Yolanda Cooper, the new vice provost and Lindseth Family University Librarian, has enjoyed a warm reception from the staff at Kelvin Smith Library—one that contrasts sharply from the cold, wintry mix that greeted her on her first day on the job in January.
One might think that Cleveland’s winter weather would put a damper on Cooper’s spirits—after all, she moved here from Atlanta, where she was a dean and university librarian at Emory University. But Cooper cheerfully noted that her first day in that southern city also was marked by severe winter weather.
“(In Atlanta) you can have 2 or 3 inches of snow and it shuts everything down,” she laughed.
Helping staff succeed is important to Cooper, who has a strong background in organizational development and human resources. That professional experience has helped shape what Provost Ben Vinson III called “an extraordinarily people-centered approach to leadership.”