PDA Event: When Fear Gets in the Way: Liberating your Leadership Approach Part II

Academic libraries find ourselves at a critical juncture as we face political attacks, rising costs, declining enrollments, and shrinking budgets. Many leaders have become fearful as they are caught between a variety of high stakes demands, resulting in a rise in authoritarianism and other fear-based leadership practices. This session, the second of a two-part series, will explore the alternative: relational, trust-based approaches to leadership that center inclusion and collective growth. Participants will leave with ideas for how to scale this relational methodology for their institutions.

Recommended Reading Before the Event

Presenters

Dr. Annie Downey (she/her) is University Librarian and Director of Collins Memorial Library at the University of Puget Sound. She has previously held leadership roles at the University of Washington Tacoma, University of Redlands, Reed College, and the University of North Texas, and earned her BA, MLS, and PhD at the University of North Texas. She has written and presented on critical information literacy, service design and user experience in libraries, the history of gender in librarianship, and people-centered feminist leadership.

Megan Watson (she/her) is the Head of Collections and Scholarship for the University of Washington Tacoma. She has previously held roles at Reed College, the University of Alaska Southeast, and the University of Washington Bothell, and earned degrees at Indiana University Bloomington, Northwestern University, and Oberlin College. Her professional interests include inclusive leadership and group facilitation practices, authoritarianism and white supremacy culture within academic libraries, and critical pedagogy outside the classroom.

Register to attend.