Title: Dean
Company: University of New Mexico
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Mark Emmons, EdD, Dean at the University of New Mexico, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements and leadership in Academic Libraries.
Dr. Emmons has established a distinguished career spanning four decades in academic libraries, leadership and instruction, earning recognition as an expert in these fields. As the dean at the University of New Mexico since 2025, Dr. Emmons oversees all administrative aspects of the university’s library system. His responsibilities include collaborating with human resources, finance, facilities, communications and information technology departments.
Dr. Emmons works closely with leadership teams to guide strategic planning and manages higher-level operations of the libraries. Additionally, he supervises the University of New Mexico Press and administers a credit course program in organization, information and learning sciences, which produces learning officers and instructional designers at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. Moreover, Dr. Emmons ensures that spaces and collections are available for student and faculty research and learning while partnering in academic endeavors across campus.
Before his current role, Dr. Emmons served as an associate dean for administration and organizational strategy at the University of New Mexico from 2024 to 2025. In this capacity, he played a pivotal role in shaping organizational direction and administrative processes. Between 2021 and 2023, he served as the associate dean of education and engagement, focusing on advancing educational initiatives and fostering student and faculty engagement.
In 2021, Dr. Emmons served as the interim dean at the University of New Mexico, guiding the institution through a period of transition while maintaining operational stability. Between 2014 and 2021, he contributed as a professor at the university, sharing his expertise with students and colleagues alike. Dr. Emmons also served as associate dean in 2020, following his tenure as associate dean of public services from 2015 to 2020. In these roles, he was instrumental in enhancing public service offerings within the library system.
A career history at the University of New Mexico dating back to 1999, Dr. Emmons held various progressive leadership positions, including director of instruction and assessment and coordinator of information literacy and instruction services. As a coordinator, he successfully developed comprehensive information literacy programs that have had a lasting impact on student learning outcomes. These initiatives were built from the ground up under his leadership as a middle manager and have continued to thrive even as leadership transitioned.
Dr. Emmons began his tenure on campus as an assistant professor in 1999. He was then promoted to adjunct professor in educational media and library science from 2009 to 2010, where he continued to impact future professionals in the field.
Before joining the University of New Mexico, Dr. Emmons held key positions at Occidental College in Los Angeles. From 1994 to 1998, he was instruction and information services coordinator and humanities librarian, following his service as arts and humanities librarian from 1990 to 1994. His early professional experience includes working as a bilingual teacher and substitute teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District between 1985 and 1988.
Dr. Emmons’s academic background began with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies in 1983 and a master’s degree in library science in 1990 from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Years later, he returned to college and earned a Doctor of Educational Leadership from the University of New Mexico in 2012.
Active professionally and civically, Dr. Emmons is affiliated with several organizations, such as the New Mexico Library Association, the American Library Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries, the New Mexico Academic and Research Librarians, and the California Academic and Research Libraries. He is also affiliated with the UCLA Alumni Association, the UCLA Alumni Band and the University of New Mexico Alumni Association.
Throughout his career, Dr. Emmons has been recognized for excellence in librarianship, including being named Academic Librarian of the Year by the New Mexico Consortium of Academic Libraries in 2025. He attributes his achievements to persistence, a servant leadership philosophy centered on supporting colleagues and student success, and formative educational experiences at UCLA. Looking ahead, Dr. Emmons intends to develop a comprehensive artificial intelligence strategy for the University of New Mexico campus, advance transformation initiatives for library spaces and ensure these priorities are maintained by future leaders while keeping student success central to the library’s strategic plan.
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