Webcast Speakers
Imani Singleton
MLIS Student at SJSU and Library Clerk at Chaffey College
Imani Singleton is a library clerk at Chaffey College in California and a student in the fully online Master of Library and Information Science degree program to the SJSU School of Information. She is primarily studying cataloging and has an interest in learning best practices for incorporating DEI principles into metadata creation and maintenance.
Tina Fontenot
MLIS Student at SJSU and Reader at the Evergreen Branch, SJPL Children’s Department
Tina Fontenot is in her final year of the Master of Library and Information Science degree program at the SJSU School of Information. Fontenot is a first-generation college student whose interests include volunteering for the Girl Scouts of Northern California and serving as a reader at the Evergreen Branch of the San Jose Public Library’s children’s department. Some of the LIS organizations that she is involved in include BCALA, CLBC, YALSA, and ALSC. Fontenot is a passionate advocate for information accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Jian (Lily) Chen
Lecturer at North Carolina Central University Department of Nursing; WAVES Project Director
Jian (Lily) Chen is a nationally Certified Nurse Educator, passionate community organizer, mental health advocate, and mental health disparity researcher. She started her community work in the Chicago Chinese Community more than a decade ago, promoting public health especially in the underserved communities. She successfully coordinated multiple national and local programs including the UCA Youth Mental Health Collaborative WAVES (Wellness, Advocacy, Voices, Education, Support) since 2016 to promote Mental Health in AAPI communities.
Terry Park
Education and Narrative Change Program Officer, The Asian American Foundation
Dr. Terry K. Park (he/him) serves as TAAF’s Education and Narrative Change Program Officer. An award-winning educator, social justice advocate, and former performance artist, Park has over 20 years of experience at the transformative intersections of anti-racist education, social change storytelling, and media advocacy.
Kara (K. René) Price
Bridging Knowledge Scholar; MLIS Student at San Jose State University
Kara (K. René) Price (they/she/y’all, Mvskoke) is an Afro-Indigenous information professional living and working in the traditional homelands of the Wichita, Kiowa, Osage, and Sioux.
K. René graduated from the University of Kansas in August 2021 with a Master of Science in Digital Content Strategy. At KU, their work culminated in a portfolio focusing on U.S. digital foreign policy and diplomacy in the era of Big Data, namely in Indigenous data sovereignty, librarianship, and digital inclusion in Indian Country.
Vogue M. Robinson
Poet, Author, Mentor, Teaching Artist
Vogue M. Robinson – poet, author, mentor, and teaching artist – has an appreciation for human beings who put truth and heart into words. She served as poet laureate of Clark County, Nevada and is the first Black woman to receive the Silver Pen award from the Nevada Writers’ Hall of Fame. Her first poetry collection, Vogue 3:16 is available in both print and audiobook format. Robinson serves as a teaching artist within classrooms, community centers, nonprofits, retirement communities, and of course, inside your computer. Vogue resides in Las Vegas, NV, with her family.
Annie Pho
2022-2023 APALA President, Head of Instruction and Outreach at University of San Francisco Library
Annie Pho is the Head of Instruction and Outreach Department at the University of San Francisco Library. She has a Bachelor’s in Art History from San Francisco State University and a Master’s in Library Science from IUPUI. She is the co-editor of the book Pushing the Margins: Women of Color and Intersectionality in LIS, as well as the co-editor of the Critical Race and Multiculturalism Series for Library Juice Press. Her research interests include intersectionality and women of color in LIS, student research behavior, and feminist pedagogy in information literacy instruction.
Alanna Aiko Moore
APALA Executive Director, Head of Community Engagement and Inclusion, Librarian for Ethnic Studies at University of California, San Diego
Alanna Aiko Moore is the Head of Community Engagement and Inclusion and Librarian for Ethnic Studies at the University of California, San Diego where she manages diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging-related Library projects in collaboration with campus colleagues. Alanna is the Executive Director (and Past President) of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association.
Dawn Frood
Collection Development Librarian and Liaison Coordinator, Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Dawn Frood is the Collection Development Librarian and Liaison Coordinator for Florida Atlantic University Libraries. She has worked at FAU for 5 years. Dawn earned an M.L.I.S. from the University of South Florida in 2007 and an M.S. in Information Systems and Technology in 2017. She has held several leadership positions within the Palm Beach Library Association that include: Vice-President, President and Immediate Past President. She has also represented Academic Libraries on the PBCLA Board of Directors.
Homayoon “Amir” Abtahi
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Homayoon “Amir” Abtahi, is currently an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Florida Atlantic University. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from M.I.T. in 1981 and joined Florida Atlantic University in 1983. In addition to his academic activity, he has a wealth of practical experience, much of which has been obtained as a practicing design-build engineer installing solar energy systems.
Loida Garcia-Febo
SJSU iSchool Health and Wellness Ambassador
Loida Garcia-Febo is a Puerto Rican American librarian and International Library Consultant expert in library services to diverse populations and human rights. President of the American Library Association 2018-2019. Garcia-Febo is worldwide known for her passion about diversity, communities, sustainability, innovation and digital transformation, library workers, library advocacy, wellness for library workers, and new librarians about which she has taught in 44 countries.
Leah Plocharczyk
Director, MacArthur Campus Library
Leah Plocharczyk is a University Librarian and the Director of the MacArthur Campus Library where she oversees library operations. She has published articles and book chapters on subjects about managing conflict in libraries, literacy support for individuals with intellectual disabilities, creative library outreach, and library collaboration with marine mammal stranding networks. She is the co-author of the book, Libraries and Reading: Intellectual Disability and the Extent of Library Diversity. She is active in mentoring students and library outreach. Her areas are
Kristin M. Jacobi
Retired, J. Eugene Smith Library
Librarian Emeritus Kris Jacobi spent the last 26 years as a tenured library faculty member at Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, Connecticut. Kris was Head of the Cataloging Department and chief original cataloging librarian. During her tenure, she was elected President of the New England Library Association and elected as President of the campus AAUP (American Association of University Professors) Chapter.
Nick Buron
Chief Librarian, Queens Library
Nick Buron is the Chief Librarian for the Queens Library. He oversees all library services in the 66 Queens Library locations, including programming, outreach and collections. He has been with the Queens Library since 1993 when he started as a front line librarian. In 2016, he moved into his current position. Nick has direct and indirect supervision for over 700 employees. He assesses current needs and plans for the future service needs of the community.
Iryna Karnaukh
Chief Librarian, V. H. Korolenko State Scientific Library of Kharkiv
Iryna Karnaukh is a Ukrainian research librarian, network information analyst, youth worker, educator at the School of Library Journalism, tutor of distance learning courses for librarians, member of the Kharkiv Regional Branch of the Ukrainian Library Association.
She has more than 20 years of experience: worked in public libraries, the library of one private university, and the Kharkiv Educational Library. Since 2012, she has been working at V. H. Korolenko State Scientific Library of Kharkiv.
Natalia Petrenko
Director, V. H. Korolenko State Scientific Library of Kharkiv
Natalia Petrenko is the Director of V. H. Korolenko State Scientific Library of Kharkiv, Head of the Kharkiv Regional Branch of the Ukrainian Library Association, an all-Ukrainian public organization.
Research interests: automation of library and bibliographic processes, digitization of documents, history of librarianship, popularization of reading.
Harriet Wintermute
Chair of Acquisitions, Cataloging, Metadata, and E-Resources at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Harriet Wintermute received her MLIS from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2011. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in Special Collections (UIUC, 2011), and a Post Master’s Certificate in Digital Archives and Records Management (SJSU, 2014). Harriet has worked in cataloging/metadata at various academic libraries since 2009.
Dr. Blanche Woolls
Professor Emerita, San José State University
Blanche Woolls is a graduate of Indiana University where she holds a bachelors in fine arts and a masters and doctorate in library and information science. She began her professional career as a school librarian in Hammond, Indiana in a K-8 elementary school with 1,245 students. She was appointed the first coordinator of school libraries in that city and served for two years until she moved to Roswell, New Mexico as coordinator there.
Katie McNamara
Teacher Librarian, Director of Teacher Librarian Program, Fresno Pacific University
Katie McNamara serves as a teacher librarian at a public high school in California, director of the Teacher Librarian Program at Fresno Pacific University, and various EDU boards. She is a Google Certified Innovator and AASL Tech Troubadour. She served as president of the California School Library Association (2020-2021). Katie has authored contributing chapters and published many journal articles. She has won numerous awards for being innovative and sharing content.
Jonathan Hunt
Lead Coordinator of Library Media Services, San Diego County Office of Education
Jonathan Hunt has been Lead Coordinator of Library Media Services at the San Diego County Office of Education for the past ten years. In that role, he has provided coaching, technical assistance, and professional learning to forty-two local school districts. Prior to that role, Jonathan was in a variety of positions that allowed him to serve as a classroom teacher for grades 4-8 and as a teacher librarian for grades K-12. He also served for three years as the Vice President of Professional Development of the California School Library Association.