Webcast Speakers
Andrew Ysasi
Vice President of Advocacy for VRC
Andrew Ysasi (EE-SA-SEE), MS, FIP, FIIM, CIPM, CIPP, CISM, PMP, CRM, IGP, CIP has 25 years of experience in executive leadership, technology, privacy, security, and information governance. As Vice President of Advocacy for VRC, Ysasi is tasked with mentoring, educating, volunteering, and advocating for all matters related to information governance (IG). Ysasi is the President of IG GURU®, an IG news organization and a resume expert with Admovio® where his work is published on CIO.com.
Daphne Wood
Director of Library Services, Planning and Engagement at Greater Victoria Public Library on Vancouver Island, Canada
Daphne Wood is the director of library services, planning and engagement at Greater Victoria Public Library on Vancouver Island, Canada. Prior to this position, she was director of planning and development at the Vancouver Public Library, where she oversaw operations at five library branches, policy and planning functions, and the library’s marketing and communications initiatives. Infrastructure planning is an area of professional interest and expertise.
Mary Nino
Former Associate Dean of the SJSU King Library
Mary Nino is the former associate dean of the San José State University Martin Luther King Jr. Library. A San José State University School of Information alumna, who has also been a member of the school’s International Advisory Council and Leadership and Management Program Advisory committees, she continues to provide library advice and recommendations to the school.
Jean L. Willis
Assistant Director for Support Services, Sacramento County Public Law Library
Jean L. Willis is the assistant director for support services for the Sacramento County Public Law Library in California. In her role, she collaborates with the director on managing the Public Law Library with a staff of 20 and annual budget of over $2 million.
Karen Trivette
Associate Professor/Head of Special Collections & College Archives Fashion Institute of Technology–SUNY
Associate Professor Karen Trivette is Head of Special Collections and College Archives, Gladys Marcus Library, Fashion Institute of Technology-State University of New York; she is the first incumbent to hold this position and has served in this role since 2008. She holds an MLS with a concentration in Archives and Records Management, University at Albany (NY) and a BA in Art History, UNC-Chapel Hill (NC). She served the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. as President 2017-2018 and has presented at many conferences, most recently in Oslo, Norway (June 2019).
Max Macias
Part-time Instructional Librarian at Portland Community College
Max Macias is an independent librarian who teaches information literacy part time for Portland Community College. He grew up in San Jose, CA, but has lived in the Northwest since 1992. Macias’ love of fiction, philosophy, art and ideas led to him becoming a librarian after working in libraries for more than 20 years as a technician. His intellectual interests include Information and Hip-Hop, Whiteness in Education, Racism in the US, Colonialism, Cannabis Resources for Librarians and Education and Policy Analysis.
Twanna Hodge
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Librarian, University of Florida, George A. Smathers Libraries
Twanna Hodge graduated from the University of Washington in 2015 with her master’s degree in library and information science. She is currently the co-chair of the National Conference of African American Librarians XI Conference Programming Committee, co-chair of the ACRL 2021 Scholarships Committee, and more. Her research interests are diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility issues and efforts in the LIS curriculum and workplace, library residencies and fellowships, cultural humility in librarianship, and the retention of minority library staff in librarianship.
Mimosa Shah
Adult Program Coordinator, Skokie Public Library
Mimosa Shah develops, manages, and evaluates informal learning opportunities for adults at Skokie Public Library. She works in collaboration with colleagues across departments to provide a robust slate of events geared toward cultivating curiosity and growth. Her interests include digital and media literacy, photography, zinemaking and paper arts, and space-making for and with underrepresented communities.
Pamela Espinosa de los Monteros
Assistant Professor, Latin American Studies Librarian University Libraries, The Ohio State University
Pamela Espinosa de los Monteros is an Assistant Professor and Latin American Area Studies Librarian at The Ohio State University (OSU). As a bilingual/bicultural information professional, she has supported international research initiatives, developed award-winning educational curriculum, and served as senior project manager in corporate, private, and higher education settings in the United States and Mexico. She has more than 15 years of experience developing leadership and educational programs that promote global citizenship and intercultural exchange.
Yago Cura
President, REFORMA/LA & Bilingual Outreach Librarian, Los Angeles Public Library
Yago S. Cura is a Bilingual Outreach Librarian with the Los Angeles Public Library and President of the Los Angeles Chapter of REFORMA (www.reformala.org). Cura runs HINCHAS Press, which publishes the Librarians with Spines series, with the help of Max Macias and Autumn Anglin, and the online literary journal, Hinchas de Poesia (www.hinchasdepoesia.com), with the help of Jim Heavily and Jennifer Therieau.
Dr. Ana Ndumu
Assistant Professor, UMD College of Information
Dr. Ana Ndumu is an Assistant Professor at the UMD College of Information. Her research and teaching center on libraries and immigrants and achieving racial realism and representation in LIS. Her forthcoming edited book is entitled, Borders and Belonging: Critical Examinations of Library Approaches Toward Immigrants.
Jamie Lin, MLIS
Jamie Lin is a librarian, educator, and designer living in Southern California. She’s a 2014 graduate of the San José State University School of Information, and has worked as a corporate researcher, as well as an instructional designer in online higher education.
Kiera Vargas
Kiera Vargas is an educator who realizes that one of the key components in life is to love. This same key component is needed to educate children. Within this profession, educators, parents, and stakeholders must realize that this is one of the secrets to improving so many things in education. With her diverse educational background, practical experiences, and most importantly love for students, she has experiences, stories, and tools to assist with the plight of the educational system. Vargas has taught grades K-12 through college seniors.
Emily Drabinski
Critical Pedagogy Librarian and Liaison to the School of Labor and Urban Studies at the Graduate Center, City University of New York
Emily Drabinski is critical pedagogy librarian and liaison to the School of Labor and Urban Studies at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. She sits on the editorial boards of College & Research Libraries and Radical Teacher, and edits Gender and Sexuality in Information Studies, a book series from Library Juice Press/Litwin Books. Drabinski is an ALA Councilor at Large and chair of ALA’s International Relations Committee.
Dr. Valerie Hill
Director of the Community Virtual Library in Second Life, Avacon, and Kitely
Dr. Valerie Hill received her PhD in Library and Information Science in 2012. She served as a school librarian for twenty years and taught language arts and information literacy at all grade levels from kindergarten through college. She is currently an information literacy consultant with a research focus on the intersection of information literacy and libraries with virtual worlds and digital culture and a professor at Peninsula College.
Bethany Winslow
Instructional Designer, San José State University
Bethany supports faculty integrating technology with their teaching and curriculum, including the use of virtual worlds in education. Bethany is a volunteer with the Community Virtual Library and the project lead for their Hypergrid.
Alyse Dunavant-Jones
Independent Digital Curation/Asset Management Consultant
In addition to consultation work, Alyse is a passionate Virtual World Librarian (including VR worlds!). She holds office hours at CVL’s Main Branch in Second Life on Tuesdays and at CVL’s Sansar Branch on Mondays, both at 12 p.m. SLT (Pacific).
Junia Yasenov, MARA
Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order
I am the Director of the Archives for the Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order for the states of Montana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan. I have worked at their headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, since October 1, 2018. During this time, I have transformed the archives from an unorganized storage unit into a professional vault. Before this, I worked for the state archives in Lansing, Michigan, for three years and volunteered at Michigan State University Archives.
Rebekkah Smith Aldrich
Executive Director, Mid-Hudson Library System
Rebekkah Smith Aldrich (MLS, LEED AP) is the executive director of the Mid-Hudson Library System. She currently serves as the co-chair of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Special Task Force on Sustainability, as an advisory board member for the ALA Center for the Future of Libraries, and is a founding board member of the ALA Sustainability Round Table and the co-founder of the New York Library Association’s Sustainability Initiative.
