Lance has served as Executive Director for Kent District Library since 2011. He received a juris doctorate degree from Michigan State University’s College of Law and his master’s degree in Library Science from Wayne State University (WSU). This year, he was chosen as Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year, and in years past, he was the recipient of the Joey Rodger Leadership Award from the Urban Libraries Council, Librarian of the Year Award from the Michigan Library Association (MLA), the WSU Distinguished Alumni award, and Library Journal’s Mover and Shaker Award. Lance is currently involved in the ALA Policy Corps, WSU’s Capital Campaign, MLA’s Legislative committee, and is a fellow at Michigan Political Leadership Course. Lance was recently named as a candidate for the 2020-21 presidency of the American Library Association.