Ashley Jellison, Laura Kaspari Hohmann and Sheila Weir Named Winners of the 2026 RUSA Federal Achievement Award
“Receiving the Federal Achievement Award is an honor that reflects our core mission at the Bateman Library: to ignite innovation, foster lifelong education, and serve as a resilient foundation for our active duty military and their families. By championing initiatives like our Innovation Lab, we strive to provide those who serve our country with more than just information – we provide a space for discovery and community. This recognition also belongs to my incredible team – Gary Rucker, Lana Simmons, Susan Perkins, Eva Blankenship, and Melissa Young – whose collective dedication ensures that our library remains a vital pillar of support for the Joint Base Langley-Eustis family.” – Ashley Jellison
“I am deeply honored to receive the RUSA Federal Achievement Award. For the past twenty years, I have represented the United States through the American Spaces program, using libraries as platforms to share America’s story with global audiences. These spaces are centers for learning, dialogue, and connection. Working with partners around the world, I have seen how access to information and library programs empower individuals to build knowledge, develop skills, and engage more fully in their communities. It has been a privilege to collaborate with colleagues and audiences internationally.” Laura Kaspari Hohmann
“I could not have imagined a more dynamic career! I am fortunate to have spent twenty years working with hundreds (perhaps, thousands) of amazing, dedicated colleagues and partners all over the world who inspired me and kept me constantly learning and adapting. If there is anything I have learned is that person to person connection is key to our everyday diplomacy and in the U.S. and abroad, libraries and other community services and programs are key to keeping communities strong.” – Sheila Weir
Award Committee Statements:
“FAFLIG proudly congratulates Ashley Jellison as a 2026 RUSA Federal Achievement Award recipient. Ashley’s dedication to federal library services and her innovative approach to serving the armed forces community exemplify the excellence this award honors. FAFLIG celebrates her contributions and looks forward to the continued impact she will bring to our community..” – Award Committee statement
“FAFLIG proudly congratulates Laura Kaspari Hohmann and Sheila Weir as 2026 RUSA Federal Achievement Award recipients. Their twenty years of dedication to expanding library access and cross-cultural connection through the U.S. Department of State’s American Spaces program exemplify the excellence this award honors. FAFLIG celebrates their remarkable contributions to federal librarianship worldwide.” – Award Committee Statement
Ashley Jellison’ projects, leadership, and services:
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Ashley Jellison is currently Library Director of the Bateman Library at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia. She began her library career in 2010 at Hampton Public Library while completing her BA in Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington, then worked at public libraries in Portsmouth and York County before earning her MS in Library and Information Science from Simmons University in 2016 as a Spectrum Scholar. She joined Bateman Library as a Senior Library Technician in 2018 before taking her current role as Director in 2022. Since then, she has driven an 84% increase in foot traffic and a 700% increase in programming, and secured over $255,000 in competitive grant funding, including a $200,000 Spark Tank award to build a state-of-the-art Innovation Lab — a facility credited with contributing to Langley AFB’s 2025 CINC Installation Excellence Award. She was named the 2025 Civilian of the Year for the 633d Force Support Squadron.
Laura Kaspari Hohmann’s projects, leadership, and services:
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Laura Kaspari Hohmann is currently a Regional Public Engagement Specialist in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and will be retiring from the State Department at the end of April 2026. She earned her Master of Library and Information Services from the University of Denver in 2000 and worked as a reference and instruction librarian in Colorado before serving as Library Director at Northern Marianas College in Saipan. She joined the U.S. State Department in 2006 as an Information Resource Officer, with assignments in Warsaw and Rome, before moving to Washington where she helped establish the Office of American Spaces in 2011. She subsequently served as Regional Public Engagement Specialist in Mexico City, Brasilia, and Vienna, developing partnerships across more than two dozen countries in Europe and Latin America.
Sheila Weir’s projects, leadership, and services:
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Sheila Weir served as a U.S. Diplomat with the Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). She held assignments in Frankfurt, Nairobi,Tokyo, Bogota, Washington D.C. and most recently Mexico City. As a Regional Public Engagement Specialist she worked collaboratively with dozens of U.S. Missions and international counterparts to strengthen cross-cultural connections through the American Spaces program and provided critical training to local partners. In addition, she led several U.S. Embassy initiatives and conferences such as Urban Regeneration and Civic Engagement, Emerging Health Communications to bring together international audiences to engage with, and benefit from, U.S. expertise.
While posted in Washington D.C. she held various roles, serving as Deputy Director of the Office of American Spaces, overseeing a $15 million budget and policy guidance for the global network spanning140 countries; Strategic Advisor in the Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs to create Social Media and Digital Diplomacy policies; and Public Affairs Officer in the Office of Global Health Diplomacy.
Earning her MLIS from the University of British Columbia in1998, she gravitated toward special libraries and worked with the King County Hazardous Waste Library, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and as a Digital Librarian at PATH before joining the Department of State in 2006. But her interest in the profession was sealed many years before spending summers while working in the Madeline Island Public Library and then at the Rock Valley Community College Library (https://rockvalleycollege.edu/news/Sheila-Weirs-Journey-from-RVC-to-the-U-S-Department-of-State).
Together, Sheila and Laura helped build the operational frameworks that now support nearly 20 million annual program attendees through the U.S. Department of State’s global network of American Spaces.
Elan Birkeland is FAFLIG’s representative on the RUSA Achievement Awards and Grants Committee.