Linda Smith Griffin, LSU Libraries Head of Resource Description & Metadata Services, will receive the Distinction in Diversity award from the LSU Clarence L. Barney Jr. African American Cultural Center at its 26th Annual Clarence L. Barney Jr. African American Cultural Center Jazz Brunch on Feb. 23 at 10:30 a.m.

The Distinction in Diversity award is given to members of the LSU community that exemplify leadership and inclusive excellence through their significant and meaningful contributions to LSU and the communities they serve professionally, personally, and civically.

During her time at LSU, Linda Smith Griffin has been a significant part of programs and events that celebrate the African American Community across the University, including the Black Faculty and Staff Caucus and the Black Scholars Program, and as a faculty member of the LSU African American Studies program. Griffin received the 2018 Carolyn H. Hargrave Senior Leadership Award, the 2014 Louisiana Library Association Anthony H. Benoit Mid-Career Award, and was named a Harvard Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians, 2011 Fellow. Additionally, she has served on the LSU Admissions, Standards, and Honors (ASH) committee; been a faculty advisor for the MLK Commemorative Committee; and served as president of the Black Faculty and Staff Caucus at LSU.

"Linda Smith Griffin is an exemplary research librarian who has had an immeasurable impact on generations of LSU students, and for that matter on our entire community," says LSU Libraries Dean Stanley Wilder. "We are so proud of her, and delighted that she’s received this recognition."

Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson, the 25th Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, and Kim Hunter Reed, PhD, the ninth commissioner of higher education by the Louisiana Board of Regents, are also being presented the Distinction in Diversity award.

Tickets and sponsorships for the LSU Clarence L. Barney Jr. African American Cultural Center are available here.