








































Committee Task Force - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion


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Conference 
Jessica Boyer, Mount St. Mary’s University, Chair

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

• Jessica Boyer, Mount St. Mary’s University, Chair
• Michael Bradford, Wayne State University
• Ezra Choe, Baylor University
• James Estes, Library of Congress
• Craig Kubic, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Liz Leahy, Azusa Pacific University
• Jude Morrissey, Yale University Divinity School
• Michelle Spomer, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
• Gillian Harrison Cain, Atla, Director of Membership and 

Engagement
• Denise McFarlin, Atla Staff Liaison
• Alexis Weiss, Atla Staff Liaison 

YEAR IN REVIEW

The Conference Committee welcomed several new members this 
year including James Estes as Editor of the Summary of Proceedings 
and Liz Leahy as our 2024 Local Host Committee Representative. 
The Committee held a planning meeting via Zoom on September 
19th. We reviewed the Atla Annual 2023 post-conference survey 
during this meeting and began planning for Atla Annual 2024. We 
confirmed the proposal submission process, timeline, and draft 
conference schedule. The Committee then completed further work 
via email, including advertising the call for proposals to various 
associations, listservs, and institutions and rating proposal submis-
sions. The Committee met again in person in Long Beach on January 
31 - February 1. During our Winter Meeting, we formally accepted 
proposals and drafted a detailed conference schedule. Leading up 
to the conference, committee members coordinated the Memorials 
video and organized the first conference game night. During the 
conference, committee members hosted each session. The commit-
tee then met again after the conference to debrief the event and 
note ideas for next year.



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ATLA ANNUAL 2024 IN REVIEW

Atla Annual 2024 was held at the Hilton Long Beach as well as vir-
tually, June 19-22. The conference opened with plenary speaker 
Dr. Amir Hussain, Professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Mary-
mount University. Dr. Hussain spoke to “Comparative Religion and 
Theology: Practical, not Theoretical Matters for Atla” and provided 
an engaging start to the conference. Then, Dr. Lynn Silipigni Con-
naway helped us think about “Redefining the Library Experience: 
Looking Upwards and Outwards” to conclude the conference and 
leave us with a vision for the future.

Overall, Atla Annual 2024 consisted of 36 concurrent sessions, 
two worship services, three post-conference workshops, and Atla’s 
annual association update and business meeting. These sessions 
provided engaging and innovative content that allowed attendees 
to learn and grow as professionals. For the first time, we had ses-
sions with artificial intelligence or AI in the session title. This new 
development marks what will likely be a historic trend in our field, 
and I appreciate the numerous presenters who taught us about 
this emerging trend. Meanwhile, we did not have a session with 
pandemic in the title for the first time in several years. I am grateful 
that we have found ways to recover and respond to the challenges 
our libraries have faced in the last four years. This spirit of inno-
vation, collaboration, and community will allow us to continue to 
face the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for our librar-
ies and institutions.

ATLA ANNUAL 2024: BY THE NUMBERS

Whether in-person or online, our community of members and 
attendees is a hallmark of what makes Atla Annual such a great 
conference. This year’s conference included 225 attendees, 118 of 
whom joined us in person, 107 online, and 47 for the first time. We 
also had 22 international attendees, with ten individuals joining us 
from outside North America. In the spirit of fostering community, 
we held the first Atla Annual Game Night. Nearly 30 attendees gath-
ered for a fun evening of friendly competition and camaraderie. 
Additional members gathered virtually in the two weeks follow-
ing the conference as six interest groups and six denominational 
groups held their annual business meetings.



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CONCLUSION 

Many individuals have made the work of the committee and the 
annual conference successful. I want to extend my sincere appre-
ciation to the committee members and Atla staff liaisons. Your con-
tributions are deeply appreciated, and working with all of you is a 
pleasure. Thank you also to Liz Leahy and the members of SCATLA, 
who hosted us and provided a warm welcome to Long Beach. I 
would also like to acknowledge Brinna Michael and the Techni-
cal Services Interest Group, who hosted a workshop in December 
on submitting an Atla Annual proposal. Finally, thank you to our 
many attendees; your participation, presentations, discussions, 
and contributions provided an enriching conference experience 
for all of us. I look forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh for Atla  
Annual 2025 Conference.


