The Biodiversity Heritage Library is pleased to welcome Amanda Boczar and Leora Siegel to two newly created positions on the Executive Committee of the BHL Members’ Council.

Amanda Boczar has been appointed as BHL’s inaugural Strategic Development Officer, while Leora Siegel joins the Executive Committee as its first Member-at-Large. Both appointments strengthen the Committee’s capacity as BHL enters a new era as an independent, community-governed global consortium.

Expanding BHL’s governance capacity

In June 2026, BHL Members approved the creation of the two new positions to provide additional capacity in areas of growing importance to the consortium, including financial sustainability, fundraising, strategic development, and broader representation across the BHL community.

These appointments come at a pivotal time for BHL. Following its transition to a new distributed operational model and administrative home with the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), the consortium is developing its next strategic plan and building the partnerships, resources, and governance structures needed to support its future.

Because amendments to the BHL Bylaws can only be formally adopted at an Annual Meeting, the two positions are provisional and will be presented for ratification at the 2027 BHL Annual Meeting.

Amanda Boczar, Strategic Development Officer

As Strategic Development Officer, Amanda will provide additional financial oversight and help lead fundraising and development activities on behalf of the Executive Committee. She will work closely with the BHL Secretariat and relevant committees to identify, assess, and respond to grant and funding opportunities.

The position will increase BHL’s capacity to pursue new sources of support and coordinate development priorities as the consortium works towards long-term operational sustainability.

Amanda Boczar at the Natural History Museum, London, with the Giant Squid, during the 2026 BHL Annual Meeting. Selfie by Amanda Boczar.

Amanda is Associate Director of Digital Initiatives at the University of South Florida Libraries, one of BHL’s newest Member institutions. She is already playing an active role in the consortium, co-leading the Collection Development and Discovery strategic planning writing group alongside Emily Benton, Prairie Research Institute Librarian at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

I have been working with digital collections related to Florida’s environment and natural history since 2020 and have always looked to BHL as a model for global outreach and community. After USF joined BHL as both a member and a strategic partner for its technical infrastructure in January 2026, I knew I wanted to really dive in and make the most of the opportunity. It has been such a privilege to engage with the other members and affiliates, and I am very honored to have been selected for this new role to help sustain the organization for many more years to come.

– Amanda Boczar, Associate Director of Digital Initiatives, University of South Florida Libraries

Leora Siegel, Member-at-Large

The Member-at-Large provides additional support across the Executive Committee’s activities, assists with special projects, and fills gaps where needed.

As the only Executive Committee position open to staff from both BHL Member and Affiliate institutions, this new role creates an important pathway for wider participation in BHL governance. It also provides an opportunity to gain experience on the Executive Committee and potentially move into another elected position in the future.

Leora Siegel in the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Lenhardt Library. Photo by Donna Herendeen.

Leora is Senior Director of the Lenhardt Library at the Chicago Botanic Garden, a long-standing BHL Affiliate. She brings extensive experience in library leadership, collaborative digital initiatives, and the stewardship of botanical and biodiversity information. In 2024, Leora co-hosted the BHL Annual Meeting in Chicago, welcoming the BHL community to the Chicago Botanic Garden and contributing extensively to the meeting’s program. Leora is also contributing to BHL’s strategic planning as a member of the Operational Sustainability writing group.

Through collaborations with BHL colleagues over the past 10 years as an Affiliate member, and witnessing BHL’s amazing growth and development, I’m honored to serve on the Executive Committee and contribute as BHL becomes fully independent.

– Leora Siegel, Senior Director, Lenhardt Library, Chicago Botanic Garden

Strengthening BHL for its next chapter

Amanda and Leora officially joined the BHL Executive Committee in July. Their appointments expand the range of skills, experience, and perspectives represented on the Executive Committee at this important stage in BHL’s development.

We are delighted to welcome Amanda and Leora to the Executive Committee. Leora will be well known to many in the BHL community and, coming from an Affiliate institution, brings both extensive experience and new perspectives to the Committee. Amanda joins us with a wealth of ideas and previous successes in a role that is vital to BHL’s long-term sustainability. With the expansion of the Executive Committee complete, and the addition of two such capable colleagues, we are now well placed to secure a bright and stable future for BHL.

– Richard Wragg, Vice Chair, BHL Executive Committee and Head of Library and Archives at the Natural History Museum, London

Please join us in welcoming Amanda and Leora to the BHL Executive Committee. We look forward to working with them as BHL builds a strong, sustainable, and collaborative future for open biodiversity knowledge.