Robert Ambrogi Blog
A month before the American Association of Law Libraries is set to convene in Portland, Ore., for its annual conference, its executive director, Vani Ungapen, announced today that she will leave at the end of August to purse a new professional opportunity.
Ungapen has been the AALL’s executive director since October 2018. An AALL announcement of her departure credits her with strengthening the association’s membership, financial stability, and operational agility.
During her tenure, the announcement said, AALL expanded its member base and diversified its revenue streams, resulting in a 70 percent increase in assets. It credited her for leading the association through a rapid and successful transition to a virtual environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, organizing two virtual conferences and spearheading the return to in-person conferences, beginning with the AALL’s 2022 conference in Denver.
She also introduced AALL’s first learning management system and oversaw the relocation of AALL headquarters to a more cost-efficient space, the association said.
“We are incredibly grateful to Vani for her nearly seven years of dedicated and exceptional service,” said AALL President Cornell H. Winston. “Her ability to lead through change while keeping the association focused on strategic priorities has positioned AALL for continued success.”
All of that said, her time in office has not been without controversy. As I discussed with Winston during his recent appearance on my LawNext podcast, the AALL has long struggled with the need to balance the interests of multiple constituencies, insofar as its membership encompasses law librarians from private, academic and government settings. Just within the last few months, there was apparently discussion among some academic librarians of forming a separate organization.
However, that tension among interest groups is something that has existed within AALL since before Ungapen ever arrived, based on my own observations, so to the extent it was an issue, it was one she inherited.
The AALL did not say where Ungapen will be going after she leaves the organization. Its announcement included this statement from her:
“I am deeply grateful to the 2018 search committee and the Executive Board for placing their trust in me and giving me the opportunity to lead AALL. I am especially thankful to the dedicated AALL staff, who, through ups and downs, have continued to show their commitment and passion for this Association and for the members. I also want to thank past and current leadership for their guidance, trust, and support throughout my tenure. The experiences I have gained and the relationships I have built here will remain with me as I move forward into this next chapter.”
Before joining AALL, Ungapen served as manager of global education and membership for the National Association of Realtors, managing and marketing its certification programs. Prior to joining NAR, Ungapen spent 12 years as director of global business and legislative research with Florida Realtors.
AALL said it will be appointing a search committee to lead the process of selecting a new executive director.