SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Karlene Noel Jennings is Executive Director of Development at UNC Greensboro University Libraries. Karlene holds a Ph.D. from Iowa State University in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and an MS in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She holds an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration and a M. (Cert.) in Museum Administration from the University of South Carolina and a BA in American History from Washington & Lee University. Karlene finds joy in creating strategic philanthropic partnerships between donors and institutions. A passionate advocate regarding the life-changing impact of education and libraries, she is a frequent presenter and author about library advancement topics.

Gabriella Kahn is the Advancement Associate at the Smithsonian Libraries. Gabi wears many hats but focuses on managing events, stewardship, board relations, and gift reporting and processing. She previously worked on strategy and operations on the Smithsonian Campaign team and supported the campaign director, especially with her work to develop various pan-institutional initiatives. At the end of Gabi’s first year at the Smithsonian, she co-founded and currently leads the Smithsonian Network of Emerging Advancement Professionals.

Nick Kneer is the Communications Specialist at Miami University Libraries in Oxford, Ohio. Nick joined the strategic communications team in March of 2018 with a background in nonprofit communications and professional photography. He focuses on telling the University Libraries’ stories through visual and digital media, particularly on social media. He feels finally at home working in libraries, finding kinship with colleagues who are interested in everything, and nothing else. He lives north of Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife, twin son and daughter, and dog.

Laurel Lamb is the Assistant Director of Development for the UNLV University Libraries, where solicitation, stewardship, and donor relations are among her primary responsibilities. She has a masters in Art History from the University of Louisville.

Sonia Lee is the Associate Director for Development at Stanford Libraries where she has worked since 2005. In this role, she oversees the stewardship program, special events, and community engagement projects. In addition, Sonia designs and implements web and e-marketing assets, direct marketing materials, and donor-facing collateral. Sonia’s work in non-profit administration and development began over twenty years ago at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. She later went on to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, San José Symphony, and Euphrat Museum of Art. She holds degrees in English and Art History from San Diego State University and San José State University.

Jason Lowery is the Assistant Director of Development for Emory Libraries and Alumni Relations. He has been with Emory Libraries for five years. Prior to that, he was the Chairman of Special Events for the Atlanta Chapter of the Human Rights Campaign where he was awarded for the National Special Event of the Year by the organization.

Darchelle Martin leads the Libraries’ Office of Communications and Marketing and oversees strategic communications at Kansas State University Libraries. Prior to joining the University Libraries in 2011, she was the Associate Director of Alumni Programs at the K-State Alumni Association for three years where she specialized in event strategy and alumni relations.

Christy McWard is the Director of Communications and Advancement for the University of Kansas Libraries where she leads internal and external communications as well as development strategy. Her team is responsible for all print and digital publications, graphic design and branding, social media, media relations, and event management for KU Libraries. Christy has fifteen years of experience in higher education marketing management. She earned her masters degree in Journalism/Marketing Communications from the University of Kansas School of Journalism and a bachelor of journalism from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

LeAnn Meyer is the Assistant Director of Advancement for the University of Kansas Libraries where she assists with the development and implementation of advancement efforts. She is responsible for helping lead a unified engagement approach through annual giving and alumni relations, as well as local and national programming. LeAnn earned a Master of Arts and bachelor’s degrees in Theatre and Business from Kansas State University.

Joe Mocnik serves as the Dean of Libraries at North Dakota State University. He overseas all aspects of the Libraries and is the lead for the University digital scholarship and data services initiatives. He has chaired and served on many advisory boards for academic and public libraries and other related organizations. He earned a doctoral degree in History from Bowling Green State University and masters degree in Library Studies from University College London, London, UK.

Joe served as a Fulbright Scholar in Croatia, was awarded the Distinguished Dissertation Award, and is a recipient of a fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and research grants from the Kennedy, Johnson, and Ford Presidential libraries. He has published articles, encyclopedia articles, book reviews, and presented papers at conferences on library and history research. He is a frequent author and speaker for both library and public audiences on a range of library and history related topics.

Robin Monteith currently serves as the Associate Director of Development for the University Libraries at the University of Nevada, Reno. Robin has spent the majority of her career in marketing and advertising before moving into development five years ago. She has been creating, planning, and executing events for more than twenty-five years and believes strongly in events as a valuable tool to engage, build relationships, and fundraise. She studied Linguistics at UCLA and received her bachelor’s degree in International Marketing from BI University in Oslo, Norway.

Essraa Nawar has been the Development Librarian at the Leathery Libraries at Chapman University in California since 2009. She received her bachelor’s degree in Commerce with an emphasis in Accounting from Alexandria University, Egypt in 2002. She also holds an MBA from the American Management & Business Administration Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Brandman University in California and a MLIS from San Jose State University.

Patricia Odle currently serves as the Program Manager in the Communications and Donor Relations department of ASU Library, Arizona State University and is the lead events planner for all ASU Library locations. She is double alumni of Arizona State University with a masters in Higher Education. She is a passionate higher education professional whose mission is to develop, transform, and manage achievements and challenges by establishing relationships through strategic communication, events, philanthropy, and personal contact.

Patricia also currently holds the position of Staff Council President and is lead advocate and fundraiser for the Staff Helping Staff fund. She oversees events for the council with 20-3000 attendees.

Jason Phillips is Director for Institutional Participation and Strategic Partnerships for ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization that works with the global scholarly community to advance and preserve knowledge and to improve teaching and learning through the use of digital technologies. ITHAKA includes four of the most transformative and widely used services in higher education: JSTOR, Portico, Artstor, and Ithaka S+R. Jason has over twenty years of experience in building and maintaining relationships at the crossroads of technology, learning, and content, and has a professional interest in furthering the principles of teaching and learning. He has worked collaboratively with publishers, libraries, state and international library consortia, foundations, and associations on a global scale to achieve these goals. Jason has spoken at conferences around the world on issues related to scholarly communications, extending access to content important to scholarly work, and the effect of technology on teaching and learning.

Michele Ramsdell currently serves as Assistant Director of Library Advancement and Communications at the University of Central Oklahoma. She has over twenty-five years of experience working in public, school, and academic libraries.

Ceci Riecker is the Director of Development for the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan. In this role, she is responsible for leading the library’s efforts in all fundraising activities including engaging, cultivating, and soliciting library prospects for major gifts, planned gifts, and lead annual gifts. Ceci creates new pathways to traditional library development activities, enhancing the library’s presence in the donor community. Her hallmark is strong donor engagement through collaboration and robust communications. She has more than thirty years of fundraising experience in the healthcare and higher education fields. Ceci holds an A.B. in English from the University of Michigan and a M.S. in Historic Preservation from Eastern Michigan University.

Benoit Sabourin is originally from the south of France, but spent most of his life in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is the Director for Development for the University Library at Georgia State University. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, where he spent four years working in student affairs, Benoit went on to receive his M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from North Carolina State University. Shortly after his graduation, he began his career in development, as the Development Associate for the Graduate School at NC State. In January 2018, Benoit moved to Atlanta and began working for the University Library at Georgia State.

Carol Smith is the University Librarian of the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Prior to Mines, she served as Library Director at Adams State University from 2013 to 2016. Carol has served as 2018 President of the Colorado Association of Libraries and 2013 President of the Missouri Library Association.

Allie Swislocki is an Advancement Officer at the Smithsonian Libraries. She has been at the Smithsonian for five years, and at the Libraries for three. During her tenure, she has overseen and grown the annual giving program, managed and expanded Adopt-a-Book, and is working to rebuild the major gifts program following the end of a comprehensive capital campaign. In addition, Allie served as acting Director of Advancement for the better part of two years. Prior to joining the Libraries, Allie managed annual and institutional giving at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum and the Corporate Membership Program at the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.

Caroline J. White is Archives and Manuscript Librarian in Special Collections and University Archives at the UMass Amherst Libraries where she has worked since 2012, initially as Kenneth R. Feinberg Archivist. She has held several positions at Mount Holyoke College, including Project Curator of the exhibition The Uncommon Life of Wendy Wasserstein. A child of Louisville, Kentucky, and a graduate of Princeton University where she majored in English, Caroline spent nineteen years as an editor at Penguin Books, before earning her MS from Simmons School of Library and Information Science, concentrating in Archives Management. Now an adjunct instructor in the program, she is also an active member of New England Archivists, serving on the Communications Committee.