Webcast Speakers
Dr. Stephanie Brasley
Dean of the University Library at California State University, Dominguez Hills
Dr. Stephanie Brasley has facilitated student engagement and success as Dean of the University Library at California State University, Dominguez Hills, in Carson, California for the past nine years. Previously, she served as Dean of Academic Affairs at Los Angeles Southwest College. Prior to that, she managed systemwide information literacy initiatives for the California State University system. She received her MLS and BA in Spanish Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her doctorate, from Brandman University, focused on organizational leadership.
Michael A. Crumpton
Professor and Dean of the University Libraries at University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Michael A. Crumpton, MLS, SHRM-SCP, is professor and dean of the University Libraries at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Crumpton oversees library operations and services with the team of librarians and staff. He is an affiliated faculty member for the Department of Library and Information Science, as well as a certified senior human resources professional. He is the editor of the Journal of Learning Spaces, an open access journal (libjournal.uncg.edu/jls) and a past-president of the North Carolina Library Association.
Elaina Norlin
Professional Development DEI Coordinator, ASERL
Elaina Norlin is the Professional Development DEI Coordinator for the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries. She is an accomplished teacher, technology and leadership development trainer, and writer with extensive leadership experience and a flair for public relations, organizational development, marketing and persuasion and communications. Author of two books, she has delivered over 70 workshops, training sessions, presentations, and institutes both nationally and internationally on marketing, web usability design, facilitation, strategic influence, and conflict management.
Dominique Dozier
Student Success Librarian, Santa Clara University
Dominique Dozier is the Student Success Librarian at Santa Clara University. In her role, she supports first generation, first year, and transfer students and student success programs on campus. In addition, she serves as the subject librarian to Women and Gender Studies, Ethnic Studies.
David Weisman
Filmmaker, Legislative Director, Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility
David Weisman (he/him) is an educational multimedia creator and documentarian specializing in urban poverty and reform in developing world nations. He produced a 28-part series on environmental science and technology sponsored by the National Science Foundation. He has completed two web-based oral histories, co-creating the CCQAP and the Texas Legacy Project (published by Texas A&M University Press). He is the legislative director of the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility focused on the decommissioning of the last remaining nuclear power plants in California.
Rowan Waters
Administrative Assistant, San Luis Obispo Museum of Art
Rowan Waters (she/her) moved to San Luis Obispo County after graduating from UC Merced with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and is currently building a career in arts nonprofit and museum administration and development. Rowan is passionate about art and history, and in her spare time, she currently runs a Dungeons and Dragons game and is serving on the 2023 San Luis Obispo Pride Festival Committee.
Steven Ruszczycky
Associate Professor, English, The California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
In addition to his work with the Central Coast Queer Archive Project, Steven Ruszczycky (he/him) teaches in the departments of English and Women’s, Gender, and Queer Studies at Cal Poly, SLO, where he offers courses in LGBT literature and media, sexuality studies, queer theory, and queer oral history. He is also an active researcher, and his first monograph, Vulgar Genres: Gay Pornographic Writing and Contemporary Fiction, was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2022.
Mia Steinberg
Records Management Analyst, Collabware
Mia Steinberg (she/her) has been a records management analyst with Collabware since 2019. She is a graduate of UBC’s Masters of Archival Studies program, where she received the Harold Naugler Memorial Prize for Digital Preservation Research. Mia lives in Vancouver with her wife and two cats.
Mario Ascencio
A first-generation library user, advocate and nationally recognized leader among library professionals, Mario A. Ascencio is the college librarian and managing director of the library at ArtCenter College of Design.
Gina Schlesselman-Tarango, MSS, MLIS
Gina Schlesselman-Tarango (she/her) is a Librarian and Associate Professor at Des Moines University where she is responsible for teaching and research services and coordinates a graduate peer associate program. Her research interests include gender and race in librarianship, critical library pedagogy, and information labor as it relates to reproductive health. She lives in Iowa with her partner, child, cats, and chickens.
Dr. Lesley Farmer
Professor, California State University (CSU) Long Beach
Dr. Lesley Farmer, Professor at California State University (CSU) Long Beach, coordinates the Teacher Librarianship program, and was named as the university’s Outstanding Professor. She also manages the CSU ICT Literacy Project. She earned her M.S. in Library Science at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and received her doctorate in Adult Education from Temple University.
José Aguiñaga
Assistant Professor at San José State University School of Information
José Aguiñaga studies the intersection of reference services; organizational culture; and equity, diversity, and inclusion. What prepared Aguiñaga to join the iSchool at SJSU was his breadth of experiences on his lifelong learning pathway.
Roma Calatayud-Stocks
Author and Composer
Roma Calatayud-Stocks, an award-winning author and composer, holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Minnesota. Roma is the author of three historical novels: A Song in My Heart, A Symphony of Rivals, and An Unveiling Light of Beauty (Published expected date 2023). Roma’s stories highlight the contributions of many cultures through the arts while addressing poignant issues, politics of the era, and historical figures.
Dr. Michele A. L. Villagran
Associate Professor at San José State University School of Information
Dr. Michele A. L. Villagran is an associate professor with San José State University School of Information. She also serves as CEO of CulturalCo, LLC consulting in areas of cultural competency, diversity & inclusion, and emotional intelligence. Villagran earned her Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership, her Masters of Dispute Resolution, and a Certificate of Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University. At the University of North Texas, Dr. Villagran completed her MLS in Legal Informatics and her MBA in Strategic Management.
Francisco Jiménez
Professor Emeritus in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Santa Clara University
Author and educator Francisco Jiménez emigrated from Tlaquepaque, Mexico to California, working alongside his parents as a child in the fields of California.
Dr. Romelia Salinas
Dean of Library and Learning Resources, Mt. San Antonio College
Dr. Romelia Salinas serves as the dean of library and learning resources at Mt. San Antonio College in Los Angeles California. She is also the 2022-2023 national president of REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish speaking.
Kassian Rye Lemke-Elznic
Library Specialist with the Papillion Public Library’s Digital Library and Project Assistant at the University of Nebraska’s Archives and Special Collections
Kassian Rye Lemke-Elznic (he/they) is a recent graduate of the University of Kentucky’s MLS program. As the current library specialist with the Papillion Public Library’s Digital Library and project assistant at the University of Nebraska’s Archives and Special Collections, they are interested in queer community archives and libraries, the civic responsibility of libraries and collections, and the intersection of gender and labor.
Melinda Borie
Collection Development Librarian at Floyd County Library in Indiana
Melinda Borie has been working in public libraries throughout Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, after obtaining her MSLS in 2015 from the University of Kentucky. She is currently the collection development librarian at Floyd County Library in Indiana, specializing in adult collections. Starting July 1, 2023, Melinda will be part of the Public Library Association’s Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice. Melinda is currently a member of the ALA Rainbow Round Table.
Elizabeth Batte
Director of the Ellender Memorial Library and the Open Education Resource Coordinator for the Nicholls State University
Elizabeth Batte (they/she) is the director of the Ellender Memorial Library and the Open Education Resource Coordinator for the Nicholls State University. They are an active member in library services within Louisiana, serving as president of Louisiana’s ARCL chapter, assistant editor for the ACRL-LA open access peer-reviewed journal CODEX, and columns editor for the Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education.