“Introverted Leadership”

Can introverts be effective and successful leaders in a world of extroverts grabbing all the attention? You bet they can! In this workshop, we will study the positive aspects of introverted leadership and develop strategies to build on your introverted strengths.

By the end of the workshop, through lecture, discussion, and group work, attendees will be able to:

• Described the positive aspects of introverted leadership.
• Developed strategies for strengthening their introverted leadership capabilities.
• Collaborated and networked effectively with other workshop attendees, creating a safe environment for open discussion of next steps in their introverted leadership journeys.

M.J. Tooey is retired associate vice provost and retired dean of the Health Sciences and Human Services Library (HSHSL) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), where she worked in various library positions since 1986.  

She also was  the principal investigator for, and director of the five-year (2021-2026) cooperative agreement with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health, which funded the Network of the National Library of Medicine’s (NNLM) Region 1, and of the NNLM Web Services Office (NWSO). The HSHSL has held these or similar agreements with NLM since the early 1980s, generating almost $60 million in funding. She received her MLS from the University of Pittsburgh and her BS degree in education from Penn West University, Clarion, formerly Clarion State University, which was formerly Clarion State College in Pennsylvania.

Tooey served as president of the Medical Library Association (MLA) from 2005-2006 and was elected a fellow of the association in 2009. She has served on MLA’s Board of Directors and was the chair of the 2004 National Program Committee for the Association. In 1997, she received the MLA Estelle Brodman Award as Academic Medical Librarian of the Year. She was the MLA Janet Doe Lecturer in 2016, one of the highest honors bestowed by the association. She is a Distinguished Member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals. In 2019, she was the recipient of the Marcia C. Noyes Award, the association’s highest honor.

She developed and teaches an MLA continuing education (CE) course titled “Leadership Considered: Refining and Defining Your Skills for Today and Tomorrow” and co-teaches an MLA CE Course, “Do You Want to Be a Library Director?”

She served as president of the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) from 2012-2013, where she also served as a board member. She was a member of Elsevier’s North American Library Advisory Board. Tooey has also served on the Board of Trustees for Lyrasis, the nation’s largest regional nonprofit membership organization serving libraries.Additionally, she served on the library advisory committees for FASEB and on the library advisory board for The New England Journal of Medicine.

She was active in the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions Council of Library Directors. She also served on numerous committees and task forces at UMB focused on scholarly communication, the arts, women’s issues, strategic planning, research data, and leadership.

She was the 2011 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Pittsburgh’s former School of Information Sciences.

Tooey is the author or co-author of over 200 chapters, articles, presentations or posters. Her professional interests include leadership, emerging trends, library innovation and design, strategic planning, ethics, and mentoring.

She is devoted to her family and is an avid gardener,  enthusiastic traveler, and constant wine appreciator.