Noah Brubaker
INDIANAPOLIS—The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) has named Noah Brubaker as its Executive Director. Brubaker began serving in the role on October 1, succeeding Kirsten Leonard, who is retiring at the end of the year after 16 years of leadership with PALNI.
Brubaker has been part of PALNI for more than a decade, serving as Associate Director since 2014. In that role, he has provided leadership for PALNI’s library systems and applications, worked closely with supported institutions and vendors, managed staff and consultants, and collaborated with the Executive Director on strategic planning, resource allocation, project management, and key consortium initiatives.
“Following a comprehensive national search, the Board was unanimous in its confidence that Noah is the right person to lead PALNI,” says Jeff Beck, Library Director at Wabash College and PALNI Board Chair. “His deep understanding of PALNI’s collaborative culture, his strategic vision, and his proven leadership within the community make him uniquely positioned to build on the strengths and relationships that have made PALNI successful. We look forward to seeing Noah lead PALNI into its next chapter.”
“I have had the privilege of working alongside Noah for many years, and one of his greatest strengths is the trust he has built with library staff across our supported institutions,” says Kirsten Leonard, outgoing PALNI Executive Director. “Noah is a thoughtful, collaborative leader who listens carefully, understands different perspectives, and brings people together to find a path forward. He has a deep understanding of PALNI and the people who make this community what it is, and I’m confident he will lead with the same openness and commitment that have made him such a trusted colleague.”
As Executive Director, Brubaker leads PALNI’s strategic direction and operations while working closely with the Board of Directors and library leaders across the consortium. He also represents PALNI’s collective interests with external organizations, vendors, and partners and helps guide the consortium through changes affecting academic libraries, including emerging technologies, evolving scholarly communication practices, and the continued development of shared and open infrastructure.
“PALNI has been an important part of my professional life for many years, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead the organization,” says Brubaker. “What makes PALNI special is the expertise, commitment, and willingness to collaborate that our staff and library colleagues bring to the work. By sharing what we know and building things together, we can strengthen library services in ways that individual institutions could not achieve on their own.”
Brubaker’s career spans academic library leadership, technology, systems, and resource management. Before joining PALNI, he served as Associate Dean for Resources and Technology at Harrison College and held a variety of technology and systems roles at the University of Indianapolis. He holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems from the University of Indianapolis.
PALNI’s work is grounded in collaboration among its 23 supported institutions, which collectively serve approximately 40,000 students across Indiana. Through shared expertise, services, systems, and resources, PALNI helps its libraries build capacity while supporting student learning and effective teaching.
“PALNI’s strength is its people—the staff and library professionals across our supported institutions who bring their expertise, ideas, and commitment to the work we share,” says Brubaker. “Together, we’re able to build services and resources that extend the capacity of our libraries and, ultimately, contribute to student learning and faculty teaching. I’m looking forward to working alongside our library colleagues to continue that work.”
Leonard will continue working closely with Brubaker through the end of the year to support the leadership transition and ensure continuity across PALNI’s work.
For more information about PALNI and its collaborative programs, visit palni.org.
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Founded in 1992, PALNI is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit consortium with a strong track record of providing its 23 supported institutions with the best possible library information systems, technology, and services. It does so through Deep Collaboration and shared expertise among library and consortial staff, as well as strategic relationships with external partners. The PALNI organizational chart helps illustrate the complex roles and leadership structure within the consortium. PALNI employees enjoy a supportive work culture based on trust, communication and respect. Under the guidance of its Strategic Framework, PALNI strives to enhance the teaching and learning missions of its supported institutions across five focus areas: student success, affordability, services and systems, shared expertise, and outreach and engagement. Visit www.palni.org to learn more.
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