The Library Welcomes Thr After a yearlong, nationwide effort, the Library successfully recruited two new associate university librarians and a chief administrative officer, who make up the senior leadership team with University Librarian Erik Mitchell. This group will work with Library employees, campus leaders and community partners to shape the strategic direction of the Library in the years to come.
Heather Hernández
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (CAO) Responsible For: Providing strategic leadership and planning for Library operations by working with Library employees and campus partners, in addition to leading initiatives that serve the Library’s commitment to provide responsive and efficient business and employee services as well as safe and inclusive facilities.
Hernández holds a master’s degree in business administration from National University and a certificate in Advanced Lean Training from the Virginia Mason Institute. She is also a Prosci-certified change practitioner.
Oversees: Administrative Support Team; Business and Employee Services; Internal Communications; Library Facilities Services; Library Safety and Security
How did the Programs you oversee help the Library continue to thrive throughout the pandemic? All of the Programs in my area support the work of Library employees, and I am incredibly proud of how they showed up, and continue to show up, for their colleagues. It’s inspiring!
A longtime employee at UC San Diego, Hernández most recently served as a transformational healthcare coach at UC San Diego Health. During her time in that role, she provided guidance and process-oriented approaches to enhance institutional performance and consulted with leaders, departments and committees to address change management.
[ Get To Know Heather ]
Library Safety and Security and Library Facilities Services were critical to the continued operation of our Library facilities. Many staff from these areas worked on-site every day throughout the pandemic to ensure other essential workers could access the
library buildings. Business and Employee Services and Internal Communications played crucial roles in helping keep all 300 Library employees abreast of rapidly changing information, such as the status of operations on campus and at the Library. They also answered many complex questions for employees regarding the newly issued expanded leave program for COVID-19 related incidents. Meanwhile, the Administrative Support Team was busy processing requests and purchasing technology tools for staff who needed help building temporary home offices. Tell us about a project you are currently working on. Planning the safe reopening of Geisel Library. We serve 7,000+ patrons per day in our wonderful building and are eager to welcome everyone back. Our goal is to fully open by the start of fall quarter in September 2021. Of course this plan is influenced by campus, county and state guidelines and could change at any time given the direction the pandemic takes. A lot of work has gone into this as we have to make sure that we are not only bringing our staff back to a safe space, but also our students in need of a place to study. What have you been reading lately? I recently finished reading “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee in preparation for her talk at Geisel Library’s 50th Anniversary Signature Event that took place in May.
In this role, I plan to leverage my experience as an administrator to help the Library bring its strategic priorities to fruition. I will also do my part to ensure the organization achieves and embraces diversity, equity and inclusion and maintains its position as one of the nation’s top 25 academic libraries. 2
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