Amanda Standerfer founded Standerfer Consulting in 2002 to spread her passion for individual and organizational development and systems thinking. Amanda has worked to transform nonprofits, libraries, and small businesses into dynamic, strategically-focused organizations able to achieve significant community impact. She works with clients to embed learning organization principles for sustained change.  In 2018, Amanda founded Fast Forward Libraries as the home for her library consulting work.

Amanda is a frequent presenter at nonprofit, library, and philanthropy conferences and workshops, as well as a guest speaker for library science and business/management courses.  In addition, she has taught courses at both Lake Land Community College (history) and Millikin University (team dynamics).

Amanda has twice served on the Board of the Illinois Library Association (ILA).  She recently completed a term as President of the American Library Association’s LearnRT.  She has also served in volunteer leadership positions with The Little Theatre On The Square and the Mattoon Arts Council. Amanda strongly believes in leadership development and was selected as a member of the first class of Synergy: The Illinois Library Leadership Initiative and one of only three librarians ever selected for participation in Leadership Illinois.

Outside of her consulting work, Amanda most recently served as the Director of Community Engagement at the Urbana Free Library. She has also worked for the Lumpkin Family Foundation, Decatur (Illinois) Public Library, the Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation, and the Effingham (Illinois) Public Library.

Amanda holds a B.A. and an M.A. in history from Eastern Illinois University and an M.S. in library and information science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.