Meet Our Empower Library Skills Trainers
Our team is growing so keep coming back to see who has joined our associate network of trainers
Why We Work with Experts Who’ve Been There (and Know What Works)
At Empower, we believe effective library training comes from people with real experience and real insight.
Our expert facilitators include both seasoned library professionals and specialist trainers from fields like leadership, data, workplace wellbeing, inclusion, and digital transformation. Some have worked on the frontline of public and academic libraries. Others bring in-depth knowledge from coaching, education, or sector-wide consultancy—ensuring our training is both relevant and forward-thinking.
What connects them all is a practical, people-centred approach. Every session is grounded in lived experience and designed to support the unique challenges library staff face—from managing burnout and delivering inclusive services, to leading teams and adapting to change.
Whether you're looking to grow confidence, strengthen your leadership skills, or equip your team with practical tools, our trainers are here to support your development—offering professional development that’s kind, effective, and built for real-world library work.
Dr. Janice Fernandes
Dr. Janice Fernandes
is the Academic Support Manager and Subject Librarian at the University of West London, with over 35 years in academic librarianship and more than 25 published research papers. A passionate researcher and thought leader, she brings a deep commitment to lifelong learning and innovation.
Janice views the integration of AI in higher education as both rich with opportunity and full of challenges. Embracing new skills and trusting change have shaped her career milestones.
A regular keynote speaker, she has presented at national and international conferences and contributes to academic development through FHEA panels, doctoral evaluations, and editorial boards.
Guided by the belief that
knowledge shared is knowledge gained. Janice continues to mentor the next generation of scholars. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening, and playing with her cat.
Academic Innovation, Information Literacy and AI, Leadership in Higher Education
Reed Hepler
Reed Hepler is a digital initiatives librarian, instructional designer, copyright agent, artificial intelligence practitioner and consultant, and PhD student at Idaho State University. He recently obtained a Master's Degree in Instructional Design and Educational Technology from Idaho State University. In 2022, he obtained a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science, with emphases in Archives Management and Digital Curation from Indiana University. He has worked at nonprofits, corporations, and educational institutions encouraging information literacy and effective education. Combining all of these degrees and experiences, Reed strives to promote ethical librarianship and educational initiatives.
Currently, Reed works as a Digital Initiatives Librarian at a college in Idaho and also has his own consulting firm,
.His views and projects can be seen on his LinkedIn page or his blog, CollaborAItion on Substack. Contact him at [email protected] for more information.
AI, Copyright, Digital Initiatives
Elizabeth Hutchinson
Elizabeth Hutchinson is a school library specialist, trainer, and infopreneur with over 20 years of experience. Formerly Head of Guernsey’s Schools' Library Service, she founded her business in 2019 to provide training and support that positions the school library at the heart of teaching and learning. A passionate advocate for inquiry-based education, she champions FOSIL (Framework Of Skills for Inquiry Learning) to help librarians lead and embed structured inquiry across the curriculum. An international speaker, blogger, podcaster, CILIP mentor and assessor, and published author, Elizabeth’s work has been recognised with several awards, including the British Empire Medal (2020) and the Pam Wegman International Award (2023).
School Library Expert
Helen Lipscombe
Helen is an expert resilience consultant with over 20 years of international experience. She specialises in business resilience, including risk management, crisis management, and business continuity. She has worked with public and private organisations, providing consultancy and strategic guidance to strengthen their resilience frameworks.
As a qualified trainer, Helen has designed and delivered comprehensive training programs both internally and externally, equipping teams with the skills necessary for business continuity and organisational resilience.
She takes a systems thinking approach, considering the interconnectedness of processes, people, and technology to build resilience that addresses immediate risks and long-term sustainability.
Helen is also a dedicated mentor for the Business Continuity Institute (BCI), where she supports individuals at various stages of their careers in developing their expertise in business continuity and resilience.
A passionate advocate for integrating resilience into organisational culture, she has spoken at events such as BCI World and BCI Education Week. Additionally, Helen contributed to the revision of the BCI Good Practice Guide version 7.0, focusing on the Embracing Business Continuity chapter.
Business Continuity, Risk Management, Crisis Management
Bobbi Newman
Bobbi L. Newman (she/her) is a librarian, Certified Wellness Practitioner, and workplace well-being consultant dedicated to creating healthier, more inclusive, and sustainable work environments.
With nearly a decade of experience in workplace well-being and over two decades in libraries, her work is grounded in experience, evidence, and empathy. Her career spans public, academic, and special libraries, including roles in digital services and strategic leadership.
She is the author of Fostering Wellness in the Workplace: A Handbook for Libraries and the editor of
Well-Being in the Library Workplace: A Handbook for Managers. Bobbi writes the award-winning blog Librarian by Day
.
Workplace Wellbeing
Library Leadership
Inclusive Work Environments
JJ Pionke
JJ Pionke has been an Instructor of Information at Syracuse University since 2019.
He teaches the disability and librarianship course.
His award winning research focuses on disability and accessibility in libraries for employees and patrons.
Named a Library Journal
Mover and Shaker in 2020 in the Advocacy category, JJ is a fierce advocate for improving accessibility in libraries as well as for inclusion and equitable treatment of library employees with disabilities.
Accessibility, Inclusion, Project Management, Writing
Kirstie Preest
Kirstie Preest is a freelance information specialist with a background in academic and health
libraries.
She has a passion for supporting student pastoral need and extensive practical experience of implementing successful strategic student wellbeing initiatives in busy library environments. She co-developed the popular Teaching and Learning for Librarians course at
the University of Cambridge to promote an understanding of pedagogy to staff new to teaching roles and helped to embed universal design principles across library teaching.
Kirstie has direct experience of supporting students with disabilities in an academic environment and advocating for the creation of inclusive services and spaces.
Kirstie’s training offer is guided by this practical approach and she runs courses on pedagogy, teaching skills, inclusive and accessible practice, wellbeing in libraries, customer
service skills and risk assessment in libraries. Kirstie is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP),
a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a CILIP mentor and a Mental Health First Aider. She has presented and published internationally on areas covering her interests including teaching and learning, inclusive practice and developing wellbeing initiatives.
Teaching, Wellbeing, Pedagogy, Inclusive and Accessible Practice
Helen Rimmer
Helen Rimmer is a leadership and wellbeing coach, burnout specialist, and the founder of
The Kind Brave Leader
and
Empower: The Library Skills Collective
. With over 20 years of experience in library and higher education leadership, Helen brings deep sector knowledge, real-world insight, and a passion for helping others grow.
Helen specialises in kind, human-first professional development. Her training combines evidence-based tools with a focus on inclusion, resilience, and practical change—helping library staff at all levels build confidence, navigate challenge, and lead with purpose.
Helen’s sessions are known for their mix of empathy, clarity, and action—whether she’s supporting new leaders, guiding teams through burnout recovery, or exploring topics like boundaries, neuroinclusion, ethical data use, or brave conversations.
She believes learning should be accessible, collaborative, and kind—and she’s on a mission to empower the people who power libraries.
Kindness, Wellbeing, Coaching, Communication, Leadership, Management Skills
Amy Stubbing
Amy Stubbing is a leader in the library and information profession and has held roles in various parts of the sector. Her core areas of expertise and focus are data-driven decisions, inclusive practices, and management and organization. Her book
Data-Driven Decisions: A Toolkit for Information Professionals was published in 2022 by Facet Publishing. As well as her role as University Librarian at Southampton Solent University, Amy is a consultant and trainer on using data within the workplace and making data-driven decisions. She is internationally active in the library and information profession, working with key professional bodies around the world to improve data usage and literacy.
Data Wizard, Leadership, Advocacy
Shaneen Verma-Kainth
Shaneen Verma-Kainth
is a specialist training consultant with over ten years’ experience in mental health, safeguarding, and wellbeing. She has worked with statutory services supporting vulnerable adults and young people, and led wellbeing initiatives in higher education. As an Associate Trainer for
Rethink Mental Illness UK, a certified
Mental Health First Aid Instructor, and
Active Bystander Trainer, Shaneen delivers trauma-informed training that helps organisations create safer, more supportive environments.
Mental Health, Safeguarding and Wellbeing
Jo Walley
Jo is an energetic, curious, open-minded person driven by a desire to help people develop. She spent over ten years working in the library and information sector before moving to running her own coaching business in 2016. She has delivered over 100 workshops, training sessions and webinars; facilitated over 10 leadership development programmes and has over 500 hours of coaching experience. Jo loves challenging herself in all elements of life; she enjoys keeping physically fit, completing puzzles, playing games, road tripping and visiting new places by train, plane, or boat. She’s passionate about travel and transport - she loves going on adventures to explore new places, learn new things, and meet new people.
Leadership development
Coaching and facilitation
Confidence building