BLC Leads

BLC Leads is a learning community of library leaders advancing collaborative action in the workplace and accelerating leadership journeys.

BLC Leads’ combination of instruction, engagement with BLC leaders and alumni, small-group learning, and site visits over the course of six months positions mid-level library professionals to scale their leadership responsibilities or grow their leadership skills within their current position. BLC Leads positions you to:

Co-create a collaborative learning community of trusted peers to engage challenging topics, take risks, fail, and grow

Gain deep, authentic exposure to a wide range of library leaders and their leadership journeys, approaches, contexts, challenges, and successes

Reflect upon and characterize your leadership journey and identity, drawing upon both personal experience and established leadership theories, concepts, skills, and assessments

Adapt and adopt promising practices in order to advance collaborative action within your library and across your institution

BLC Leads builds on the strengths of the consortium to center peer-to-peer support and maximize opportunities to embed emerging leaders in the diversity of individual and organizational leadership journeys arrayed across BLC’s member institutions. 

Collaborative Inquiry

BLC Leads builds shared knowledge through collaborative inquiry around a series of foundational leadership competencies and questions explored in weekly virtual activities and five in-person experiences over the course of six months. 

Identity: Who am I as a leader?

Strategy: How do I think strategically?

Collaboration: How do I lead collaboratively?

Change: How do I lead change?

Climate: How do I lead amid complex systems?

Growth: How do I grow as a leader?

Reflection: What is next on my leadership journey?

20+
Fellows

7
Foundational
Questions

5
Onsite
Programs

19
Virtual Activities

BLC Leads Photo

BLC Forum Fellow Meet & Greet

The 2025 BLC Forum will feature a Meet & Greet for you and your cohort to get to know each other in addition to a a panel discussion and networking opportunity with program alumni. 

Leadership Institute Leads Page

Leadership Institute

At the Leadership Institute, you’ll spend time getting to know your cohort and set the foundations for a collaborative learning community of trusted peers to move through the BLC Leads program. Thought leaders will offer guidance and insights about how to lead effectively – including frameworks, tools, and mindsets that set the personal, interpersonal, cross-functional, institutional, and consortial stages for effective leadership.

Drawing upon personal experience and established leadership theories, concepts, skills, and assessments, you’ll reflect upon and begin to characterize your leadership journey. The Leadership Institute will also include a networking reception for fellows, alumni, and thought leaders to strengthen relationships across BLC’s member institutions. The Leadership Institute will be held in person at a BLC member institution from June 16-18, 2025, following a preliminary cohort Meet & Greet at the BLC’s annual membership meeting, the BLC Forum.

Pods

By offering a regular space for you to connect with and learn from a small number of Fellows, Pods are the heartbeat of BLC Leads. Your Pod, consisting of four Fellows, will meet every two weeks for peer-to-peer support and sense making in response to Fireside Chats, expert-led Workshops, and the program overall. In these Pods, Fellows co-create a collaborative learning community and engage challenging topics, take risks, fail, and grow.

Fireside Chats

Fireside Chats are interactive panel discussions featuring leaders from BLC’s member institutions who represent a range of positions and experiences. At each Fireside Chat, you will investigate one of the foundational competencies and questions through deep, authentic exposure to a wide range of leadership journeys, approaches, contexts, challenges and successes. Fireside Chats are held virtually once every four weeks.

Workshops

Workshops offer Fellows opportunities to adapt and adopt promising and practical leadership practices from experts in the field. Each Workshop will focus on different aspects of leadership related to the foundational competencies and questions to advance collaborative action within your library and across your institution. Workshops are held virtually once every four weeks.

Site Visits

Site visits immerse you into the workings of leadership across BLC’s member institutions. You’ll gain deep, authentic exposure to leadership journeys through small-group conversations about the contexts, approaches, successes and challenges facing leaders at all levels. Alongside your Pod, you will analyze and reflect upon how host institutions demonstrate and practice the foundational competencies explored throughout BLC Leads. Each Pod will visit two BLC member institutions in July and October 2024. BLC invites external participants to join the two in-person site visits scheduled for July 30 and October 22. To help minimize travel expenses, BLC may arrange an alternative site visit on a date adjacent to the in-person Leadership Institute and/or Fellows’ Summit for external participants.

Fellows Summit

Fellows' Summit

At the conclusion of the program, you’ll come together with your cohort at the Fellows’ Summit to reflect, share ideas, set intentions, and develop a personal development plan to continue your leadership journey. You’ll have an opportunity to put into practice the full range of foundational leadership competencies through individualized exercises, discussions, and workshops. The Fellows’ Summit will be held in-person at a BLC member institution from November 18-20, 2025.

“The BLC Leads experience has been transformative for me. [...] The opportunity to connect with colleagues in the region has been really fun. I've gained valuable insights into my personal leadership style that are already helping me on my leadership journey.”

“Excellently curated and supported curriculum. This experience has absolutely assisted in my development as a leader.”

“I wasn't sure who I was as a leader or where to go as a leader when we began. I'm so happy to report that I now know much more about who I am as a leader and where I'd like to go with it.”

2025 Schedule

BLC Leads 2025 includes weekly virtual activities and five in-person experiences over the course of six months. View the 2025 Program Calendar here.

About You

BLC Leads serves mid-level library professionals who aspire to scale their leadership responsibilities or grow their leadership skills within their current position. You should apply if...

  • You identify as a leader and seek to develop your leadership toolkit
  • You love creating the conditions that foster deeper modes of collaboration
  • You are excited by the challenge of building intentional processes in the many big and little decisions in the workplace
  • You are curious to explore how others practice leadership and reflect on your own leadership journey
  • You seek to bring out the best in yourself, your cohort, and your colleagues by building spaces of trust, connection, and shared growth 

Our Selection Process

Applications are now open for the BLC Leads 2025 Fellowship. The application deadline is January 31, 2025. 

Applicants must submit both an application in addition to the Statement of Support from the dean/director/university librarian (or equivalent) at your institution. Applications must be submitted via the form here. The accompanying Statement of Support must be submitted here. Applications and Statements of Support must be submitted by January 31, 2025. 

Decisions are made by a committee of senior library leaders across BLC's member institutions. You can download a PDF version of the 2025 Application and Statement of Support forms to assist in the application process. If you are an applicant external to BLC, please refer to this Statement of Support form. 

Fees

The 2025 BLC Leads program fee for BLC member institutions is $3,650. The program fee for non-BLC institutions is $4,850. 

The program fee for BLC Leads includes lodging and meals during program activities. The program fee does not include travel to and from the program locations.

BLC is committed to making BLC Leads accessible to all BLC member institutions, fostering a diverse community of leaders irrespective of their financial capacities. Recognizing that some institutions may encounter challenges in covering the full cost, the BLC Leads Fund was established to reduce the program fee for those who would otherwise be unable to participate in the program. 

Our History

Since 2017, the BLC Leads program has equipped mid-level library professionals who aspire to scale their leadership responsibilities or grow their leadership skills within their current position. Upon completion, Fellows find continued support through a sustained community of alumni and a lifelong professional network of colleagues. Past Fellows have emerged as effective leaders at all levels of the academic and research library enterprise – as Deans, Associate University Librarians, and division heads at BLC member institutions and beyond.

In 2022, BLC Leads was redesigned based on a comprehensive review, building on our strengths to center peer-to-peer support and maximize opportunities to embed emerging leaders in the diversity of individual and organizational leadership journeys arrayed across BLC’s member institutions.

BLC Leads History

Past Fellows

including positions held during their BLC Leads experience

2023

Viral Amin Reference Librarian for Electronic Resources, Bentley University

Daisy Benson Library Instruction Coordinator, University of Vermont

Kathleen Berry Head, Information Resources Management, UMass Amherst

Paul Bridden Head of Access Services, Boston College

Mary Calo Manager of Public Services, Brandeis University

Heather Castle Library Manager, UNH

Amber De Angelis Research Services Team Leader, BPL

Jason Di Resta Art History & Visual Arts Librarian, Wesleyan University

Ann Marie Dyer Shafer Library Desks Service Manager, UMass Boston

Rebecca Gerber Electronic Resources Librarian, UMass Chan

Tess Grynoch Research Data & Scholarly Communications Librarian, UMass Chan

Marc Hoffeditz Library Coordinator, Tufts University

Anne Jorgensen Manager of Access Services, Bentley University

Anna Kijas Head, Lilly Music Library, Tufts University

Sonia Pacheco Social Sciences Librarian, UMass Dartmouth

Sara Pike Electronic Resources Librarian, UMass Dartmouth

Debbie Roth Repository Manager, MBLWHOI

Gabe Stetson Coordinator of Digital Curriculum Reserve & Media, UMass Amherst

Karen Tatarka Director, UConn Hartford Library, UConn

Andrew Weidner Head Librarian, Digital Production Services, Boston College

Melina Zavala Digital Asset Coordinator, Wesleyan University

2020

Thea Atwood Data Services Librarian, UMass Amherst

Francesca Baird Digital Projects Librarian, Wesleyan University

Kirill Batyuk Systems Librarian, MBLWHOI

Phara Bayonne Library Director, UConn-Stamford

Yueqing Chen Head of Library Systems & Discovery Services, UMass Boston

Isabel Espinal Humanities Research Services Librarian, UMass Amherst

Angelica Ferria Media Curator, URI

Sally Gore Manager, Research & Scholarly Communications Services, UMass Chan

Roxann Harvey Library Coordinator, UMass Boston

Terra Kalleymen Electronic Resource Acquisition Librarian, Boston College

Heather Klish Senior Systems Librarian, Tufts University

Teresa Maceira Head of Reference, Outreach, & Instruction, UMass Boston

Erika McNeil Head, Interlibrary Services, UConn

Sarah Melton Head, Digital Scholarship, Boston College

Amanda Nelson University Archivist, Wesleyan University

Amanda Rust Associate Director for Services, Digital Scholarship Group, Northeastern University

Emery Shriver Reference & Web Development Librarian, Williams College

Aimee Slater Academic Outreach Librarian for Government Information & Social Sciences, Brandeis University

Sarah Theimer Cataloging & Metadata Head, UNH

Gwen Verkuilen-Chevalier Head of Acquisitions, Tufts University

2018

Khara Leon Head of Administrative Services, UConn

Stephen Tracey Manager of Reference Services, Bentley University

Andrew Elder Interim University Archivist and Curator of Special Collections, UMass Boston

Sarah Hunter Electronic Inventory Manager, Boston University

Jane Natches Assistant Librarian for E-Resources and Serials, Tufts University

Martha Meacham Associate Director, NNLM, UMass Chan

Jennifer Friedman Head of Research Services, UMass Amherst

Tom Hohenstein Head, STEM and Entrepreneurship, Northeastern University

Vivian Okyere Department Manager Library Operations, UMass Chan

Jessica Kilham Head of Education and Clinical Services, UMass Chan

Kathleen Berger Assistant Head of Information Services, Boston University

Amy F. Brown Head of Special Collections Technical Services, Boston College

Young Joo Moon Head Librarian of Resource Acquisition and Management, Boston College

Annie Harrison Strategic Communications and Marketing Specialist, Brandeis University

Kathrine C. Aydelott Division Head, Research and Learning Services, UNH

Sarah Hutton Head of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Services, UMass Amherst

Erica Schattle Team Lead, Science and Engineering, Tufts University

2017

Marisol Ramos Publishing Services, Humanities and Social Sciences Librarian, UConn

Jason Bernard Associate Director of Academic Technology, Business and Economics Librarian, Brandeis University

Breac Krash Head of Information Resources Management, UMass Amherst

Kari Mofford Undergraduate and User Services Librarian, UMass Dartmouth

Martha Kelehan Head of Scholarly Communications and Collections, Tufts University

Peter Larsen Physical Sciences and Engineering Librarian, URI

Rebecca Reznik-Zellen Head, Science and Engineering Library, UMass Amherst

Elizabeth Post Head Librarian, Digital Library Program, Boston College

Eleta Exline Scholarly Communication Librarian, UNH

Amy Braitsch Head Archivist, Boston College

Gayane Karen Merguerian User Engagement and Assessment Librarian, Northeastern University

Marci Cohen Assistant Head, Music Library, Boston University

Steve Smith Head of Collection Development, Boston University

Surella E. Seelig Archives and Special Collections Outreach Librarian, Brandeis University

Marianne Siener Staff Accountant, UMass Chan

Questions?

Use the form below to reach out to Cate Harriman, BLC's Program Manager for Learning and Development