Nancy S. Kirkpatrick

Board Member

Nancy S. Kirkpatrick, JD, MS, is the Dean of Libraries at Smith College, where her leadership focuses on strengthening relationships, fostering collaboration, and building an organizational culture in which people and ideas can thrive. Previously, she served as Dean of University Libraries at Florida International University and as Executive Director and CEO of OhioNet, a nonprofit library consortium. With a background spanning law, higher education, and nonprofit leadership, Nancy brings a distinctive perspective to organizational governance, strategic partnerships, and institutional change.

Her research, writing, and consulting interests include Appreciative Inquiry, human-centered leadership, and creating the conditions for individuals and organizations to flourish. As an Open Library Foundation board member, she brings particular expertise in nonprofit governance, organizational sustainability, and collaborative leadership, along with a commitment to community-driven, open library infrastructure.

An ALA Spectrum Scholar, Nancy holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond, a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois, and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Drake University.