Webcast Speakers
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.
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.
Deb Sica
Deputy County Librarian, Alameda County Library
Deb Sica, MFA, MLIS, has been in research, education and libraries since 1993. She is a graduate of the University of Buffalo, Naropa University and San José State University. She has been an archivist, an academic and a public library administrator in both the Texas Gulf Coast and San Francisco Bay Area. She spent the last decades in public libraries working to transform dated, discordant policy into socially just, fully inclusive practice. Sica has been politically active for more than 30 years and continues the fight for equity, diversity and inclusion in libraries and in life.
Dr. Patricia C. Franks
Professor and MARA Program Coordinator, School of Information, San José State University
Dr. Patricia C. Franks is a Certified Archivist, Certified Records Manager, and Information Governance Professional, as well as a member of ARMA International’s Company of Fellows. She is co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Archival Science, the Encyclopedia of Archival Writers, 1515-2015, and the International Directory of National Archives. She is author of Records and Information Management now in its second edition. She was team lead on the 3DPDF Consortium’s 2020 Whitepaper, Understanding Blockchain’s Role and Risks in Trusted Systems.
Dr. Sandra Hirsh
Associate Dean for Academics in the College of Information, Data & Society, San José State University
Dr. Sandra Hirsh is Associate Dean for Academics in the College of Information, Data & Society at San José State University (SJSU). She has previously served as Professor and Director of the SJSU School of Information and has worked in the Silicon Valley at HP Labs, Microsoft, and LinkedIn.
