Dr. Alexia Hudson-Ward is the Associate Director of Research, Learning, and Strategic Partnerships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Libraries. Her past roles include the Azariah Smith Root Director of Libraries for Oberlin College, a Penn State University tenured librarian, an award-winning newspaper entertainment editor, a public radio promotions coordinator, and a Coca-Cola Company customer marketing manager.
Alexia is the incoming Vice-President/President-Elect of the Association of College and Research Libraries, one of the largest divisions of the American Library Association. She is also a trustee of The Corning Museum of Glass, The Conversation U.S. Edition, and an ex-officio MIT Press Editorial Board member.
She has authored several research articles & delivered presentations internationally on open scholarship, organizational design, DEI, & change management. She is co-editor of Cultural Heritage and the Campus Community: Academic Libraries and Museums in Collaboration (ACRL Books, 2022) and a forthcoming book on Social Intelligence in the Age of AI (ALA Editions). Among her many contributions to the profession is serving as the former Editor-in-Chief of Toward Inclusive Excellence (TIE) – an award-nominated multimedia blog hosted by Choice Publishing.
Alexia received a B.A. in English Literature and African American Studies from Temple University, an M.L.I.S degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Ph.D. in Library and Information Sciences with a managerial leadership concentration from Simmons University. She also holds management certificates from Cornell University and the MIT Sloan School of Management.