Cultures Conference Extended 2025 (Virtual Program)

Coaching for Growth

Coaching plays a vital role in developing agile teams and effective leaders. Organizations who can build these relationships into their professional development plans keep their people engaged, boost their confidence, and encourage personal and professional growth. This session will explore coaching principles and applications from two different lenses: technical coaching and adaptive coaching. We’ll discuss the opportunities and challenges of these often time-intensive relationships, as well as tools to ensure everyone involved has appropriate expectations and a shared definition of success. Finally, we’ll brainstorm together to imagine productive coaching relationships across library career paths.

Presenters: LIz Gabbitas and Chaundra Johnson 

Liz Gabbitas (she/her) is a librarian with an interest in the future of library services and the profession. She is the founder and managing director of Libraries for Digital Equity and a consultant and trainer. Her focus is on shifting perspectives and centering the work libraries already do as we envision a better world. She loves seeing her library colleagues develop the confidence to stand up and say “Yes, I’m an expert!” After a decade in state, public, and academic libraries, she is passionate about the potential every library worker has to grow and evolve. Liz’s work has proven that when built on a foundation of library values, it’s possible to uncover sustainable ideas and build future-focused solutions. 

Chaundra Johnson knew she wanted to be a librarian since she walked into her first library at age 4. During her 20 year career she has worked in every area of the public library and has worked with all types of libraries during her tenure at the Utah State Library where she most recently served as the State Librarian. She is passionate about developing and empowering library staff to embrace the unique skills they have while also continuing to grow and learn, both personally and professionally.   She believes it is the library staff that make libraries great and impact lives so  we should always be investing in their development and wellbeing.

Contact hours (Maryland public libraries) = 1 hour (for live attendance)

Please use your library/organization email address to register.

Zoom captioning and transcript are available for this program.  For ASL interpreter requests, please contact Carlotta Davis, carlotta.davis@maryland.gov as soon as possible and no later than three weeks before the program.