CURRENT POSITION Director of Libraries, Suffolk Public Library, VA DEGREE MLS, Drexel University, 2003 FAST FACT Rudy loves going out to eat, and his favorite restaurant is PigFish in Hampton Roads, VA. FOLLOW linkedin.com/in/clintrudy Photo by Kevin Sary

VALLA-dation

As director of Suffolk Public Library, Clint Rudy participated in Virginia Library Leadership Academy (VALLA) in 2012, became VALLA coordinator in 2018, and in 2022 led a task force to reimagine and revise the academy. The first task: create a team with “a broad spectrum of experiences in life and careers—members from academic, special, and public libraries and with contacts and networking experience.” Using surveys and conference poster sessions, the new group gathered robust feedback on what people want from VALLA: “leadership, not management.” Rather than supervisory skills or project management, says Rudy, “This is much more high level, about knowing yourself, creating a team environment—more focus on emotions and connections.”

To make VALLA more diverse, “I focused on process,” says Rudy. “We made participation free, removed a project requirement, and tried to make it so that people felt it was for them by defining what VALLA was.” In 2024, the program attracted 150 applicants, by far exceeding the previous record, and admitted 22 participants.

In addition to his work with VALLA, Rudy exercises his leadership skills in the community. When the local chamber of commerce omitted the library from a resource brochure, he reached out to collaborate on updating it. His work in the Tidewater Area Library Directors Consortium has led to National Library Week and other campaigns in which disparate marketing teams collaborate for efficiency. It’s essential to push the envelope, says Rudy. “If you shoot for the moon and don’t make it, you’re still in the atmosphere.”