13 December 2005

ALIA Board welcomes new executive director appointment

The Board of Directors of ALIA is pleased to announce the appointment of Sue Hutley as the new executive director of ALIA. Sue will take up the position on 3 January 2006. Sue brings to the position her broad experience in the academic, TAFE, public library and special library sectors, underpinned by postgraduate qualifications in business and library science.

Sue has a long-established record of contribution to the library and information sector profession through her active and proactive roles with the New Graduates Policy and Advisory Group, New Librarians' Symposium, ALIA Quorum, the Queensland Library Promotion Council and the Aurora Foundation. She is currently the manager of University of Queensland Ipswich Library.

Sue said she was very much looking forward to taking up the challenging position of executive director. 'I am looking forward to capitalising on the work of ALIA National Office and creating new opportunities in the future.'

'I am hoping to reinvigorate the membership of ALIA to encourage an even more positive direction. One of the strategic areas that I will be working on will be increasing the communication and feedback within the membership. Recruitment, retention and member relations are all critical issues for ALIA.'

Dagmar Schmidmaier, vice president (president-elect) and chair of the Board Recruitment Committee said "Sue's fresh approach and obvious enthusiasm will take us into the next era of our professional Association. Her continued commitment to the profession, her broad experience, and well-known management abilities are all the skills we were looking for in a new executive director."

The Board thanks past presidents Joyce Kirk and Craig Anderson for their contribution to the selection process. The recruitment committee was impressed by Sue's comprehension of the strategic and political requirements of the role of executive director, the important nexus between membership issues and the value of effective communication and marketing, and her clear personal commitment to the goals of the professional association.

The Board is confident that Sue has the skills and attributes to inform, innovate and inspire the association, through the members and the groups, through the ALIA National Office staff and through the Board itself. The Board welcomes Sue to her new leadership role with ALIA.