(January 17, 2013, Boston, MA) -- Simmons Graduate School for Library and Information Science (GSLIS) is pleased to welcome ALA president Maureen Sullivan as the new interim dean. Sullivan has been a professor of practice in the GSLIS doctoral program since 2006 and is the 2012-13 president of ALA; she began her tenure as interim dean on January 2, 2013. Michèle Cloonan, who has been dean of Simmons GSLIS since 2002, will remain at Simmons as Dean Emerita and Professor.

As interim dean, Sullivan will be responsible for managing the school’s budget, suggesting faculty appointments, recommending and implementing curriculum offerings, as well as assisting in the administration of the College’s regulations, policies, and procedures.

Her presidency of the 60,000+ strong ALA members is the culmination of a distinguished career of leadership in the profession. Career highlights include serving as co-chair of the Emerging Leaders Initiative, as well as chair of eight other ALA committees. She served as president of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) from 1998 through 1999 where she helped establish the ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute in partnership with the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is now a member of the faculty for this annual program. She also served as president of the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) from 1988 through 1989. Both ACRL and LAMA are divisions of the American Library Association.

Ms. Sullivan has also led numerous task forces and committees in those two divisions. Her services were recognized by the 1999 ALA Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award and the 2010 Academic/Research Librarian of the Year awards.

Sullivan’s research about organizational development and leadership has appeared in Library Administration and Management, Journal of Library Administration, and Journal of Library Administration. She has also co-authored books with Robert D. Stueart, including Developing Library Leaders: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Coaching, Team Building and Mentoring Library Staff. She has offered workshops about leadership development, organizational change, career planning, process improvement, team-building, workplace collaboration, organizational performance improvement, cross-cultural communication, and project management. As a member of the faculty of the GSLIS Managerial Leadership in the Information Professions (MLIP) doctoral concentration, Sullivan teaches courses in Managerial Leadership for Library and Information Services and Human Resources Management for Library and Information Services.

Sullivan has been an organizational development consultant to libraries for more than 30 years. Her expertise runs the gamut from organization development, strategic planning, leadership development, organizational change management, staff development and learning programs, work environment diversification, position classification revision, compensation systems, as well as the identification and development of competencies. From Ivy League libraries to the National Library of Medicine, Sullivan has partnered with the nation’s leading public, academic, national, private, and medical libraries to help them enhance planning, management, communication, organization, and work design. Her career started in human resources and administration positions at the University of Maryland and Yale University libraries.

Sullivan received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in library science from the University of Maryland. More information can be found at http://www.simmons.edu/gslis/people/faculty/adjunct/maureen-sullivan.php

The nationally top ten ranked Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science is one of the oldest and largest library and information science programs in the nation. Founded in 1899, Simmons College is a nationally recognized university located in the heart of Boston that includes an undergraduate college for women, the nation's first MBA program designed specifically for women, and graduate programs for women and men in health sciences, social work, library and information science, education, liberal arts, and communications management.