🌟 Nan lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and 3 dogs. She has a 🎓 Doctorate in Organizational Leadership 📚 Her career is in public libraries + teaching graduate library science students at Old Dominion University 👩💼 Interim Executive Director of the Virginia Library Association (7,000+ members) 🎨 Amateur artist + knitter for relaxation 📖 Libraries: More Than Books 👥 5–6 million visits annually in Virginia (in-person, not counting digital) 🌍 Libraries is always a safe, inclusive spaces for everyone in the community . 💻 Free Wi-Fi, laptops, hotspots, digital collections - further 3D printers, sewing machines, podcast booths, memory labs. 🎶 Libraries-as-a-service: borrowing instruments, games, tools → the “original sharing economy” 🧠 Neuroscience + Creativity: 🪢 Knitting calms the vagus nerve, shifting from stress to creativity. 🪑 Rocking chairs in airports = neuroscience-backed stress relief. 😂 Humor + 🤝 helping others activate the prefrontal cortex, improving wellbeing. 📚 Reading & Growth 📖 Nan is a voracious reader, uses library e-resources extensively Did you know: 🌍 Reading builds empathy and emotional intelligence by experiencing lives of others ❤️ Favorite recommendation: Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund ✨ Life Lessons 🤲 Helping and humor = best brain fuel 🧘 Rest, meditation, and creative rituals = essential for leadership and resilience 📚 Libraries live at the intersection of social justice + intellectual curiosity 🌌 “Manifestation” isn’t woo-woo—it’s neuroscience (brain wiring through intention)
Dr Nan Carmack lives and works in Richmond, Virginia. She has been practicing organizational leadership in the library space for over 20 years and is currently the interim Executive Director of the Virginia Library Association and teaches at the Masters in Library Science program at Old Dominion University. She is an artist, a knitter, a reader, and dog lover. In her free time she enjoys her creative passions and hanging out with her three dogs and husband.
Social media:
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nanbrunsoncarmack/
Instagram: @nannermack