Meet the 2025 TLA Executive Board Candidates!
The TLA 2025 elections will open on January 13 and close on February 14 at 11:45 pm CST. You must be a current 2025 member by January 31 to vote in the election.
The positions available for the 2025 election are President-Elect and Representative at Large (School). Here are the candidates for the TLA 2025 election, along with insight into their goals and vision for the Association:
President-Elect
Nicole Cruz: Membership growth across diverse populations would be my pivotal goal. TLA membership offers professional development, advocacy, leadership growth, and training on technological advances such as AI. Benefits expand as membership grows, strengthening our collective impact. I believe that collaboration between library divisions— school, public, academic, and specialized—fosters a unified front, strengthening our collective voice and leveraging community support for funding.
Melissa Rippy: Imbalances in access, services and staffing in libraries can make it difficult for librarians to feel heard and supported. We need the support of others who are facing similar obstacles. The Texas Library Association has the ability to help make those connections to each other and help find solutions to those common obstacles in the rapidly changing world. I view TLA as the central connection space for librarians representing all types of libraries across the state. By fostering community among ourselves, we can better fulfill our core mission of providing access to accurate and relevant information.
Representative-at-Large:
Heather Hornor: As a dedicated advocate for librarianship, I am deeply concerned about the challenges facing our profession. Advocacy remains a crucial component of our association as we navigate challenges such as budget cuts, evolving library roles, emerging technology like AI, and challenges to the intellectual freedom rights of the community members we serve. It’s more important than ever for TLA to remain a strong organization for our members and the vital role libraries play in our communities.
Brooke King: The most critical issues facing our Association and the Texas Library Community include censorship attempts, especially those targeting diverse voices, inadequate funding for all types of libraries, and a lack of understanding of what library personnel do and how libraries work. The Association and library community can help combat these issues through strong advocacy and community engagement. We must form relationships with stakeholders at both the state legislative level and in each community. We must share our stories and communicate the value of libraries. We must all work together to protect intellectual freedom
Learn more about the 2025 Executive Board candidates and read their complete statement of concerns here.