Amanda Clay Powers is a Professor and Dean of Library Services at Mississippi University for Women. She is the co-author of ALA Press’s A Starter’s Guide for Academic Library Leaders, the author of “The Value of Reference Services” in Reimagining Reference in the 21st Century, “Learning to Thrive in a Culture of Change” in Library Journal, and the co-author of the College and Research Libraries News “New Academic Library Leader Discussion Series,” among others. She has been President, Vice-President, and Treasurer of the Mississippi Library Association, as well as the Mississippi Chapter Councilor of the American Library Association. At MUW, she is the Chair of the Student Emergency Fund Committee, the chair of the Community Read Committee, a facilitator of the University’s Strategic Planning Committee, and a founding member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. She serves on the boards of the Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC), Mississippi Historical Society, and the University Press of Mississippi, as well as the MHC grant review board. She is a member of the class of 2023 in Leadership Mississippi. She has a BA in English Literature from Wellesley College and an Masters in Library and Information Science from Simmons University.