Home   »   News
03.15.2019 | SSP News & Releases

2019-2020 SSP Board of Directors Election Now Open

The ballot for the 2019-2020 election is now available. Members must log in to access the ballot and vote. Voting is open until midnight, Friday, April 12, and results will be announced by April 26, 2019.

Candidates for President-Elect                                                                                


Lauren Kane, Chief Strategy and Operating Officer, BioOne

Bio: With fifteen years in the industry, I currently serve as chief strategy and operating officer of the nonprofit scientific publisher BioOne. At BioOne, I oversee sales and content development; explore new products and services; and broker strategic partnerships that further the organization’s mission. I have proudly served on the SSP Board of Directors since 2017, and am a member of the Executive Committee. Previously, I co-chaired the SSP Organizational Collaboration Committee and the 40th Anniversary Task Force. I am also active in ALPSP, and currently serve as Vice-Chair of the Professional Development Committee.

Vision Statement: I am honored to be considered as SSP’s next President-Elect. When then-President Sue Kesner invited me to get involved in the organization in 2007, I didn’t imagine that I would someday aim to join her ranks. But that is precisely what is so special about SSP—its welcoming community, spirit of mentorship, and the many opportunities for personal and professional growth.

I believe that SSP’s greatest asset is its membership, and its chief opportunity is expanding and diversifying that membership. This includes increasing participation outside of North America (particularly in the Global South, where we are sorely lacking representation), as well as welcoming more individuals working in libraries, funders and policymakers, and in educational technology.

What it means to ‘publish’ and be a ‘publisher’ is changing. To evolve, SSP needs to engage with and include members of the greater scholarly communications ecosystem outside of scholarly publishing’s usual suspects. In so doing, we increase our opportunities to learn from different viewpoints and become better equipped to face the shared challenges ahead. A more representative and inclusive SSP is a thriving SSP, and an organization that I would be proud to lead.

Wendy Newsham, Director of Global Sales, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Bio:I have been in publishing since 1990, and scholarly publishing since 2004, working in nearly all aspects of the business from peer-review through copyediting, manufacturing, and online hosting, and now as the Director of Global Sales for Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Vision Statement: SSP has been the cornerstone of my scholarly publishing career, providing valuable connections to market leaders and insight into all aspects of the academic publishing ecosystem. My SSP involvement includes Liaison to the Finance Committee; Co-chair, Development and Education Committees; Seminar organizer; member of the Workplace Equity project; Mentor; and 2016 recipient of the Distinguished Service award. Exposure to so many aspects of SSP has provided me with a deep and broad understanding of our society’s operations and member-support initiatives. This knowledge, along with my career, experience means that I have the necessary attitude, aptitude, and experience to fulfill the role of President to maximum effect for the positive benefit of our Society and its members.

As SSP grows and evolves, we need to encourage and motivate volunteers to participate in the Society to support our mission-critical initiatives including mentorship, education, enrichment, and networking. I envision an SSP that continues to grow not only its pure membership numbers, but the involvement of those members through volunteerism—from early career through senior status, creating innovative ways to attract volunteers and positive strategies to retain them. A network of engaged members will ensure the successful completion of our organization’s mission.

In conclusion, my enthusiasm for the industry and our society, along with my first-hand knowledge and wealth of experience, will provide SSP members a unique resource which will positively contribute to the long-term success of the society.

Greg Suprock, Senior Publisher – Head of Solutions Architecture, Apex CoVantage

Bio: My career in scholarly publishing started in 1989 at Science Press. Since then I held various positions at Sheridan Press, Nature Publishing Group, and Cenveo. I am currently Head of Solutions Architecture at Apex CoVantage. I served SSP as a member of the Board of Directors, and as member of the following: the Education Committee, the Data Task Force, and the TSK Redesign Task Force. Currently I am a co-chair of the Education Committee and a member of the International Task Force.

Vision Statement: SSP is a rich community to which I owe a significant debt for success in my career. I made lasting friendships. SSP’s core strengths are its people and their willingness to share their creativity. The engagement with members keeps me coming back to SSP to learn and to serve. SSP has evolved in the past five years. During my time on the SSP Board we brought in a new Executive Director, seen changes with our association management company, and rebranded. We took significant steps to ensure the development of programs embracing early career members, and, working steadily to strengthen diversity and inclusion. There is still important work to do. In 2019 SSP is forming a relationship with a new association management company while at the same time carrying forward on strong strategy focused on our member’s education, scholarly communication, and inclusion, at local, national and international levels. We are taking steps through adjacent events to extend SSP’s connection to the international scholarly community. I would like to see SSP continue on this successful trajectory. It is a privilege to have served SSP, and it would be an honor to serve my colleagues and friends as your next president.

Candidates for Member-at-Large


Lisa Hinchliffe, Professor and Coordinator for Information Literacy and Instruction, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Bio: I am a Professor and the Coordinator for Information Literacy Services and Instruction in the University Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I am also an affiliate faculty member in the University’s School of Information Sciences. As the 2010-2011 President of the Association of College and Research Libraries, I led the launch of the Value of Academic Libraries Initiative as well as the Board processes to develop a new strategic plan and re-structure the association’s committees.

Vision Statement: I wrote my first piece for The Scholarly Kitchen in 2017 and through my role as a “Chef” have come to appreciate SSP’s mission and the breadth and depth of its activities. I have an aptitude for (and greatly enjoy) the work of association governance. It would be an honor to contribute to SSP in this way. As a Board Member-at-Large, I envision myself with a dual-facing role: (1) working closely with the President and Executive Director and (2) connecting with and understanding the needs of the general membership. As a librarian, I will bring that vantage point to the Board’s discussions and decision-making. As a faculty member, I am one of the authors and editors that SSP members seek to support. As a consultant to a number of publishers, I appreciate the multiple goals of the publishing community. Taken as a whole, I have a multi-faceted and integrated perspective on the work of SSP.

Rebecca McLeod, Strategic Account Manager, Copyright Clearance Center (CCC)

Bio: I have a broad range of experience in scholarly communications having worked in editorial development, marketing, operations and relationship management roles on both the publisher and vendor sides as well as for nonprofit and commercial organizations. Currently, I’m a Strategic Account Manager at Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), where I’m responsible for managing key publisher accounts. I’ve served on several SSP committees including Annual Meeting, Marketing and the 40th Anniversary Task Force. I previously co-chaired the Website Task Force and since 2017, I’ve been Co-Chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Task Force. In 2013, I was a recipient of SSP’s annual Appreciation Award.

Vision Statement: SSP’s biggest strength is its unique, nonpartisan position within the scholarly publishing ecosystem. Representing all facets of scholarly communications—publishers, librarians, vendors, consultants, academics, nonprofits and commercial organizations—the society is a facilitating hub where key stakeholders with multiple perspectives come together to share ideas, discuss, and problem solve the critical issues facing the industry today. All viewpoints are welcome no matter where you reside in the publishing ecosystem. However, to remain relevant in this rapidly changing landscape and continue to meet the needs of key stakeholders, SSP must continue to focus on enriching membership by welcoming and supporting new voices involved in scholarly communications, particularly individuals from previously underrepresented populations. I’m interested in SSP continuing efforts to recruit, nurture and promote diverse new voices through all aspects of its programming including the Annual Meeting, networking events, educational webinars, and The Scholarly Kitchen.

Ben Mudrak, Product Manager, American Chemical Society

Bio: As Product Manager at the American Chemical Society, I oversee services and educational resources to support our journals’ authors and reviewers, combining user feedback and data with business goals to develop and implement product roadmaps. Prior to joining ACS, I received a PhD in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology from Duke University, then entered the scholarly publishing industry with roles in business development, communication, and educational content creation. I’ve served on the SSP Annual Meeting Program Committee since 2013 and as its co-chair for the past three years.

Vision Statement: I’ve experienced firsthand the strong community that SSP has fostered across the world of scholarly communication, and recent efforts to further diversify that community put the Society on the right track. In my years supporting SSP’s Annual Meeting, I’ve also come to see what makes it a must-attend event: the powerful networking opportunities and the discussion of timely topics among amazing colleagues from many different backgrounds. I hope that SSP can continue to do more to make the benefits of the Annual Meeting available outside of the yearly gathering. SSP should continue to expand local programming, leverage networks of peers and mentorship opportunities based on career stage and role, and consider new ways to create cross-functional teams dedicated to solving the big issues we face in sharing scholarship. With new ways to stay more deeply connected year-round, the Society will maintain its critical role leading the industry forward.

Byron Russell, Head of Ingenta & Ingenta Open

Bio: As Head of Ingenta Connect and its new sister platform, Ingenta Open, I provide overall leadership and management of the commercial activities for Ingenta’s flagship product, Ingenta Connect, which provides content delivery solutions to 250+ publisher clients and 25,000 registered academic libraries. Ingenta Open, a new referatory and hosting platform exclusively for open access content, was launched in April 2018. Prior to joining Ingenta, I worked extensively in trade, educational and academic publishing, working primarily in international environments, having stared my publishing carrier with OUP in the late eighties. I have been a member of the SSP International Strategy Task Force since 2017.

Vision Statement: To me, SSP is all about connecting with, and learning from, our peer group. There has never been a more challenging, transformative and yet exciting time to be in the complex world of scholarly publishing, which by its nature is global in its reach. However, SSP is frequently perceived as being an organisation with a primarily North American membership focus. I believe SSP should expand its outreach to become a truly worldwide association—indeed, the primary membership organisation for scholarly publishers internationally. If our industry is to continue to thrive and grow in uncertain times, international collaboration will become increasingly important in order to achieve economies of scale, encourage best practice and share experience, information and learning. I strongly believe SSP has a major role to play here, both as a supportive resource and trusted community, and as an advocate for transnational publishing freedoms.

Isabel Thompson, Senior Strategy Analyst, Holtzbrinck Publishing Group

Bio: As Senior Strategy Analyst at Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, I’m fortunate to enjoy a birds-eye view of the scholarly communications ecosystem. I’m passionate about using technology and collaborative partnerships to serve researchers and benefit both the academy and our industry. I have a broad business background, having previously worked in a strategic consultancy—a planned detour from scholarly publishing, which I fell in love with when at Oxford University Press and through working with ALPSP.

I’ve been deeply involved with SSP for several years: winning the Fellowship Award in 2016; and serving on both the Education and Annual Meeting Committees. I’m also a founding member and Chair of the UK Region, and was privileged to win the Emerging Leader Award in 2018.

Vision Statement: Our industry is undergoing enormous change, driven by internal and external factors. SSP has always been a place where different stakeholders can come together to share their varying perspectives and look for solutions. However, given its uniquely diverse membership, I believe there is more SSP can do to look beyond the industry and champion the needs of research itself. Particular priorities for me are: increasing the international input from every continent; supporting the meaningful upskilling of members of all ages in skills the industry needs (e.g. in relation to technological shifts); encouraging proactive dialogue and programming/events that involve all industry stakeholders, including librarians, funders, societies, and publishers. SSP has always been great at evolving; it would be an honor to be a part of its continuing growth and development.

Miranda Walker, Senior Publisher, Wolters Kluwer

Bio: I am a senior publisher at Wolters Kluwer. My role is to guide the business and strategic goals for a portfolio of large society partner publications. Prior to my move to Wolters Kluwer in 2016, I was a director of publications at INFORMS where I led the society’s self-publishing program. I am a graduate of Morgan State University and the University of Baltimore’s Masters of Publications Design program.

I am also a consumer of the SSP. From the Job Board to The Scholarly Kitchen to the annual meetings, I have relied on the work of the organization to advance my career. Now it’s time to give back and ensure the tools that strengthen me, are there for others.

Vision Statement: When I started in this business 15 years ago, I knew if I worked hard and took advantage of organizations like SSP I would have a long and fulfilling career. Can we still look forward 15 years and see our role in scholarly publishing? What will journals look like for the next generations? How will information be absorbed and on what technology? How will content be vetted? What will be more important, speed or spelling or access?

These are all difficult questions but facilitating the conversation is a key charge of SSP, allowing us to stay abreast of the technology and innovation necessary to move forward in our careers.

As a member-at-large I will drive efforts that support networking and exposure to progressive ideas. These can be built on the initiatives of current programs including The Scholarly Kitchen, local chapters, mentoring and education, and the C3 online community, to name a few.

Go to Ballot

(Requires Login)

View Comments

Be the first to write a comment!

Join the Conversation