WALE 2014 Conference Keynote Speakers:
Secretary of State, Kim Wyman - Keynote Luncheon: October 28th, 2014
Washington’s 15th Secretary of State, Kim Wyman, is currently serving her first term. Elected in 2012, she is the second female Secretary of State in Washington history and the only woman currently holding statewide executive office.
Prior to being sworn into this office, Kim served as the Thurston County Elections Director and was elected County Auditor in 2001. During her tenure, the Thurston County Auditor's Office won many awards for innovation in county government. Kim actively participates in multiple state and national workgroups, which has helped make Washington State a national leader.
Secretary Wyman leads one of the most diverse offices in state government. She promotes civility and civic engagement and is committed to connecting people with their government. Kim enjoys mentoring students and participates in leadership development organizations. She is an advocate for our military service members, veterans, and their families.
Kim is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Troy State University. She is a member of the Lacey Rotary Club, serves on the boards of the Washington State Historical Society and TVW, and takes part in numerous civic activities.
Kim and her husband John came to Washington when he was assigned to the 2/75th Ranger Battalion at (then) Ft. Lewis after being stationed in Ansbach, Germany. The Wymans reside in Thurston County with their two children.
Editorial Director of Library Journals, Rebecca Miller - Keynote Dinner: October 28th, 2014
Rebecca T. Miller is Editorial Director, Library Journal and School Library Journal. Raised in north Idaho, her background in libraries dates to 1998 when she joined the book review staff of the Library Journal. In the intervening years, serving as Executive Editor for LJ and subsequently Editor-in-Chief of School Library Journal, she helped launch several new products, including Críticas magazine and Library By Design, as well as driving the evolution of the content strategy of these key library publications. She also served for six years on the board of the National Book Critics Circle, two as President. Prior to joining Library Journal, she worked at Utne Reader. She has a BA from DePauw University and an MSLIS from Pratt Institute.
Unshelved Comics, Gene Ambaum - Keynote Breakfast: October 29th, 2014
These days, we're all trying to make sense of daunting amounts of information.
How can people find what they need to know? Why do they expect it faster and faster? Why don't they seem to care where information comes from? Why do they believe they don't need libraries anymore? And why are libraries trying to give these folks what they want instead of standing up for what a library should be? In an entertaining and highly opinionated keynote, Gene makes the case that now, more than ever, traditional libraries have a vital place in our communities.
Gene Ambaum is good at making fun of strange, difficult customers in Unshelved because he is the strangest, most difficult customer of all. As a teenager he was once locked in a library alone after closing. He doesn’t always return his books on time, but he always pays his fines. He used to be a librarian somewhere under a different name. Follow @ambaum on Twitter to see pictures of his cats.
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