April 28, 2021 – Mt. Laurel, NJ – The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) 2021-2022 election results are in! Join us in welcoming the following leaders to our Board of Directors:
President-Elect
Miranda Walker, Associate Director, Medical Journals, Wolters Kluwer
Vision Statement: To many, scholarly communications begin with a news article: they hear of a faraway discovery or medical breakthrough. But SSP members step into the process when a researcher sits with a librarian to understand how to use a discovery platform, or a manuscript is submitted for peer review; or that same manuscript is prepared to appear in a book, journal, or website. Regardless of your role as a librarian, publisher, editor, vendor, etc., your next SSP President should value the role you play in the presentation and dissemination of knowledge.
I envision the role as one where I would be elected to steer a ship that was not built by me, but by those who came before me with a dedication to advance communication among all sectors of the scholarly publication community. My role would be to keep SSP pointed forward, holding it accountable to its goals, like that of supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion; and holding it steady, so anyone interested in participating, feels welcomed and supported. As President, I will work to ensure you enjoy access to the community and the training necessary to enhance your contribution to scholarly communications. I will also focus on the importance of career development opportunities for all professional levels globally.
Board Members-at-Large
Mike Di Natale, Publishing Technology Manager, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Vision Statement: SSP is a tremendous resource to the young professionals of our community. I came to this industry late and participation in SSP was critical in shaping my career, providing introductions and opportunities. A decade on, I know that I was only able to take advantage of what SSP offered because I was surrounded by people who cared about my development. I want to make sure others in our community, particularly those just starting out, have the same or better opportunities to develop professionally and are welcomed into the SSP community.
Working with the Early Career Subcommittee has been the most rewarding experience of my SSP tenure. As a Board member, my priorities would extend from this group’s efforts to promote and support early career professionals in the industry. After a disruptive year, SSP must redouble its efforts to engage with our next generation of volunteers and leaders and help them be engaged and active in the community. The future of SSP is secured by continuing to attract new and diverse voices to the membership.
SSP has excellent Fellowship and Mentorship programs already and we must continue to lead in this area. Our events and programming offer a wide range of professional development opportunities and must find ways to extend out into virtual spaces, allowing for broader inclusion and impact.
Charlotte Roh, Scholarly Communications Librarian, University of San Francisco
Vision Statement: In spite of having spent the last 15 years engaged in scholarly publishing in some capacity, it was only when I became a librarian that I joined SSP as a library publisher, thanks to the mentorship of fellow library publishers engaged in the organization. Since then, I have seen SSP evolve over a tumultuous period of change: the disruption of open access publishing in its many flavors, the Black Lives Matter movement and the growing awareness of racism within scholarly publishing, and this current pandemic that has impacted so many and moved us completely online as a community. Throughout this time, I have sometimes struggled, but ultimately gained respect for the organization and its members in our efforts to improve not only the scholarly publishing landscape but also the professional lives of the human people who are doing this work. As a Board Member-at-Large, I would like to build on the work that has been done, both from my perspective as a library publisher and through my scholarly and advocacy work on diversity and social justice within the scholarly ecosystem.
Sara Rouhi, Director of Strategic Partnerships, PLOS
Vision Statement: My vision is best illustrated by a (possibly apocryphal) story worth sharing. After SSP honored me with its Emerging Leader award in 2015 I heard that an older-than-me, white male executive commented to his table, “She won this? Why haven’t I gotten an emerging leader award?”
This story, in some ways, encapsulates the unique historical moment we face and how SSP anticipated it. The radical shift from comfortable business-as-usual to a post-Covid-George-Floyd-MAGA world upended reality for the usual power brokers and raised uncomfortable questions for all bearers-of-privilege (myself included).
As brown, biracial, immigrant Millennial, born and raised analog, but “evolved digital” (NOT born-digital), my vision for SSP in 2021 reflects my experience. It is grounded in three core goals:
- Unpacking and dismantling the barriers our industry has (actively or passively) created to accessing, creating, assessing, and disseminating knowledge equitably
- Supporting the creation of anti-racist organizations, systems, services, products, and policies built by and for the communities they serve – a truly FUBU approach
- Approaching every situation with a “growth mindset” looking for the learning moments that transform roadblocks into opportunities
By leaning into this work in a meaningful way, SSP can build the community and future leaders needed to make this “deep work” sustainable and long-term. In serving on the Board, I commit to being the gadfly that raises these (uncomfortable!) questions and reminds us of these goals. I hope you’ll join me in this essential work by electing me to the Board.
Randy Townsend, Director, Publications Operations, American Geophysical Union (AGU); Editor in Chief, GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing
Vision Statement: One of the biggest honors of my professional career in scholarly publishing has been in service of SSP. I remain inspired by colleagues from across organizations and complementary industries that engage wide-ranging challenges, generously sharing their time and expertise. I value the relationships that have developed through mutual respect and devotion to our profession. SSP’s leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion has demonstrated a sincere approach to expand participation through uncomfortable conversations at all levels. I have been an unofficial SSP mentee to some of the most inspirational champions in scholarly publishing and had the privilege to mentor brilliant stewards of the organization’s future. I’m proud to geek out with those that speak “Peer Review,” “Open Access” and “Editorial.”
As a Board Member, I would expand opportunities for collaboration to develop resilience to industry disruption and further the organization’s commitment to developing an inclusive professional community. I am humbled by the faith and support of those that nominated me and promise to return the respect and camaraderie that I have received from my peers that makes SSP such a special organization.
These new board members will begin their terms June 1. Current Past President Angela Cochran, and Board members Laura Ricci, Elizabeth R. Lorbeer, and Alison Mudditt will conclude their terms at that time.
Election winners will join incumbent board members incoming President Alice Meadows, incoming Past President Lauren Kane, Treasurer Emilie Delquié, and Members-at-Large Meredith Adinolfi, David Crotty, Gabe Harp, Lisa Hinchliffe, Sai Konda, and Rebecca McLeod. Thank you to all of our members who voted!
About the Society for Scholarly Publishing The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP), founded in 1978, is a nonprofit organization formed to promote and advance communication among all sectors of the scholarly publication community through networking, information dissemination, and facilitation of new developments in the field. SSP members represent all aspects of scholarly publishing—including publishers, printers, e-products developers, technical service providers, librarians, and editors. SSP members come from a wide range of large and small commercial and nonprofit organizations. They meet at SSP’s annual meetings, educational seminars, and regional events to hear the latest trends from respected colleagues and to discuss common and mutual (and sometimes divergent) goals and viewpoints.
Contact Melanie Dolechek, Executive Director | info@sspnet.org | 303-422-3914
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