The Awards and Recognition Committee of the Virginia Library Association (VLA) has chosen Kathy Bradshaw of Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries for the 2021 Supporter of Professional Associates Award. The VLAPAF Supporter of the Year Award recognizes an individual who has provided significant support to their staff and who has been a champion for library support staff in Virginia libraries.

Bradshaw was selected for her strong support of professional associates and for her leadership in the areas of equity, diversity and inclusion. Since 2015, she has worked hard to develop and strengthen on-boarding, training, and mentorship opportunities for professional associates. Some of her accomplishments include establishing a review process for staff and student worker salaries that looks toward equity and successfully advocating for defined allocation of professional development funds per staff member. She has also worked to strengthen VCU Libraries' efforts toward equity, diversity and inclusion as a senior leadership team representative for VCU Libraries’ Inclusion and Diversity Committee and as a resource and communications conduit for a staff-led anti-racism work group.

As the Assistant Dean for Organizational Development for Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries, she is responsible for strategic leadership and planning related for human resources development, talent management, and implementation and assessment of the Libraries overall organization design. She has an M.L.I.S. from Rutgers University; an M.S. in Human Resources Management from the New School for Social Research; and a B.A. from Spelman College. Prior to coming to VCU, Kathy served as the Human Resource Librarian for University Libraries at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Before becoming a librarian, Kathy worked in various human resources positions within financial services.

Adapted from VLA news release