Genevieve Stevens Selected as a 2025 Lois Ann Gregory-Wood Fellow

The American Library Association has selected Genevieve Stevens as one of the 2025 Lois Ann Gregory-Wood (LAGW) Fellows. Stevens will receive a stipend totaling $2,500 to offset the cost of attending the 2025 LibLearnX experience in Phoenix, Arizona and the ALA 2025 Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Currently, Stevens works as a librarian at the Thomas Ford Memorial Library in Western Springs, Illinois. She also serves on the board of her local library’s Friends organization and has been actively involved with her state library association. Stevens’ involvement in these groups has allowed her to “learn so much from working with others across the state.”

Stevens stated that “service to others has always been a guiding principle in her life.” It is one of the reasons she chose to enter the field of librarianship. But even before she decided to be a librarian, or pursue professional development, she wanted to learn as much as she could to make a positive change in the world around her. She believes that entering the world of ALA governance through participation in the LAGW Fellowship program will allow her to continue that goal.

As a former ALA Emerging Leader (2023), Stevens says she “got a glimpse into how some of the round tables and smaller facets of ALA operated.” However, she feels that she has ”many gaps in her knowledge regarding the governance of ALA as a whole.” She hopes that the guidance and mentorship related to ALA governance and structure received as a LAGW Fellow will be invaluable.

Stevens has a desire to become more involved in ALA. Commenting on the opportunity to participate in ALA as a LAGW Fellow, Stevens said, “As someone with not just years, but decades left in my career as a librarian, I want to understand and help shape the organization that leads the profession in North America and serves as the face of librarianship across the continent.”

The LAGW Fellowship was conceived in honor of Lois Ann Gregory-Wood, who worked at ALA for fifty years, and for 27 of those years, served as the ALA Council Secretariat. For thousands of ALA members, she was the face of ALA Council and governance. After 50 years of service to ALA, Gregory-Wood retired in 2018. The Lois Ann Gregory-Wood Fellows Program is a mid-career conference scholarship program which celebrates Gregory-Wood’s leadership and accomplishments, and also seeks to encourage understanding and participation in the ALA governance processes.

For more information on the Lois Ann Gregory-Wood Fellows Program, visit the award page.

The Lois Ann Gregory-Wood Fellowship is administered by the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR).