Bradbury-Miller Recruits Executive Director of the Mid York Library System
December 20, 2024 – Executive search firm Bradbury-Miller Associates has assisted in the recruitment of Mandy Travis as the new executive director of the Mid York Library System in Utica, NY. Ms. Travis is an accomplished library professional with over two decades of experience in public library management and development. Most recently, she served as the director of the Northern Onondaga Public Library in Cicero, NY, where she oversaw a library district with three branches, 48 staff members, and a budget of $2.7 million. Her leadership emphasizes strategic planning, policy development, and staff growth, ensuring the libraries meet community needs.
Previously, Ms. Travis served as the coordinator for member services at the Onondaga County Public Library, where she supported 19 member libraries in areas such as organizational development, advocacy, and grant administration. She has also worked as a children’s and teen librarian, where she developed innovative programming and maintained collections that engaged young audiences.
Ms. Travis has contributed extensively to professional development within the New York Library Association and served on various committees, including as chair of the NYLA conference planning committee. Her work demonstrates a deep commitment to advancing libraries and fostering collaborative, forward-thinking environments.
The MidYork Library System is a non-profit cooperative library system chartered in 1960 by the board of regents of the University of the State of New York. The system’s mission is to improve and expand library service in the counties of Madison, Oneida and Herkimer.
Bradbury-Miller specializes in executive searches for the library sector. About 80 percent of the firm’s work is for public libraries, though it also conducts searches for state libraries, library networks or consortia and academic libraries. The firm was founded in 1983. The firm’s practice is national in scope and its library leadership searches read like a Who’s Who of this small, but important niche. The firm has completed director searches for the Westport (CT) and Carmel Clay (IN) libraries as well as public library directors in Denver, Pierce County (WA), New Haven (CT), Las Vegas-Clark County (NV), Sonoma County (CA), Wooster (MA), Boulder (CO), Mobile (AL), Baton Rouge (LA) and Berkeley (CA).
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Karen Miller, president, joined the firm in 2013 and consulted on 100+ searches prior to taking ownership of the firm in January of 2020. Prior to her consulting career, she served as associate director at Stark County (Ohio) District Library and performing as interim executive director for SCDL in 2012. Ms. Miller has over 20 years of wide-ranging public library experience, from rural library directorships to branch management to administrative responsibilities in a county district library and in an urban metro library.
Past Searches
Bradbury-Miller recently placed Adrianne Junius as the new director of Forsyth County Public Library. Ms. Junius was formerly the deputy director of the Hall County Library System. She has worked at HCLS for 16 years and served as youth services director for the system for over a decade before becoming deputy director in 2019. Prior to working at Hall County Library System, Ms. Junius worked for Clayton County Public Library System in Jonesboro, GA, and completed a professional internship with Baltimore County Library System in Maryland.
Executive Search in 2024: Challenges, Trends, and Hopes for a Hiring Resurgence in 2025
For many search firms in almost all industry segments, 2024 has been a tough year. There are many reasons for the recent downturn, and some firms have experienced a dip in revenues for even longer, according to Tim Tolan, founder, chairman, and managing partner of The Tolan Group. “Lots of changes are on the horizon for 2025 on the hiring front, and search firms are waiting with bated breath while hiring decisions are on hold, and draft fee agreements are (still) sitting in DocuSign waiting to be signed,” he said. “Decisions are dragging, as are active search engagements, as hiring managers and leaders struggle to make hiring decisions in the environment, we are all trying to navigate.”
In the Hunt Scanlon 2024 Executive Recruiting State of the Industry Report, the numbers reflected a double-digit downturn in demand for executive recruiting, with the private equity sector being the most affected. “We’ve seen and experienced that firsthand, but we feel positive changes are on the horizon,” Mr. Tolan said.
Ms. Junius has served in various leadership and committee roles for library organizations across the state, including vice chair and chair of the North Georgia Associated Libraries, representative for Northeast Georgia on the Youth Services State Quadrant Council, and chair for the Georgia Library Association’s Awards Committee. The Forsyth County Public Library (FCPL) is a consortium of four public libraries in Forsyth County, GA.
Bradbury-Miller also placed Darcell Graham as director of Montgomery County Public Libraries. With 25-years of professional library experience, Ms. Graham is a leader who is passionate about equitable access to information. She previously worked as the interim president and CEO, and as the vice president of public services for the Enoch Pratt Free Library and State Resource Center (MD). Her role at Pratt included the management of the library’s public facing services, staff, operational team as well as the oversight of strategic partnerships and public service initiatives.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
