ALA Nominating Committee announces councilors-at-large candidates

CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA) has announced the names of the 18 nominated candidates who are running for a total of 12 at-large seats on the ALA Council to serve the 2026-2027 term.

The following candidates were accepted by the ALA Nominating Committee (listed alphabetically by last name):

Joy Bridwell

Librarian

Stone Child College/Rocky Boy Public Library

Montana

Academic

Elizabeth Burns

Associate Professor

Old Dominion University

Virginia

MLIS Program

Marikit Fain

Information Literacy Librarian

Southeast Missouri State University

Missouri

Academic

Maggie Farrell

Dean of Libraries

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Nevada

Academic

Aubrey Iglesias

Associate Professor; Head of Cataloging

New Mexico State University

New Mexico

Academic

Gina Kromhout

Senior YA Librarian I

Brooklyn Public Library

New York

Public

Tina Lerno

Digital Content Services Librarian II

Los Angeles Public Library

California

Public

Rodney Lippard

Director, Torreyson Library

University of Central Arkansas

Arkansas

Academic

Charles McAuley

Social Media Librarian/Adult Services Librarian

Mercer County Library System

New Jersey

Public

Kerrie Mierop

Youth Services Librarian

Calabasas Library

California

Public

Matthew Noe

Lead Collection and Knowledge Management Librarian

Harvard Medical School, Countway Library

Massachusetts

Academic

April Oharah Hernandez

Director

Latah County Library District

Idaho

Public

Cassandra Osterloh

Tribal Libraries Program Coordinator

New Mexico State Library

New Mexico

Special, State Library (State Government)

Fatima Perkins

Past Chair of RSS (2021-2022), Director Community Outreach

Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging

Ohio

Public

Brenda Priutt-Annisette

Educator
DeKalb County Schools

Georgia

Je Salvador

Research & Instruction Librarian

University of Washington Libraries

Washington

Academic

Amanda Sand

Consultant

Library Leverage

Iowa

William Wallace

Asst. Branch Manager

Wicomico Public Library, Pittsville & Centre Branch

Maryland

Public

The Nominating Committee extends its gratitude to all the members who put forth their names to be considered for this position and have expressed the desire to serve. Every year, the Nominating Committee selects candidates from within the general membership for council members-at-large.

Members who are interested in running by petition for ALA Councilor at Large, you may do so by completing a petition form with the signatures of no fewer than 25 ALA current personal members by December 12, 2025. View instructions on how to create an e-petition.

In addition to the petition itself, members must complete a Candidate Biographical Information Form. The information on this form will be used for the web ballot. Once the petition process is complete, all candidates are treated equally and appear the same on the ballot.

The petition period for the 2026 election is now open and will close on December 12, 2025.

Ballot mailing for the ALA election will begin on March 9, 2026, and will run through April 1, 2026. Individuals must be members in good standing to vote in the 2026 ALA elections. Renew your membership online or by calling 1-800-545-2433, option 1. For more information, please visit the ALA Election webpage.

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association is the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to America’s libraries. The ALA mission is to empower and advocate for all libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all. For nearly 150 years, ALA has provided resources for information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more information, visit www.ala.org.