The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL)—the world’s preeminent open-access digital repository for literature concerning biodiversity and natural history—has officially welcomed two distinguished leaders to newly created roles on the Executive Committee of the BHL Members’ Council. Amanda Boczar has assumed the mantle of BHL’s inaugural Strategic Development Officer, while Leora Siegel has stepped into the newly established position of Member-at-Large.
These high-profile appointments mark a critical turning point for the consortium. As BHL steps firmly into a new era characterized by complete independence and community-led global governance, the organization is actively scaling up its administrative infrastructure. The creation of these two roles, approved by BHL members in June 2026 and enacted provisionally in July pending final ratification at the 2027 BHL Annual Meeting, directly addresses the growing operational complexities of a distributed international network.
By integrating specialized expertise in financial oversight, external fundraising, strategic partnerships, and cross-institutional representation, BHL is methodically fortifying its institutional foundation. These strategic additions ensure that the library system can sustainably scale its operations, protect its priceless digital infrastructure, and continue providing free, global access to millions of pages of scientific literature for generations to come.
Detailed Chronology: A Transformative Era for Global Biodiversity Data
To understand the weight of these new appointments, one must examine the rapid, systemic evolution that the Biodiversity Heritage Library has undergone over the last several years. BHL’s journey from a collaborative pilot project to an independent global entity has required deliberate, institutional restructuring.
The Foundation of Independence
For much of its history, BHL relied heavily on centralized host institutions to anchor its administrative and operational workflows. However, the modern landscape of digital preservation and open-access science demands agile, distributed governance models capable of weathering shifting economic tides and administrative transitions.
In early 2026, a monumental transition took place when BHL established a new distributed operational model, simultaneously securing a new administrative home with the prestigious Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). This migration positioned BHL to operate as a fully independent, community-governed global consortium. Joining forces with new members—such as the University of South Florida (USF) Libraries, which also signed on as a strategic technical infrastructure partner in January 2026—signaled an era of aggressive expansion and modernization.
The Legislative Mandate of June 2026
Recognizing that this newfound independence required specialized administrative muscle, BHL members convened in June 2026 to evaluate the organization’s long-term trajectory. Discussions centered on the stark reality facing digital cultural heritage repositories worldwide: long-term survival is inextricably linked to robust financial sustainability, diversified revenue streams, and expansive strategic planning.
Consequently, the BHL Members approved the creation of two unprecedented leadership positions: the Strategic Development Officer and the Member-at-Large. Because BHL’s formal governance rules dictate that amendments to the bylaws can only be officially ratified during an Annual Meeting, these roles were established provisionally. They are scheduled for formal, statutory ratification at the upcoming 2027 BHL Annual Meeting.
Summer 2026: Populating the New Roles
By July 2026, the framework was officially operational, and the search concluded with the selection of Amanda Boczar and Leora Siegel. Their swift integration into the Executive Committee bridges vital gaps in development and representation, perfectly aligning with BHL’s drafting of its next comprehensive strategic plan.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Architecture of BHL’s Expansion
The necessity for specialized development and governance roles within BHL becomes starkly apparent when evaluating the scope of the consortium’s footprint and the modern challenges of digital curation.
The Scale of the Digital Commons
Operating across continents, BHL unites natural history and botanical libraries worldwide to digitize and make accessible the world’s biodiversity literature. Serving researchers, taxonomists, conservationists, and citizen scientists alike, the repository breaks down physical barriers to scientific data. However, maintaining petabytes of digitized texts, high-resolution imagery, and complex metadata requires significant, ongoing financial capital.
The transition to a distributed operational model with CLIR decentralized some administrative burdens while introducing new responsibilities for resource allocation and collaborative fundraising. The new Strategic Development Officer role directly targets this structural reality, ensuring that BHL is not merely surviving on baseline contributions, but actively pursuing grants, endowments, and philanthropic investments.
Broadening Participation Through the Member-at-Large
Equally vital to BHL’s evolution is how it governs its massive network of stakeholders. BHL is comprised of a tiered structure of Members and Affiliates. Historically, executive governance opportunities were tightly bound to full member institutions.
The creation of the Member-at-Large position shatters this glass ceiling by explicitly opening eligibility to staff from both BHL Member and Affiliate institutions. This structural shift democratizes the upper echelons of BHL leadership. It provides an accessible on-ramp for talented professionals from smaller or affiliate organizations to contribute to high-level strategic planning, gain invaluable executive governance experience, and potentially step into elected leadership pipelines in the future.
Profile: Amanda Boczar, Strategic Development Officer
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| AMANDA BOCZAR PROFILE |
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| Current Role: Associate Director of Digital Initiatives |
| Institution: University of South Florida (USF) Libraries |
| BHL Position: Inaugural Strategic Development Officer |
| Key Focus: Financial Oversight, Grants, Fundraising |
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As BHL’s first Strategic Development Officer, Amanda Boczar brings a wealth of administrative acumen and technical vision to the Executive Committee. In her day-to-day professional life, Boczar serves as the Associate Director of Digital Initiatives at the University of South Florida Libraries. Since USF joined BHL as both a member institution and a technical infrastructure partner in January 2026, Boczar has wasted no time embedding herself in the fabric of the community.
Beyond her new executive duties, Boczar is actively co-leading the Collection Development and Discovery strategic planning writing group alongside Emily Benton, Prairie Research Institute Librarian at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her dual experience in digital asset management and institutional strategy makes her uniquely qualified to spearhead BHL’s financial oversight and fundraising campaigns.
Vision and Motivation
Reflecting on her appointment, Boczar highlights the personal and professional synergy that drew her to the organization:
"I have been working with digital collections related to Florida’s environment and natural history since 2020 and have always looked to BHL as a model for global outreach and community," shares Boczar. "After USF joined BHL as both a member and a strategic partner for its technical infrastructure in January 2026, I knew I wanted to really dive in and make the most of the opportunity. It has been such a privilege to engage with the other members and affiliates, and I am very honored to have been selected for this new role to help sustain the organization for many more years to come."
In her new capacity, Boczar will work hand-in-hand with the BHL Secretariat and specialized committees to identify, evaluate, and aggressively pursue external grant opportunities and funding streams, insulating the consortium against economic volatility.
Leora Siegel’s appointment as the inaugural Member-at-Large introduces a seasoned voice of institutional leadership to the BHL Executive Committee. As the Senior Director of the Lenhardt Library at the Chicago Botanic Garden—a long-standing and deeply committed BHL Affiliate—Siegel represents the immense value that affiliate institutions bring to the global consortium.
Siegel is no stranger to the inner workings of BHL. In 2024, she successfully co-hosted the BHL Annual Meeting in Chicago, rolling out the welcome mat for international delegates and shaping a robust program focused on securing the future while celebrating the past. Furthermore, Siegel is lending her strategic insights to BHL’s ongoing future-proofing efforts as an active member of the Operational Sustainability writing group.
Expanding Governance Pathways
The Member-at-Large role is designed to be dynamically adaptive, offering high-level support across Executive Committee initiatives, executing special projects, and closing operational gaps wherever they emerge. Because it is open to both members and affiliates, Siegel’s appointment serves as a proof-of-concept for inclusive governance.
Reflecting on a decade of collaboration within the network, Siegel notes:
"Through collaborations with BHL colleagues over the past 10 years as an Affiliate member, and witnessing BHL’s amazing growth and development, I’m honored to serve on the Executive Committee and contribute as BHL becomes fully independent."
Her presence guarantees that the unique perspectives, operational challenges, and expertise of affiliate institutions will have a direct seat at the highest levels of decision-making.
Official Statements and Industry Perspectives
The structural expansion of the Executive Committee has drawn widespread praise from institutional leaders across the global library and archival science communities. Richard Wragg, Vice Chair of the BHL Executive Committee and Head of Library and Archives at the Natural History Museum in London, underscored the strategic importance of these appointments:
"We are delighted to welcome Amanda and Leora to the Executive Committee," stated Wragg. "Leora will be well known to many in the BHL community and, coming from an Affiliate institution, brings both extensive experience and new perspectives to the Committee. Amanda joins us with a wealth of ideas and previous successes in a role that is vital to BHL’s long-term sustainability."
Wragg emphasized that these structural additions complete the current phase of Executive Committee expansion, placing the consortium in an enviable position to tackle upcoming hurdles. "With the expansion of the Executive Committee complete, and the addition of two such capable colleagues, we are now well placed to secure a bright and stable future for BHL," he concluded.
Future Outlook: Securing a Sustainable Horizon for Open Biodiversity Knowledge
As the Biodiversity Heritage Library looks toward the remainder of 2026 and prepares for its landmark 2027 Annual Meeting—where Boczar and Siegel’s positions will face formal ratification—the organization stands as a beacon of international scientific collaboration.
The integration of a dedicated Strategic Development Officer guarantees that BHL is no longer merely reacting to financial landscapes, but proactively engineering its fiscal longevity through targeted grants, diversified donor relations, and innovative public-private partnerships. Simultaneously, the inclusion of a Member-at-Large opens organizational silos, inviting diverse talents from across the global library ecosystem to help steer the ship.
In an age where access to verified ecological data, historical biodiversity records, and botanical literature is more critical than ever to combat global environmental crises, the structural health of BHL is of paramount importance. By empowering leaders of the caliber of Amanda Boczar and Leora Siegel, the Biodiversity Heritage Library has ensured that its next chapter will be defined not just by the preservation of history, but by visionary, resilient, and inclusive leadership.
