IWU OCLS Blog

Lisa Hayes OCLS Team Spotlight

October OCLS Team Spotlight

Lisa Hayes - OCLS Librarian

Lisa is the OCLS Librarian based at the IWU Cincinnati Education Center and has been with OCLS for twelve years.  

Lisa grew up in Yorktown, Indiana, just down the road from the main campus of Indiana Wesleyan University. She holds a BA in Political Science from and a Masters in Library Science both from IU.

Lisa served in the Peace Corps in Malawi from 1989 to 1991 as a reference librarian at a Ministry of Agriculture research station. One of the highlights was when Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, visited the library.  

Before coming to IWU, Lisa was a law librarian in top law firms in Indianapolis and Louisville.

She now lives in rural Brown County, Ohio, with her three cats. She has a son Patrick who is 26, and a daughter Bethany, who is 24. She attends Community Christian Church in Bethel, Ohio, which recently made national news for its Black Lives Matter protest and confrontation with bikers.   

Lisa has written a novel with two more in the works.

Lisa loves books! She reviews books on her blog and for The Christian Librarian. She also collects books on the British Royal Family, the British aristocracy, the Churchill family, and the Roosevelt family. No wonder the visit from Princess Anne was a highlight! 

Lisa is back in school here at IWU to earn a graduate certification in Coaching. She commented that she wants to earn this certificate to help students who are struggling. 

When Lisa isn't working, reading, or writing, she dedicates her time to a cause that she is passionate about, Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse. 

"I am PASSIONATE about Operation Christmas Child!"

She has volunteered at the Boone, NC, Processing Center, and does pencil and school supply packs for The Pencil Granny and Friends Facebook Group. All the packs go to the processing centers for under-filled shoeboxes.

"I LOVE doing all of this."

You can support Lisa with her ministry by paying shipping costs for the boxes. Visit the Follow Your Box Labels page. Select the number of Shoeboxes and checkout. Put in your name and address, but use this email, Hopewellmomschool@yahoo.com. Lisa will get the confirmation email and forward it to you so that you have a receipt.  

Comments from the OCLS Team: 

Lisa has such a huge heart for our students, especially those who are veterans and current military, and virtually bends over backwards to help them succeed.

I appreciate Lisa’s compassion for our students. She has a big heart.

Lisa cares deeply for first-generation, veteran, and other students who need assistance. I admire her dedication to and compassion for these individuals (and their families). Lisa goes out of her way to support and encourage them to reach their potential and change their worlds.

Lisa is a “bulldog researcher” and has a real knack for finding trustworthy answers to obscure and challenging questions. She is our resident legal expert and corporate researcher. Lisa’s insights into government sources, white papers, and other resources are essential to OCLS serving graduate and doctoral students.

Lisa is passionate about Operation Christmas Child, and it is incredible to see her heart as she works year-round on this project. 

Lisa can see problems differently. This is a phenomenal skill set she has, and it has been invaluable to OCLS! She has been able to open up our team to new ideas and save us time and other resources. She is often the person who spots the way out of a problem, and she has been known to point out a solution that is staring us all right in the face.

Lisa has a tremendous heart for helping first-generation college students.  It’s fantastic to see her work one-on-one with students and encourage them to succeed.

Lisa is always looking for innovative ways to connect with our students, who are veterans.  She connects on a personal level and helps these students as they transition from military to civilian life, not just in school but also in life.