira for enthusiastically stepping in as Interim Director and for her continued assistance with the transition.
As TBLC prepares to move forward into the new year, we are expecting exciting times ahead. On behalf of the TBLC Board, I want to thank the membership for your continued support as Jim transitions into his new role. His first day will be November 26th.
Please join me in officially welcoming Jim Walther to TBLC!
Eric Head, President
Tampa Bay Library Consortium
TBLC Announces New Executive Director, Jim Walther
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