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PROFESSIONAL PROFILES:

Maria Stanton

Director of Production, Atla

 

Please tell us a bit about yourself (e.g. hometown, current locale, course of study).

I am a graduate of Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY, where I studied Philosophy. I also completed the coursework for a Master’s Degree in Philosophy at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO. I am currently the Director of Production for Atla.

Describe some of your current responsibilities, and what type of organization you belong to.

Atla is a non-profit membership association of librarians and information professionals, and a producer of research tools, committed to advancing the scholarly study of religion and theology. In my role, I am a member of Atla’s executive leadership team with strategic responsibility for Atla’s suite of bibliographic offerings and for new product initiatives. I also present at various international meetings and conferences.

Within the industry, I am Vice-Chair of NISO’s Board of Directors for 2021-2022. I am also on the conference programming planning committee for NASIG.

What was your first scholarly publishing role? How did you get that job? What path led to your current position?

My first role was as an metadata specialist at ProQuest. I was curious about the industry and I routinely volunteered to work on special projects. I explored many different roles in my early career, including field sales and onsite product training. I found through these experiences that my skills aligned best with product development and production.

Prior to joining Atla, I was the Vice President of Production at Alexander Street Press, where I was on the leadership team and directly responsible for the delivery of ASP’s products. Prior to ASP, I was the Senior Director of Content Operations and a member of the leadership team at Serials Solutions. My career also includes various product and project management positions at Gale, ProQuest, and Wolters Kluwer.

If there was a pivotal moment or key person in your career development, please describe briefly.

Instead of focusing on one key achievement, I would say that the most rewarding and meaningful contributions I have supported were the result of true teamwork and collaboration. In most recent cases, I have been in a leadership role responsible for establishing the teams and promoting a culture of openness and teamwork.

What tools, websites, and organizations do you find most valuable for your career development?

The Scholarly Kitchen, SSP, NISO, NASIG, Atla, and UKSG. I follow the leadership of those organizations via Linkedin.

What advice would you give to people interested in a career in scholarly communications?

Network and learn. For someone starting out in scholarly communications, endeavor to broaden your horizons. Join organizations, such as SSP, and work on committees or working groups. The shared experience of collaborating with others outside your organization is invaluable.

I would also strongly encourage early career folks or individuals interested in this field to reach out to established members of the community to ask questions or discuss issues.

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn!