April 4, 2022 – The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) is excited to welcome Dianndra Roberts, Senior Publishing Coordinator at the Royal College of Psychiatrists to The Scholarly Kitchen (TSK) as Associate Editor for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) content. In this new leadership role, Dianndra will support the commission, editing, and publication of DEIA‐related posts by Scholarly Kitchen chefs or guest authors.
Dianndra is passionate about equity, diversity, and inclusion and how publishers can use their platforms to be active allies, especially in the workplace. In her current role with the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych), she manages and commissions book reviews, correspondence, and extra article types for the British Journal of Psychiatry and BJPsych Bulletin. Since 2021, Dianndra has served as co-chair of the ISMTE DEI Advisory Council, and in 2019, Dianndra founded (and currently chairs) the African and Caribbean Forum at the RCPsych.
SSP has a strong commitment to improving DEIA, both within the society and in scholarly communications more broadly, as reflected in the organization’s recently announced core values — community, inclusivity, adaptability, and integrity. The creation of this new TSK Associate Editor role is one of many steps SSP is taking toward embedding these values in all aspects of its work. In her new role, Dianndra will be acting as a sounding board for ideas for DEIA‐related content of all types, including webinars, podcasts, and posts. Additionally, she will be proactively encouraging, commissioning, and shepherding posts across all areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Dianndra will provide support to Scholarly Kitchen authors, help moderate comments, liaise with SSP leadership and the DEI Committee, and author original content on scholarly publishing and communications.
“We’re excited to have Dianndra on The Scholarly Kitchen team,” said Melanie Dolechek, SSP Executive Director. “The DEI Committee and the Kitchen Cabinet put in a lot of work to define this role and recruit candidates. This is an important step toward realizing our strategic goal of embedding DEIA in everything we do.”
Scholarly Kitchen Editor-in-Chief, David Crotty: “Dianndra’s expertise is already proving helpful for The Scholarly Kitchen and I’m looking forward to continuing to learn from her and for her help in bringing in a wider range of voices to the Kitchen.”
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Co-Chair, Dr. Chhavi Chauhan: “I am so excited to have Dianndra on board. She will be a great resource for The Scholarly Kitchen chefs as well as members of the SSP’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee.”
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee co-chair, Damita Snow, CAE: “I look forward to working with Dianndra to expand the principles of the DEI Committee throughout SSP. She is an excellent addition to the SK chefs and we are pleased to have her as our newest DEI committee member.”
Read Dianndra’s first Scholarly Kitchen post to learn more about how she plans to use her platform to spark thought-provoking conversations, bring awareness to key issues, and educate others on DEIA issues — as well as give a platform to those who have a voice that needs to be amplified.
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 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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