John Cyrus selected for Virginia libraries leadership development program
Research and Education Librarian John Cyrus has been selected through a competititve process to participate in the The Virginia Library Leadership Academy (VALLA). Cyrus, who serves a liaison to the VCU School of Medicine, is among the 22 individuals whose applications strongly demonstrated VALLA’s “core commitment to equity, accessibility, inclusivity; personal growth; connection building; and individualized leadership.” According to the Virginia Library Association, “each of the 22 individuals selected to attend the 2026 cohort stood out as being diverse and primed to continue to develop their leadership skills and embark on their own, personal leadership journey.”
The VALLA 2026 Cohort will begin the leadership program with a three-day, intensive workshop followed by a year’s worth of exploring leadership topics and experiencing mentorship to continue to explore and develop their leadership capacity.
The application evaluation process was anonymous, having redacted any personal identifying information, and multiple evaluators scored each application utilizing a predetermined rubric to ensure an objective decision was reached.