Brittany N. Champion (she/her/hers) has over 10 years of experience in librarianship. Prior to her work at Furman University, she served as an Instruction and Outreach Librarian at Pitt Community College (Greenville, NC) and as an Adult Services/YA Services Librarian at Wayne County Public Library (Goldsboro, NC). She received her Master’s in Library Science from North Carolina Central University in 2018. Champion serves as the Past Chair of the Roundtable on Ethnic and Minority Concerns (REMCo), a North Carolina Library Association section, and the Technology Chair of the Black Faculty and Staff Association at Furman University.
Carlos Grooms (he/him/his) is the Research and Instruction Librarian and Assistant Professor at North Carolina A&T State University’s F. D. Bluford Library. He is liaison to the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Center for Excellence. He obtained his MLS degree from North Carolina Central University and his B.A. in History from Winston Salem State University. Previously, he served as the Student Success Librarian and Assistant Librarian at Elon University’s Carol Grotness Belk Library. His focus was developing and supporting library instruction and engagement initiatives and community-building programs for underrepresented student populations. Currently, Carlos serves as Chair for the Roundtable on Ethnic & Minority Concerns, a section of the North Carolina Library Association.
Joan Hill serves as the Evening & Weekend Librarian/Coordinator and Adjunct Professor at Winston-Salem State University. She has over 20 years of experience working in academic libraries. Prior to working at Winston-Salem State University, Joan served as the Reference and Instruction Librarian at Livingstone College (Salisbury, NC). She received her master’s in library and information studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2011. Joan is the Co- Director of the Round Table for Ethnic Minority Concerns (REMCo) for a North Carolina Library Association section. She has previously served as Secretary/Treasurer and is on the Library Leadership Council at Winston-Salem State University.
Candace Jacobs serves as an Assistant Professor/ STEM Liaison Librarian at UNC Greensboro. Candace is a graduate of both Catawba College (B.A. in Sociology, minor in Spanish) and East Carolina University (MLS- Academic Librarianship). Before beginning her career as an academic librarian, she worked in higher education administration, focusing on enrollment management and retention efforts. Candace serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Round Table for Ethnic Minority Concerns (REMCo) for the North Carolina Library Association, as the Vice Chair for STEM Librarians in North Carolina (STEM-LINC) for the North Carolina Library Association, and as a committee member for ALA Training, Orientation, and Leadership Development (TOLD) for the American Library Association.
Denice Lewis started at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library in March 2019. She received her BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and graduated with her MLIS from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in 2019. In between Electrical Engineering and Library Science, Denice picked up an Associates in Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu Scottsdale. She is a member of the American Library Association (ALA), the Association of College & Research Libraries (ARCL), the North Carolina Library Association (NCLA), and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).Denice’s research interests are the digital information literacy skills of incoming freshmen, mentoring for BIPOC early career librarians, as well as the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), data science, and information literacy.
Dr. Zelda Lockhard holds a PhD in Expressive Art Therapies, an MA in Literature, and a certificate in writing, directing and editing from the New York Film Academy. She is the Director at Her Story Garden Studios: Inspiring Black Women to Self-Define, Heal, and Liberate Through Our Stories & Nature. Her work as a speaker and expressive arts consultant and educator takes her to stages, classrooms, conference rooms and community spaces across the globe to work with individuals, universities, law enforcement, corporations, and communities experiencing hardship. In these spaces she uses story and nature to inspire individuals to heal from traumatic experiences, gain better command over their ability to maintain healthy relationships, lead effectively, and work productively and gracefully in community. Her work as an author and as an expressive arts consultant and educator centers on the power of story to connect us across barriers and to heal our generations. Her latest books include HarperCollins 2023 release Trinity (a novel) translated and released by HarperCollins France 2024 as Entends ma voix.
India Page is from Greensboro, North Carolina. She is the University Library Technician for Reference at Winston-Salem State University. India received her Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication with a concentration in Electronic Media and Minored in Dramatic Arts from Winston-Salem State University in 2015. She began working at C. G. O’Kelly Library in 2015 in the Media Production Lab, then moved to reference in 2017. India possesses a diverse skill set spanning multiple departments within C. G. O’Kelly Library. In addition to working in the library, she is a versatile creative artist, excelling as an actress, singer, and dancer. She performs regularly with Royal Curtain Drama Guild, in Winston Salem, ranging in different roles and dance performances. India is an entrepreneur and has her own business called Idolized Creations, where she creates apparel and wooden crafts. She is also a content creator on YouTube, where she inspires and creates lifelong memories.