ALAO Board Elections 2026

Along with my nominating committee, I have been working on securing nominations for the 2026 ALAO ballot! We fully realize that many of our colleagues are tackling multiple roles at their institutions which makes those willing to commit to a volunteer position so much more appreciated. 

The initial call for nominations to the membership ran from February into March and our 2026 election will be held in April. This year the way positions lined up we were looking to fill almost every board position in addition to our appointed positions and many of our committee and Interest Group Chairs. 

We happily secured commitments from very qualified candidates to run for the following positions,

Vice President/President Elect:
Abi Morgan, Social Sciences Librarian, Miami University

Mira Scarnecchia, OER Librarian, Columbus State Community College

Secretary:
Marsha Miles, Assistant Director for Collections and Resource Management, Cleveland State University

Treasurer:
Don Appleby, Library Specialist, University of Akron

Board Member-at-Large (3 positions)

• Melissa Bauer, Interim Library Coordinator and Online Learning Librarian, Kent State University
• Stephanie Founds, FYE Specialist, Ohio State University
• Emily Henderson, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Columbus State Community College
• Miriam Intrator, Head of Archives and Special Collection and Rare Book Librarian, Ohio University

Membership Chair
Laura Birkenhauer, Student Success Librarian for Campus Engagement, Miami University

Thanks to all the wonderful nominees for your willingness to commit to ALAO, despite your busy schedules! It’s a cliché but without folks like you, there is no organization.

The ballot and candidate information can be viewed at beginning April 1st: ALAO 2024 Elections page

Our sincere thanks to the candidates for their willingness to run for and serve in these positions!

If you are interested in learning more about remaining open positions both elected and non-elected please reach out to me at pastpresident@alaoweb.org We have many wonderful volunteer opportunities ranging from roles that require no previous ALAO experience to roles that take on a larger leadership commitment. We can’t keep this organization going without filling these positions.

Be on the lookout for the ballot opening announcement later this month, and be sure to renew your ALAO membership if it has lapsed.  You must be an active member to vote in the 2026 elections. 

ALAO Member Opportunities 

And finally, if you are looking for professional development opportunities our neighboring state organization, the Michigan Academic Library Association (MiALA) is hosting its annual conference May 6th through the 8th. As ALAO members you are able to register using the member rate through our ALAO-MiALA reciprocal agreement. Just another perk to being an ALAO member!