Libraries’ Jill Sexton named an ARL Leadership Fellow

Jill Sexton, the Libraries’ Associate Director for Digital and Organizational Strategy, has been named an Association of Research Libraries Leadership Fellow for 2021-2022.

The ARL Leadership Fellows program, part of the ARL Academy, develops the next generation of senior library and archival leaders. Since 2004, the ARL Leadership Fellows program has successfully equipped and supported library and archives staff who have the desire and potential for leadership in a variety of research settings, including ARL member institutions, other research libraries and archives, public and private institutions, knowledge and cultural heritage institutions, and private enterprise worldwide. After they complete the program, fellows find continued support through peer-to-peer relationships and a lifelong professional network of colleagues. The full cohort of 20 fellows is listed here.

“To me, the most exciting aspect of the program is the opportunity it affords participants to expand their professional network, to learn from peers and leaders that are outside of their current circles, and reflect on aspects of leadership in higher education that are outside of their regular portfolios,” Sexton says. “We’re all so busy with the day-to-day, it can be hard to set aside time for introspection. I’m looking forward to having an opportunity to step back and reflect deeply about the work we do, and the ways we can influence the profession to bring about necessary change.”

Sexton—who also won the 2021 Equity for Women Award in the faculty category from the Council on the Status of Women—provides vision and leadership for the Libraries’ Data & Visualization Services, Organizational Strategy, Digital Library Initiatives, and Information Technology departments. As a member of the Libraries leadership team, she participates in the development of a shared strategy for the Libraries that supports the mission of the university and the evolving needs of the NC State community.

“When I first started out in Libraries, I thought that ‘leading’ was synonymous with ‘doing,’” Sexton says. “So I put a lot of emphasis on being productive and getting things done individually. But over time I’ve grown to recognize and appreciate the skills that are needed to build trust, bring people together, create momentum around an idea, and execute as a team. There is always room to grow. I’m actively working on improving my ability to communicate our organizational values and put them into practice to help us make thoughtful, productive decisions.”

In addition to her role at the Libraries, Sexton is the Libraries’ chief liaison to NC State’s Office of Information Technology, is active in the university’s collaborative IT governance structure, and builds relationships with campus research and technology partners to develop collaborative services supporting data-intensive research. She has previously held positions at NC State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the areas of information technology, digital research and scholarship, digital preservation, core library applications and infrastructure, and digital publishing.