professional Bio
M.J. D’Elia is the CEO and Founder of Thirdway Think, Inc. - a small leadership development and consulting firm based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Before striking out on his own, MJ enjoyed a 20+ year career as an academic librarian. During his tenure at two different Canadian universities, he held responsibilities for operational management, strategic leadership and administration. He was regularly involved in shaping core conversations related to human resources planning, strategic priority setting, resource allocation, program assessment, and budget management.
In addition to his administrative roles, MJ has taught multiple courses, including Information Management, Entrepreneurship, New Product Development, and Leadership in Complex Environments. MJ is known for bringing his passion for entrepreneurial thinking into the library world. For example, he helped co-organize the first ever Library-themed Startup Weekend, bringing librarians, designers, developers and business minds together to pitch and prototype new library ideas in 54 hours.
MJ’s research interests include high performance teams, applied creativity, design thinking and business model design. He is an authorized partner for Everything DiSC, The Five Behaviours, and a certified facilitator for The Team Performance and Lego Serious Play. He has led sessions with organizations across the country, including University of Toronto Libraries, Association of Research Libraries, Seneca College, Niagara College, The Parliament Library, University of British Columbia Library, and Yale University Library.
- June 2024