Leslie Sharp

Leslie N. Sharp became Dean of Libraries on July 1, 2020. Previously, she served in dual roles as interim chief executive officer for the Library and associate vice provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development.

As associate vice provost, Sharp managed operations across the organization, including communications, human resources, finance, and general administration. She also oversaw an expanding organizational mission and operations, including growing personnel and services that offered enhanced graduate student support, professional development for graduate students and postdocs, postdoctoral services, and more intentional faculty development. Additionally, she authored new procedures for the Regents Professor and Researcher processes, resulting in more representative and inclusive practices for nomination, selection, and reappointment, and helped put in place a transparent and consistent promotion path for lecturers and academic professionals, which included adding a principal level to both.

As Dean of Libraries, Dr. Sharp will continue work on her priorities for the Library. These include:

• Providing ethical and compassionate leadership to create a positive and highly productive environment where everyone has an opportunity to thrive;
• Building an inclusive and diverse atmosphere within the Library where the contributions of people of all backgrounds are valued;
• Further integrating the Library with the academic and research mission of the Institute;
• Pursuing opportunities for diversified support through leveraging campus resources, corporate partnerships, and consortia agreements;
• Embracing Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons as an integral part of the Library and its vision and collaborating with Undergraduate Education on a shared vision for Clough; and
• Investing in the digital technological infrastructure of the Library.

Dean Sharp teaches historic preservation in the College of Design, where she formerly served as the assistant dean of Academic Affairs and Outreach. She holds a Ph.D. in history and sociology of technology and science and a master's in history of technology from Tech. Her research explores the impact of technology on people and places within the framework of historic preservation, gender, and race.

Leslie came to Tech from Middle Tennessee State University, where she held a joint appointment as an associate research professor for the Center for Historic Preservation and History Department. Sharp earned her bachelor's in history from the University of Georgia and her master's in history with an emphasis in historic preservation from Middle Tennessee State University.