April 23, 2023
Meet the Educopians: Nancy Adams
By Kelly PendergrastNancy Adams is the Program Assistant for the Library Publishing Coalition, one of Educopia’s community cultivation partners.
Below, Nancy reflects on Educopia’s new shared leadership model, her work with the Library Publishing Coalition, and what keeps her energized.
Can you reflect on the process of moving to a shared leadership model?
Bringing in the shared leadership model pretty much coincided with our new co-directors model so there’s a lot of sharing going on at different levels! This could be a disaster for some organizations, but we’re a fairly small group and have a team that is both remarkably talented and resilient enough to handle it. It’s an effort for sure, but we’re working through the process together, learning a lot from–and about–each other, and building a stronger Educopia.
What keeps you energized?
Me personally, working remotely and part time and having the ability and the flexibility to step away and go for a walk in the woods when I need to. Professionally, it’s seeing others achieve. I work closely with one of Educopia’s communities – the Library Publishing Coalition. Watching our volunteers work tirelessly to make the field more open, inclusive, and sustainable is both energizing and inspiring to me.
What is the most important lesson you have taken away from Educopia’s organizational culture and development work?
To be mindful. As we’ve moved through a variety of external and internal changes, we’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on and learning about our values both as professionals working with individuals and groups outside Educopia and as individuals and groups working internally with each other. I’ve found it helpful to not just do the work, but to stop and be mindful about it.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned from your work with the Library Publishing Coalition?
Event planning! It was mostly new to me when I started at Educopia, but supporting LPC’s Program Committee is one of my responsibilities … and it’s been quite interesting and a lot of fun, especially now with our switching between in-person and virtual formats.