Atla Announces Leadership Transition

Chicago, IL, January 19, 2022 – Atla recently announced that Brenda Bailey-Hainer will be stepping down from her position in August after eleven years as Atla’s Executive Director.

In her message to the Atla community, Bailey-Hainer shared:

“It’s hard to say goodbye to Atla’s members, affiliated organizations, collaborators, and business partners. It’s the right time for me to leave but also the right time for Atla. Atla is financially strong, with both a solid base for annual operations and a steadily growing endowment. I know that the next Executive Director will find the support and resources needed to move Atla forward. I’m confident that I’m leaving Atla well-positioned for another 75 years of success.”

Under Bailey-Hainer’s leadership, Atla developed closer ties to our international colleagues and broadened open access publishing initiatives. Behind the scenes, Bailey-Hainer invested resources in much-needed upgrades to Atla’s database and member programs platforms. Her leadership shifting the organization to the cloud and a completely remote workforce has substantially improved Atla’s financial position.

“Brenda came to Atla with many years of experience in library and association leadership, and her professionalism has shown through in her strategic guidance of the products and programs of Atla,” said Christina Torbert president of the Board. “We are thankful for her leadership, vision, counsel, and dedication to the future of Atla.”

The Board is planning a nationwide search, facilitated by an executive search firm, to launch in the next two months.

About Atla

Established in 1946 as the American Theological Library Association, Atla is a membership association of librarians and information professionals, and a producer of research tools, committed to advancing the study of religion and theology. Atla’s membership includes more than 800 individuals and libraries at academic institutions from diverse religious traditions and backgrounds. As a community of collectors and connectors, Atla works to promote worldwide scholarly communication in religion and theology by advancing the work of libraries and related information providers.

Press Contact:

Tawny Burgess, 872.310.4224, tburgess@atla.com