COURSE ADVISOR & INSTRUCTOR
Helen Rimmer, Leadership Coach, Facilitator, and Founder
Helen Rimmer is a UK-based leadership coach, facilitator, and former senior library leader with over 20 years’ experience in libraries and higher education. She is the founder of The Kind Brave Leader and Empower: The Library Skills Collective, where she supports librarians, managers, and organisations to build kinder, healthier, and more sustainable workplaces.
Helen specialises in kindness-led leadership, burnout prevention, and strengths-based development. She holds a PGCert in the Psychology of Kindness and Wellbeing at Work and is a certified systemic team coach. Her work blends evidence-based practice with real-world experience, helping library professionals lead with courage, compassion, and clarity in challenging times.
COURSE INSTRUCTORS
Jennie Garner, Library Director, North Liberty Library
Jennie Garner is the library director at the North Liberty Library in Iowa where she has served in a variety of roles for more than 30 years. Her professional work is grounded in a deep commitment to leadership, policy development, and advancing equity and access in libraries, with particular attention to creating healthy, sustainable organizational cultures.
Jennie has presented nationally and internationally on positive leadership, civic engagement and bridging, library advocacy, and inclusive policy development. She prioritizes staff involvement at all levels of organizational planning and encourages staff development and community engagement as essential elements to resilience and well-being.
A dedicated advocate for rural and small libraries, Jennie served as the 2023 President of the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) and continues to promote collaboration across libraries of all sizes. She is currently a member of the National Civic Collaboratory. At the local level, she serves on the board of Inside Out Reentry Community and the ThriveLib Advisory Board.
Amy Stubbing, University Librarian, Solent University
Amy Stubbing, University Librarian at Solent University in Southampton, brings a wealth of experience across library leadership, collection management, and customer services. Amy is passionate about data literacy and integrating data practices into decision-making, and she has significant experience supporting librarians to gain the skills they need to succeed in this area.
As the author of the Data-Driven Decisions Toolkit for Libraries, she has worked with libraries across the globe to implement these practices and offers bespoke training in a variety of settings.
Beth Wahler, Consultant and Researcher
Dr. Beth Wahler is a consultant, researcher, trainer, and experienced administrator with a primary focus on helping library workers respond effectively to the complex challenges of serving the public while also prioritizing their own well-being and supporting one another in the workplace. She specializes in addressing the needs of individuals experiencing mental health challenges, substance use, homelessness, poverty, and trauma, and in equipping staff with practical, trauma-informed strategies to navigate these interactions with confidence and care.
As the author of the Data-Driven Decisions Toolkit for Libraries, she has worked with libraries across the globe to implement these practices and offers bespoke training in a variety of settings.
Tarida Anantachai, Director, Talent Management, NC State University Libraries
Tarida Anantachai (she/her) is the Director, Talent Management at the NC State University Libraries, where she oversees the recruitment, hiring, and ongoing support of library faculty and staff; co-leads strategic organizational initiatives; and coordinates the Libraries Fellows Program. Her research and professional interests include topics around belonging; organizational and career development; leadership; and outreach programming.
June 3 & 10, 2026 | 11 am - 4:30 pm ET
2-Week Intensive Online Course + 8-module Workshop
Recommended for new and aspiring library managers.