Ericka J. Patillo, PhD, MSLS, has been a library leader in the higher education arena for more than 20 years. She has been a music librarian; a public services manager; a senior level administrator; and a teacher, adviser, and researcher. She is Professor of Practice and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA. She honors her ancestors and their ways of knowing while working to co-create an academic library culture that is inclusive, collaborative, and authentic.