CARLI Board Members
CARLI Governance Board Roster and Terms
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Laurie Blandino |
Laurie Blandino Since December 2025, Laurie Blandino has served as Director at CARLI, the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois, a unit of the University of Illinois System Offices. Prior to joining CARLI, Laurie served as Executive Director and Associate Commissioner of LOUIS, the Louisiana Library Network, a unit of the Louisiana Board of Regents. Earlier in her career she worked in the field of records and information management, including as Project Manager for multimillion-dollar consulting engagements. Laurie holds a Master of Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University. "I believe libraries have the power to change the course of people's lives. They are home to knowledge, research, and imagination, and to the people who love all three. Library consortia like CARLI exist to strengthen that work across an entire state, supporting academic and research libraries of every size and type in doing more together than any of them could do alone. I consider it a genuine privilege to advance the work of CARLI's member libraries and the students and faculty they serve.” |
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Stefanie Bluemle |
Stefanie Bluemle Stefanie Bluemle is the director of the library at Augustana College, where she oversees the library’s operations and facilities, supports collaboration between the library and other campus departments, and provides leadership in developing the library's strategic vision. Prior to becoming director, she was a research and instruction librarian and coordinator of the Augustana library's information literacy instruction program. Her professional interests include information literacy and assessment of student learning; her most recent work focuses on the intersection between academic information literacy and national politics. Stefanie has an MA in English and an MLS from Indiana University Bloomington. |
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Michelle Boule Smith, Chair |
Michelle Boule Smith Michelle Boule Smith is the Director of Library Services at North Central College in Naperville, IL and serves as adjunct faculty at University of Nebraska Omaha, teaching Digital Citizenship. She is a native Texan and has worn many hats in libraries in three different states and different kinds of libraries. She previously served on the Wyoming Community College Commission Library Consortia, as a Member At Large for the Wyoming Library Association, as a member of the EDI Task Force for WLA, and was an LJ Mover and Shaker in 2008. She believes in the collective power of libraries to change the world and currently serves on the ILA 2025 Conference Committee and on the Libras Executive Board. |
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Spencer Brayton, Director of Library Services |
Spencer Brayton Spencer Brayton is director of Library Services at Waubonsee Community College (campuses in Sugar Grove, Aurora, and Plano, IL), where he also supports the college's Testing Centers team. His research and publication interests include media and information literacy, community college libraries, and coaching and leadership. Spencer received his Master of Arts in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Science in Management from the University of St. Francis (Joliet, IL), and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Higher Education from the University of Southern Mississippi. |
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Carolyn Ciesla |
Carolyn Ciesla
Carolyn Ciesla is the Director of the A.C. Buehler Library at Elmhurst University. Working in Illinois libraries since 2008, Carolyn’s experience includes the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), several public libraries, and prior to joining Elmhurst in 2021, Dean of Learning Resources and Assessment at Prairie State College. Carolyn has been active with ILA since the beginning of her library career and served as IACRL President in 2017-18. Professional interests include increasing BIPOC representation in the field and trauma-informed leadership. She received her B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona and M.L.I.S. from San Jose State University. |
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Marlee Graser, Dean of Library and Information Services |
Marlee Graser Marlee Graser was appointed as the Dean of Library and Information Services at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2024 and brings over a decade of experience working in various roles in academic librarianship. Most recently, her work has focused on academic library leadership and strategic planning. Her experience has given her insight into the challenges and opportunities facing CARLI member institutions, and she is honored to contribute to CARLI’s important work supporting and advancing the collective goals of libraries across Illinois. |
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Steven Harris, Dean of Libraries |
Steven Harris Steven Harris has been dean of libraries at Northeastern Illinois University since August of 2019. He earned an MLS degree from the University of Arizona and an MA in English from the University of Utah. In a 40-year career working in 8 different academic libraries (including University of Nevada Reno, University of New Mexico and Utah State University) his jobs have included humanities/literature librarian, director of collections, and assistant dean for technical services. Having worked in so many different libraries, he has worked with many library consortia as well (LUIS, GWLA, and others). His academic and research interests include library technology and library history, especially regarding libraries during the civil rights movement. Though his work history charts a swath across the country, his hometown of Ogden, Utah is still dear to his heart. |
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Terra Jacobson |
Terra Jacobson I am interested in running for the CARLI Governance Board, representing community college libraries. My experience with community college libraries is demonstrated by my service on boards like NILRC (Network of Illinois Learning Resources in Community Colleges) and 15 years of experience in Illinois community colleges. Additionally, my research and publications related to community college libraries have provided me with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing all academic libraries today, especially community colleges. |
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Brian Keith |
Brian Keith Brian W. Keith serves as the Dean of the Mary J. Booth Library at Eastern Illinois University. Prior to this, he was an Associate Dean at the University of Florida Libraries, where he held a variety of leadership roles and gained significant administrative experience. His professional focus centers on leading collaborative initiatives to reimagine library spaces, services, collections, and partnerships, with the goal of better serving patrons. He has been instrumental in reshaping institutional strategies for acquiring, creating, disseminating, and preserving scholarship, while fostering connections between students, faculty, and resources to support learning, research, and service. Brian is committed to the role of academic librarians as co-educators and research partners. He recently co-edited the book Liberatory Librarianship: Stories of Community, Connection, and Justice, which highlights libraries’ potential as contributors to social justice—aligning seamlessly with CARLI's mission and values. Brian is excited to join the CARLI board, recognizing the critical role of library associations in fostering collective action and supporting libraries in navigating today’s complex economic and technological challenges. He holds an MBA from the University of Florida and an MLIS from the University of Washington. |
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Dennis Krieb |
Dennis Krieb
"I am a hopeless optimist when it comes to academic libraries. I believe the future is bright. Our libraries, and those who work within them, shape the lives of students, faculty, administrators, and the general public. Libraries are a fundamental component of higher education. We as librarians know this. But I also believe we should never presume that others will know this. CARLI is a remarkable organization. I have had the privilege of witnessing the impact of CARLI as both a past Board member and library director. I am currently working with the third cohort of CARLI Counts, which has been an incredible program for helping equip librarians to quantifiably assess their services and collections upon student success. I’m happy to report that a CARLI Counts team from Cohort 2 was recently notified that their CARLI Counts work will be published next year in College & Research Libraries. Simply stated, CARLI’s advocacy, expertise, support, and mentoring are invaluable – I can’t imagine my library without CARLI." |
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Greg McCormick “The State Library has a long history of assuring grant programs are developed to support and expand library services in over 1,800 public, academic, school, and special library agencies in Illinois. LSTA funds, and even funding from its predecessor LSCA, have played an integral role in assuring library services are available and continue to be relevant to the state’s residents. Three clear priorities continue to be voiced by our libraries 1) investment in resource sharing; 2) continuance of “free” delivery of library materials between the 1,800 library agencies; and 3) investment in the education of the library workforce. Funding from IMLS, coupled with state resources, allows our agency to address these priorities of the Illinois library community.” |
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Geoff Pettys |
Geoff Pettys
“I am the Director of the Medical Library at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois. I have worked at SIU-SOM’s Library in various capacities for 8 years and worked at DePaul University’s library for 10 years before joining SIU. I also serve on the Board of Trustees for Lincoln Library, the Public Library of Springfield. I have benefited from CARLI’s resources and services throughout my entire career in libraries and it is an honor to serve on the Governance Board.” |
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Amanda Pippitt Amanda Pippitt is the Director of Staley Library and University Archivist at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. She has 30 years of experience working in academic libraries in multiple roles, including as a student worker, support staff member, graduate assistant, librarian, and archivist. She joined the Millikin library faculty in 2004, becoming director in 2021. Amanda has a B.A. (Beloit College) and M.A. (Northern Illinois University) in anthropology, and an MLIS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also has a graduate certificate in Special Collections from UIUC and Creative Commons (CC) Certificate for librarians. "As is typical for librarians at a small, private university, at Millikin University I have worn many hats, including access services coordinator, research assistance librarian, instruction librarian, and librarian liaison to various academic programs in the sciences, performing arts, and liberal arts. I also serve as my university’s archivist and OER advocate. As director, I have worked through the ongoing challenges faced by library directors in small, private academic institutions in recent times, including program prioritization, budget cuts, and changes in administration. I am a strong believer in the important role CARLI plays in the Illinois library landscape, and have served on several CARLI committees and task forces over the years. I’m honored to serve on the CARLI board." |
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Rachelle Stivers, Past Chair |
Rachelle Stivers "I believe strongly in the sharing ethos at the heart of CARLI. The free sharing of materials, ideas, expertise, success, and challenges makes all of our libraries better and is of immeasurable value to our students. With almost 25 years of experience as a library director, I have seen the results of this sharing and understand the importance of building on it as we navigate our institutions through the AI debates, the threat of mal-information, the sidelining of libraries, and the questioning of the value of higher education. I am honored to serve CARLI by providing the perspective of the community college library.” Rachelle is the Director of Library and Information Services at Heartland Community College. She has an MLIS from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1992) and an MA in History from Southern Illinois University (1999). |
