The HBCU Library Alliance works to transform and strengthen its membership by developing leaders, preserving collections and planning for the future.
Ms. Phoenix has more than 30 years’ experience at nonprofit organizations and extensive project management experience. Responsible for the overall operations of the HBCU Library Alliance, her duties include providing leadership in developing strategic and financial planning, managing an organizational budget with the Board of Directors, managing, publicizing and promoting grant-related activities of the organization, and promoting active participation on grant projects by member institutions.
Prior to assuming this role, Ms. Phoenix served as Executive Services Librarian at LYRASIS where served as Project Manager for a two-year Gates Foundation Opportunity Online Grant project resulting in $1.7M grant funding.
She believes in the power of knowledge, the power of the endless contributions of people of color, and the power of the library in strengthening community. Ms. Phoenix is committed to the goals and vision of the HBCU Library Alliance and its future directions in supporting HBCU libraries.
In her free time, she enjoys vegetable gardening, spending time with twin rescue dogs Lilly and Sissy, and the compelling message of the djembe drum.
Ms. Denard has more than 20 years of secretarial experience. Her duties at the HBCU Library Alliance include providing comprehensive support in a range of strategic areas for the Alliance. She serves as the primary point of contact for the Executive Director, a liaison to the Board of Directors and communications manager for internal and external information delivery to members of the Alliance.
Prior to assuming this role, Ms. Denard served as the Senior Administrative Secretary at the Asa H. Gordon Library at Savannah State University. She has also worked with the University of Georgia’s Strong African American Families Project as a program facilitator and as a partnership assistant with the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau. Before that, she was the Executive Assistant to the President/CEO of the Center for Education, Networking, Training and Empowerment Resources, Inc. (C.E.N.T.ER., Inc.), a non-profit organization.
Her education includes a Bachelor of Business Administration (Savannah State University, Summa Cum Laude); Associate of Applied Science in Teacher Education (formerly Waycross College, now South Georgia State College), and she is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma (a premier business honor society).
Loretta Parham, co-founder and inaugural Chair of the HBCU Library Alliance, currently serves as its interim Executive Director. For nineteen years, she was the CEO and Director of the Atlanta University Center Woodruff Library, an independent academic library for the shared benefit of four HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities): Morehouse College, Spelman College, the Interdenominational Theological Center, and Clark Atlanta University before retiring in August 2024. Prior positions include University Library Director at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, and Deputy Director of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was District Chief of 20 urban branch libraries for the Chicago Public Library (CPL), and held other administrative and public service positions at CPL and the City Colleges of Chicago.
In 2016, Ms. Parham was recognized as Academic Research Librarian of the year by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).
Ms. Parham held a variety of senior leadership positions in professional organizations, including Harvard University Visiting Committee, HBCU Digital Library TRUST Project, Educopia Board, Chair/ALA Accreditation Committee, ACRL Director-At-Large, OCLC Board of Directors, Georgia Humanities Council, the University of Michigan Advisory Board for the School of Information and Library Services, Wayne State University School of Library & Information Science Advisory Board, the Heritage Preservation/Saving Special Collections Advisory Committee, faculty member for the EDUCAUSE Management Institute, and more.
Ms. Parham earned a master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.
Ms. Denard has more than 20 years of secretarial experience. Her duties at the HBCU Library Alliance include providing comprehensive support in a range of strategic areas for the Alliance. She serves as the primary point of contact for the Executive Director, a liaison to the Board of Directors and communications manager for internal and external information delivery to members of the Alliance.
Prior to assuming this role, Ms. Denard served as the Senior Administrative Secretary at the Asa H. Gordon Library at Savannah State University. She has also worked with the University of Georgia’s Strong African American Families Project as a program facilitator and as a partnership assistant with the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau. Before that, she was the Executive Assistant to the President/CEO of the Center for Education, Networking, Training and Empowerment Resources, Inc. (C.E.N.T.ER., Inc.), a non-profit organization.
Her education includes a Bachelor of Business Administration (Savannah State University, Summa Cum Laude); Associate of Applied Science in Teacher Education (formerly Waycross College, now South Georgia State College), and she is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma (a premier business honor society).
March: HBCU Library Alliance featured in Forbes.com article “Why Supporting HBCU Libraries is Essential”
March: CLIR subgrant award
April: Members approve new HBCU Library Alliance logo
July: NEH Chair’s Grant award
October: 10th Membership Meeting, Baton Rouge (LA)
December: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation grant award
December: NEH Advancing Diversity in Librarianship grant award
December: Empowering Pathways to Progress Fundraising Campaign
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