PASCAL will hold an election May 19-30, 2025 for five open seats on the Board of Directors. The board seats will be filled based on the process outlined in the bylaws. The Board’s Nominating and Elections Committee oversees the election process.
The PASCAL Board of Directors is the governing and policy-making body that oversees PASCAL programs, finances and staff.
Open board seats include:
* Fills the remainder of a vacant seat.
The election will be conducted online between May 19-30, 2025. Per the PASCAL bylaws, all member libraries vote for every seat. Library Directors or their designated representative for PASCAL will vote.
The Board’s Nominations & Elections Committee oversees the election process. The committee is made up of Chris Cox, Chair, (Clemson University), Reid Austin (Newberry College), and Lishu Yin (South Carolina Commission on Higher Education). The Committee's Ex Officio member will verify the results of the election.
The slate of candidates for each seat is available below. A link to the online ballot will be emailed to all Library Deans/Directors on May 19, 2025.
Carla Cranford McMahan has been the Dean of Libraries at North Greenville University since 2015 and the Director of Hester Memorial Library since 2010. Holding the rank of professor, Dean McMahan has been an integral part of the library's evolution. She initially joined Hester Memorial Library as the Technical Services Librarian in 1998, before stepping into the directorship in 2010. She actively contributes to the broader academic community through her involvement with PASCAL. She has been a member of PASCAL's Ebook Collection Committee since 2021 and currently serves on PASCAL's Impact and Advocacy Task Force. Leading the library at a small, independent academic institution, Dean McMahan recognizes the importance of the PASCAL partnership and is committed to supporting it through dedicated service.
Laurel Whisler is in her third year as director of Edens Library, at Columbia College, where she is leading the initiative towards increased learner focus by shifting the model into a learning commons that integrates student success services. Within PASCAL, Laurel previously served as Assistant Director and Research Librarian at Southern Wesleyan University and Music Librarian at Furman University. She has also served as Associate Dean of the Library Learning Commons at Bristol Community College (MA), Assistant Director of the Academic Success Center at Clemson University, College Librarian at Cornell College (IA), and Reference and Instruction Librarian at Hanover College (IN). Laurel currently serves on the 2025 PASCAL Conference Programming Committee.
Melvin Davis, PhD: Dr. Davis has been University Librarian at Coastal Carolina University since 2017. Prior to this appointment he served as Dean of Library and Educational Technology at University of North Alabama for 7 years. Dr. Davis has over 20 years experience in academic libraries. Before tackling library administration Dr. Davis held various library roles overseeing budgets and electronic resources and he also has a background in public services. Dr. Davis has a varied background working with statewide systems and consortia. He spent 4 years as an Electronic Resources Consultant for the Florida College System and, while in Alabama, served on the Alabama Virtual Library Council. Since November 2024 Dr. Davis has served on the PASCAL Board of Directors in a temporary capacity.
*Two-year term to fill vacant seat
I would be honored to serve on the PASCAL Board of Directors in the role of public institution at-large. I have 30 years of experience in library management, leadership, collections, outreach to diverse audiences, grant writing, scholarly communication, and reference and instructional services. I also have approximately 10 years of experience as a consortium leader. Prior to joining USC Upstate, I served as executive director of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL), an academic library consortium headquartered in Toronto, Canada, from 2015 to 2021. During this time, I had broad oversight of OCUL's Alma/Primo implementation. I also served as assistant director for the Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium (PALCI) from 2007 to 2011. In addition, I have worked as a scholarly communications librarian at the University of Pittsburgh; head of collection development at Gettysburg College and the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA); and as a branch manager and reference and instruction librarian at UTSA. I am a native of North Carolina and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Writing and Editing, from East Carolina University, and a Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Katie Miller has been the Library Director at Aiken Technical College for almost 16 years. She has served on the board for PASCAL for the last 3 years and is currently a member of the Program Steering Committee. She has also served on the Affordable Learning Committee and the Common Collections Committee for PASCAL. She was a member of the Affordable Learning Task Force from its inception and attended the OEN Summer Summit with PASCAL. She has also volunteered with the OpenEd conference. She is a winner of the A Wade Martin Innovation Award, given by the SC State Technical College system each year, for her work with OER and bringing different materials into the collection to help students with different learning styles. She was also heavily involved in the recent renovation of her library into a Learning Commons, including reducing the print collection by 45%.
I’m Ron Stafford, Head Librarian at Northeastern Technical College, where I’ve had the privilege of leading our transformation into a truly modern, student-centered learning resource center. I’m passionate about digital equity, Open Educational Resources (OER), and making sure every student, especially in rural communities, has access to the tools they need to succeed. Over the years, I’ve presented at more than 30 national and regional conferences, sharing insights on everything from library innovation to workforce-aligned virtual training. I currently serve on the PASCAL Engagement and Innovation Committee and am proud to be the Chair-Elect of the Affordable Learning Committee, where I help shape statewide strategy for reducing textbook costs and expanding access to OER. I bring a collaborative, forward-thinking approach to everything I do, whether that’s building faculty partnerships, launching new tech initiatives, or advocating for inclusive, affordable learning. At NETC, I’ve worked hard to align the library with academic and workforce goals, and I’m always looking for new ways to lead, serve, and make a difference.
Heather Heckman is Associate Dean for Information Resources and Technologies at the University of South Carolina (USC) Libraries. She leads the Acquisitions, Cataloging, Collections Strategy & Management, Digital Research Services & Collections, and Library & Information Technology units. Activities of these departments include determining how USC’s multi-million-dollar materials budget will be allocated, and supporting research data, scholarly communications and open access. She previously served as Director of Moving Image Research Collections at USC-Columbia. Dr. Heckman holds a PhD and MA in Film Studies and an MA in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
