Carla Hayden, Ph.D.
A lifelong advocate for literacy and public service, Carla Hayden, Ph.D., champions the power of libraries as spaces for connection, opportunity, education, and transformation. She is the former Librarian of Congress, served as president of the American Library Association, and led the Enoch Pratt Free Library as CEO for more than two decades. In that role, she built the Pratt Library into a national model for community-based services, technology access, and educational equity. Under her leadership, Pratt branches also became known as safe spaces, including during the Baltimore uprising in 2015 when Hayden kept the Pennsylvania Avenue location open for the community.
Hayden made history in 2016 when she was sworn in as the 14th Librarian of Congress—the first woman and first African American to lead the nation’s library. She reimagined the Library of Congress as a dynamic, inclusive institution that connects all Americans to knowledge, creativity, and history. Her leadership has focused on access, equity, and storytelling. In 2021, Hayden’s tenure at the Library of Congress ended abruptly in June 2025. Today, Hayden—who is a recipient of Loyola’s prestigious Andrew White Medal—is a senior fellow for the Mellon Foundation and continues to pursue scholarship, writing, and research.
The convocation will also be live-streamed via YouTube, and closed captioning will be provided.
Persons with disabilities who may require special services should contact the Office of Disability and Accessibility Services at 410-617-2062 (TDD) or 410-617-2141 at least 48 hours before the event.
For more information, please call 410-617-2082 or write to OfficeOfTheCEIO@loyola.edu.
About the Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation
A Peace & Justice Bunting Speaker Series, this event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is encouraged.
The Martin Luther King, Jr., Convocation, celebrating its 33rd year, is an occasion for Loyola and the Baltimore community to launch the spring semester and the New Year by coming together for shared inquiry into the issues of social justice, politics, spirituality, and the legacies of race and racial justice in America.
The convocation is co-sponsored by the Office of the President, Office of Equity and Inclusion, Office of Peace & Justice, the Karson Institute for Race, Peace, & Social Justice, Messina, and the African and African American Studies Program.