Library Leadership

Meet the Dean’s Cabinet 

  • Dean Jeffcoat wearing a white shirt and SMU scarf smiling at the camera

    Holly E. Jeffcoat
    Dean of SMU Libraries

    hjeffcoat@smu.edu
    214-768-2400

    Holly Jeffcoat serves as dean of SMU Libraries, where she leads strategic initiatives that advance research, teaching and community engagement across the eight libraries at 91制片廠合集. Since joining SMU in 2018, she has unified the university’s libraries under a single organizational vision and developed the Libraries’ first inclusive strategic plan, guiding progress in cultural heritage, student success, digital discovery, and organizational excellence.

    A hallmark of her leadership is the development of the Rees-Jones Library of the American West, a major new research facility opening in 2027. Dean Jeffcoat leads the visioning and planning for this library, which will house significant special collections, including the Rees-Jones and DeGolyer collections, and feature a conservation lab, digital preservation infrastructure, exhibition galleries, reading rooms, and collaborative teaching spaces.

    With more than 20 years of experience in research libraries, Dean Jeffcoat previously held leadership roles at the University of Connecticut, the University of New Mexico and the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galápagos Islands. She has published in areas including scholarly communication, digital preservation, health sciences librarianship, and library leadership and assessment. Her work often explores the evolving roles of libraries in supporting translational research, institutional repositories, and evidence-based practice, as well as innovative approaches to library fundraising and organizational change.

    Dean Jeffcoat is an active voice in the national academic library community. She currently serves in leadership roles on the HathiTrust Board of Governors, the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), the Texas Digital Library (TDL) and the ARL Leadership Fellows Task Force. She was a 2018-2019 ARL Leadership Fellow.

    Dean Jeffcoat holds an Ed.D. in Leadership and Learning in Organizations from Vanderbilt University, an M.A. in Information Resources and Library Science from the University of Arizona, an M.S. in Sociology from Utah State University, and a B.A. in Psychology from Greensboro College.


  • Elizabeth Killingsworth outdoors, smiling

    Elizabeth Killingsworth
    Associate Dean of Academic Initiatives and Director of Fondren Library

    elizabethk@smu.edu
    214-768-3686

    Elizabeth joined SMU Libraries in 2013. In her current position, she is responsible for the strategic direction of research services, instruction, access services, and resource sharing. Elizabeth is responsible also for directing all aspects of Fondren Library, the main library on campus. Elizabeth previously worked at the University of Central Florida as Head of Information Literacy. She earned her M.S. in Library Science from the University of North Texas and a B.S in Political Science from the University of Texas at Tyler.
  • Sarah Haight Sanabria
    Associate Dean of Collection Services & Scholarly Communication

    shaight@smu.edu
    214-768-3646

    Since 2018 Sarah leads a unit responsible for acquiring, licensing, cataloging, analyzing, and managing the lifecycle of resources in the general collections of SMU Libraries. She coordinates with subject specialists across SMU Libraries to support collection building and access. She began at SMU in 2007 managing electronic resources and cataloging a variety of formats. Sarah has presented at national and regional conferences, primarily around the use of technology to augment staff involvement in cataloging and collection building. Sarah holds a MS in Library Science from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, as well as an MA in Art History from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Sarah’s BA is in Program of Liberal Studies and Art History from the University of Notre Dame.
  • Anthony J. Elia
    Associate Dean of Special Collections & Academic Publishing and Director of Bridwell Library

    aelia@smu.edu
    214-768-1867

    Anthony came to librarianship through a circuitous path of academic interests and studies including M.A.s from the鈥疕ebrew University of Jerusalem and University of Chicago before acquiring his M.S.L.I.S. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Since becoming Bridwell’s director in June 2018, he advocates for developing conversation partners through library programming and extending outreach to a broader community to strengthen the experience of communal learning and scholarship.
  • Sandy Miller
    Director of the Duda Family Business Library

    slmiller@smu.edu
    214-768-4113

    Sandy joined SMU Libraries in 2003 and is Director of the Duda Family Business Library since 2004. She oversees dedicated business librarians offering instruction via the Kitt Investing & Trading Center and prestigious research databases. Sandy earned her M.S. in Library Science from the University of North Texas and her B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Dallas. She is a member of numerous associations including the Association of College & Research Libraries and the Academic Business Library Directors of North America. She serves as co-editor for the SMU Cox School of Business Research Paper Series on the Social Science Research Network, and for the Teaching & Learning section of Ticker: The Academic Business Librarianship Review.
  • Russell L. Martin III
    Director of DeGolyer Library

    rlmartin@smu.edu
    214-768-3234

    Russell became the director of the DeGolyer Library in 2001. His responsibilities include collection development, endowments, and outreach to local, regional, and national constituencies. He previously worked at the American Antiquarian Society. Russell earned his B.A. and M.A. in English from SMU, his M.S. in Library Science from the University of Illinois, and his Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia. He is an active member of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the American Library Association, the Bibliographical Society of America, and the Texas State Historical Association, among others. He began his library career in 1977 as an undergraduate at SMU, shelving books in Fondren Library, and he reports that he is still shelving books today!
  • Jolene de Verges
    Director of Hamon Arts Library

    jdeverges@smu.edu
    214-768-1855

    Jolene provides leadership for the collections, services, and technology in the Hamon Arts Library, including the Bywaters Special Collections and the G. William Jones Film & Video Collection, since 2013. She also conducts collection development and library instruction for the Film & Media Arts and Creative Computation divisions in the Meadows School of the Arts. Jolene previously worked at the Rotch Library of Architecture and Planning at MIT and as a librarian at Smith College and the Worcester Art Museum.鈥 She holds a BA in Art History from the University of Oregon and an MA in Art History from the University of Oklahoma.鈥 She received her MLS from Simmons College, Boston. She is an active member of the Visual Resources Association, the Association of Moving Image Archivists, and the Art Libraries Society of North America.
  • Greg Ivy

    Greg Ivy
    Associate Dean for Library and Technology, Underwood Law Library, Dedman School of Law

    givy@smu.edu
    214-768-1829

    Greg has been Associate Dean for Library and Technology of the Underwood Law Library since 2015, having served as Associate Director for many years. Greg received his B.B.A. degree from the University of Texas at Austin, his J.D. from the University of Houston College of Law, and his M.A. from the University of Chicago. Prior to working as an academic, he practiced law predominantly in the area of toxic tort litigation. Greg has served on and chaired numerous committees of the American Association of Law Libraries and other professional organizations, and he has presented at meetings of those organizations. Since 2016, he has been the U.S. Honorary Secretary of the Selden Society, the leading learned society devoted to the study of English legal history. Greg has published in journals such as the AALL Spectrum and SMU Law Review. He teaches the Advanced Legal Research course in SMU’s Dedman School of Law and lectures on legal research in other courses.
  • Amy Carver
    Director, Friends of SMU Libraries and Director, Community Engagement

    acarver@smu.edu
    214-768-1939

    As Director of Community Engagement, Amy and her team support SMU Libraries’ mission by connecting the SMU community to SMU Libraries’ resources and services using publications, emails, social media and event support. In her role as Friends director, Amy works closely with the Friends board to raise funds for SMU Libraries and to provide engaging programs for the community. Amy earned a B.A. in Advertising from SMU. After event planning and marketing positions at the Dallas Market Center and KERA-TV/Radio, she began working for SMU in 2001 as the development officer for Central University Libraries. She loves working at her alma mater and having the daily opportunity to share ‘all things library’ with students and the community.
  • Monique Christian-Long
    Director of Organizational Effectiveness

    mchristianlong@smu.edu
    214-768-6084

    Monique Christian-Long joined SMU in May 2022. She is responsible for connecting organizational development, human resources, and business operations with strategic initiatives. Monique has ten years of public library experience and has served in various leadership roles. She co-led a social awareness team, managed grants, and partnered with community organizations to bring innovative programs to Dallas. She holds a Master of Library Science in archives & records management from North Carolina Central University and a Bachelor of Arts in nonprofit & public administration from the University of Toledo. She was an American Library Association (ALA) Emerging Leader in the 2022 cohort and a recipient of the ALA Spectrum Scholarship. She recently served on two ALA committees: the Spectrum Scholarship Advisory Committee and the Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR) Committee.