Simmons College

Dr. Camila Alire serves as Professor of Practice (adjunct) for Simmons College PhD program in managerial leadership; serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Denver LIS program; and has served as a faculty member (part-time) for San Jose State University Executive MLIS in managerial leadership. Camila is Dean Emerita at the University of New Mexico and Colorado State University. Previous to those positions, she was Dean at the Auraria Library, University of Colorado at Denver. Her previous library experience includes serving as the Director of the Learning Resource Center at Pikes Peak Community College (Colorado Springs), as an Assistant to the Dean/Instructor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Librarianship and Information Management. Camila received her doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Northern Colorado and an MLS from the University of Denver.

Camila maintains an outstanding record of service. She is an active and long-standing member/leader of several associations. She is past-president of the American Library Association (ALA) and ALA/APA. She is past-president the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL 2006), served as chair of the 2005 ACRL National Conference and as REFORMA (National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to the Spanish-Speaking) past-president (1994). Camila has chaired several ALA Committees (Committee on Legislation, the Nominating Committee and the Committee on Education) and sat on four ALA Presidents' Special Advisory Task Forces.

Camila served on the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Board and on the Greater Western Library Alliance Board and was the conference chair for the GWLA National Diversity Conference. She also chaired the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries board. She was active in several professional groups in New Mexico (Association of Research Libraries of New Mexico and the New Mexico Consortium of Academic Libraries) and in Colorado where she chaired the Colorado Library Association's Legislative Committee, Education Committee, and Local Arrangements Committee. She chaired the Colorado State Library Advisory Board and its Committee on Library Services to Ethnic Populations. This committee established a scholarship program for LIS students serving minority populations and a statewide mentoring program.

Camila's writing focuses on leadership development; library services to Latinos and other minorities; library disaster recovery; academic library marketing and advocacy; and recruitment and retention of minorities in the library profession and in higher education. She recently co-authored Academic Librarianship (2010), Academic Librarians as Emotionally Intelligent Leaders (2007), Serving Latino Communities (2007), and edited Library Disaster Planning and Recovery Handbook (2000). She has presented workshops nationally and internationally on library advocacy, marketing, leadership development, disaster recovery, and serving Latinos as well as on the other topics.

Camila's contributions to library services have not gone unnoticed. She was recently honored in 2011 with the ALA/Lippincott Award for Distinguished Service; the CALA Presidential Recognition Award, and the ALA Achievement in Library Diversity Research Award. She was chosen to be included in the ALA/ALTAFF National Advocacy Honor Roll for her work in advocating for library services to Latino communities. Camila was named Scholar-in-Residence for the Chicago Public Library System. She was awarded the first ALA Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change award and the National REFORMA's Librarian of the Year award. Two times she was selected by the Colorado Library Association (CLA) to receive the CLA Exemplary Library Services to Ethnic Populations Award. Camila also received the Mountain Plains Library Association's Legislative Leadership Award. One year, she was named by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the country. As an alumna, Camila was awarded the University of Denver's Morehouse College of Education's Leader in Learning award.

Camila Alire's CV