ALA Lecture Series: A Conversation With ALA President-Elect Maria McCauley

Join us for our annual ALA Presidential Lecture, a conversation with incoming President Maria McCauley. Friends of the college, students, alumni, current students, staff, and faculty are all invited to a fireside chat between Dr. McCauley and MLIS program co-director, Amelia Gibson, as they discuss library advocacy, policy, and professional development. (5:00 PM Networking Reception + 6:00 PM Discussion. Light refreshments provided.)

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Maria McCauley is the 2025-2026 president-elect of the American Library Association and a Past President (2022-2023) of the Public Library Association, a division of ALA. As Director of Libraries for the City of Cambridge, Dr. McCauley leads a team of 166 talented staff members and works closely with three boards and across the city to achieve an inclusive, ambitious vision of library services for all. Prior to Cambridge, she served as the Director of Libraries in Santa Monica, Director of Libraries for the City of Somerville, and held several library positions at Northeastern University. Dr. McCauley is also a member of the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association and several other ALA divisions and affiliates. Dr. McCauley holds a Ph.D. from Simmons University; an MLIS from University of Pittsburgh; and a BA in Theater from Ohio Wesleyan University. She has two super great kids and running-scientist spouse, and they can often be found biking to get ice-cream and visiting their favorite libraries and bookstores in Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts.

Additional Information:

Please contact infoevents@umd.edu at least one week prior to the event to request disability accommodations. In all situations, a good faith effort (up until the time of the event) will be made to provide accommodations.