Community Leaders - Open Education Network

Working Together

We are a community of people working at public and private higher education institutions, consortia and statewide systems who advocate, support and facilitate open educational practices. We help one another, learn from one another, and create resources for the common good. When you join the Open Education Network (OEN), you become an important part of this supportive community collaborating to make higher education more open and equitable.

Learn more about our community leaders:

Current members, learn about leadership opportunities by contacting open@umn.edu.

Not yet a member? Let’s talk. We’d love to hear about your interest in leading.

Start the conversation!

Steering Committee

Established in 2016, the Steering Committee provides essential community perspective. It offers timely feedback to the leadership team and works to support current and future membership.

Robert Awkward

Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

Bob is the Assistant Commissioner for Academic Effectiveness for the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE), directing two statewide programs for public higher education: increasing adoption, adaptation, and creation of open educational resources; and advancing and deepening the culture of learning outcomes assessment. He is also one of the principal architects of the Equity Agenda having led development of the New Undergraduate Experience, a vision document that details DHE’s aspirations for public higher education. Bob received his Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Amanda Grey

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Amanda is an Open Education Strategist at KPU supporting faculty in sharing, creating, and using open education practices. She facilitates open education initiatives such as the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Initiative, the OER Grant program, and KPU's Open Publishing Suite (OPUS). As a trained librarian, Amanda has worked on open education initiatives for several institutions in British Columbia.

Anne Marie Gruber

University of Northern Iowa

Anne Marie, Associate Professor of Library Services at University of Northern Iowa (UNI), is a science and social work librarian coordinating UNI's campuswide Textbook Equity initiative, which includes OER and other forms of free/affordable materials. The common thread in these varied areas is supporting student learning and success, information literacy, and inclusion. Anne Marie also coordinates UNI's Textbook Equity Student Advisory Board and collaborates across campus to support OER advocacy, adoption, and authoring. She serves on the Iowa OER Action Team and is eager to represent small universities on the OEN Steering Committee.

Meggan Houlihan

Open Society University Network

Meggan is the Director of the Open Society University Network’s (OSUN) Library Resources Program, where she coordinates library services, resources, and educational programs for students and faculty from over 45 institutions around the globe. She also leads OSUN’s OER and open pedagogy programs that seek to strengthen the foundations of open societies through open access to information and increase global collaboration in research and education.

Ben Rawlins

University of Kentucky

Ben is the Associate Dean for Outreach, Engagement and Collections at the University of Kentucky Libraries and is a member of the Kentucky Virtual Library’s (KYVL) Affordable Learning Steering Committee. He has led OER initiatives at institutions in three different states (New York, Texas, and Kentucky). His work on OER discovery and curation, as a co-developer of the OER search tool OASIS, has been recognized by the Open Education Consortium and the Association of College and Research Libraries.

David Tully

North Carolina State University

David is the Librarian for Student Success and Affordability at North Carolina State University Libraries. In his role he helps lead the Alt-Textbook committee and the Open Pedagogy Incubator as well as develop additional programs, services and other forms of academic support for students and faculty, reflecting the Libraries’ and the university’s commitment to making higher education more equitable and inclusive.

Workshop Presenters

Our workshops are facilitated by faculty and staff from member institutions with experience in implementing open education initiatives and practices.

Cheryl Casey

University of Arizona

Cheryl is the Open Education Librarian at the University of Arizona Libraries in Tucson and has been an active member of the Open Education Network since 2015. She coordinates campus OER initiatives and collaborates with a wide range of university partners. She is also a Faculty Senator and involved in library faculty governance.

Meggie Mapes

University of Kansas

Meggie (Ph.D. Southern Illinois University Carbondale) is a faculty member and Introductory Course Director in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. Her research emerges at the intersections of pedagogy and critical/cultural studies. She is an open pedagogy advocate and the author of the open textbook, Speak Out, Call In: Public Speaking as Advocacy.

Merinda McClure

University of Colorado

Merinda serves as an Open Educational Resources (OER) Lead at the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries, where she is also the Health and Human Sciences Librarian and an Associate Professor. She was a 2016-2017 OER Research Fellow with the Open Education Group’s fellowship program. She joined the Open Education Network in 2015 after participating in the Network’s inaugural summer institute. Merinda received her M.L.I.S. in 2002 from The University of British Columbia.

Publishing Cooperative Advisory Group

The Publishing Cooperative Advisory Group is responsible for developing open textbook publishing vision and support for the Open Education Network community.

Stefanie Buck (2023-2025)

Co-Chair

Oregon State University

Stefanie is the director of Open Educational Resources at Oregon State University. She received her MLS from the University of Hawai’i. She works closely with faculty who want to adapt, adopt or author open educational resources and helps to make these available to anyone who wants to use them.

Kelly Smith (2023-2026)

Co-Chair

Eastern Kentucky University

Kelly is the Director of Collections and Discovery at Eastern Kentucky University Libraries, and oversees EKU Libraries’ open publishing efforts, among other responsibilities. She received her MSLIS from Simmons College. Areas of interest in her library practice include: Open Educational Practices; Strengths Based Leadership; Assessment; and Library Collection Management.

Angelique Carson (2023-2025)

WRLC

Angelique is the Shared Collections Librarian at the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) and currently serves as co-chair of the WRLC’s Textbook Affordability Working Group (TAWG). Angelique has held Librarian posts at Southern University of New Orleans, the Southern Food and Beverage Culinary Library and Archive, the Catholic University of America and Howard University.

Daniela Dutra Elliott (2023-2026)

Leeward Community College (University of Hawai'i)

Daniela has been a faculty member at University of Hawai'i-Leeward Community College where she serves as program coordinator for the Sustainable Agriculture Program. She has worked to develop OER materials for her classes and is passionate about the opportunities OER brings to localizing materials so they are relevant to people of diverse backgrounds.

Mark Lane (2023-2025)

Oregon State University

Mark Anthony Lane is the assistant director of Open Educational Resources at Oregon State University. He works alongside faculty and students to develop and publish high-quality and accessible course materials. He received his MSEd from Western Oregon University, where he specialized in educational technology and instructional design.

Christina Riehman-Murphy (2023-2025)

Penn State University Libraries

Christina is the Open and Affordable Educational Resources Librarian at Penn State. In this role she coordinates the expansion of open education initiatives across Penn State’s many campuses. She is embedded in an English class on an open pedagogy project where undergraduate students are contributing to an open anthology. She has her MSLS from Clarion University and her BA in English and Secondary Education from the Catholic University of America.

Christina Trunnell (2023-2025)

Montana State University

Christina is the Assistant Dean of the Montana State University Library. She has served the academic community as a writing faculty member, leading academic libraries, and running a statewide OER program. Christina’s passion and expertise is in supporting DEI work throughout academia, from instructional design and programming to system and policy level changes.

Pub101 Committee

The Pub101 Committee ensures a community-driven experience for Pub101, a curriculum and orientation to open textbook publishing.

Amanda Larson (2021-2025)

Chair

The Ohio State University

Amanda is the Affordable Learning Instructional Consultant at The Ohio State University where she creates professional development opportunities for staff, librarians, and instructors around open pedagogy and open educational practices. Previously, she was the Open Education Librarian for University Libraries at Penn State University where she coordinated affordable content initiatives across all Penn State campuses.

Heather Caprette (2021-2024)

Cleveland State University

Heather is a Senior Media Developer/Instructional Designer in the Center for eLearning at Cleveland State University. She works with faculty to build high quality online courses and helps with Textbook Affordability Grant projects. She designs and teaches professional development courses on accessible online design, Pressbooks and open pedagogy. Heather holds a Master of Fine Arts in Design.

Melissa Chim (2023-2025)

Excelsior University

Melissa Chim is the first Scholarly Communications Librarian at Excelsior University where she manages the university’s scholarly publishing platform and institutional repository. She was a SPARC Open Education Leadership Fellow for their 2022-23 cohort. She is currently a part of OEN’s Ketida and Open Textbook Planner pilot program. She holds an MLIS from St. John’s University and an MA in History from Queen Mary, the University of London.

Micah Gjeltema (2023-2025)

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Micah Gjeltema is the Open Education & Affordable Content Librarian at the University of Minnesota. He promotes open educational practices and manages the Partnership for Affordable Learning Materials (PALM), an OER textbook incentive program.

Cindy Gruwell (2023-2025)

University of West Florida

Cindy Gruwell is an Associate Librarian and Coordinator of Scholarly Research at the University of West Florida. As the liaison for the College of Health she is responsible for instruction and collection development among other activities. In her role as coordinator she focuses on building OER resourced courses across the campus utilizing informative workshops and providing support for the Pressbooks authoring system.

Jessica McClean (2023-2025)

University of Texas at Arlington Libraries

Jessica McClean is the Director of Open Educational Resources at the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries where she supports faculty in adopting and creating open educational resources and helps advance university initiatives related to affordability and open education. In this role, Jessica administers the UTA CARES Grant program, which provides financial support for faculty pursuing OER projects, and manages OER publishing on Pressbooks through Mavs Open Press.

Kelly Smith (2023-2025)

Eastern Kentucky University Libraries

Certificate in Open Education Librarianship Instructors

Our instructors for the Certificate in Open Education Librarianship are experienced open education leaders who offer you a supportive learning experience.

Cheryl Casey

University of Arizona

Gabby Hernandez

University of Texas

Gabby is the Open Education Librarian at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She coordinates the Textbook Affordability Project which supports the advocacy and implementation of open educational practices at UTRGV. With a background as a K-12 educator, she brings a unique perspective and understanding of the importance of equitable access to education. She has also served on various external committees and spoken at conferences to advance OER in Texas and beyond.

Jeanne Hoover

East Carolina University

Jeanne is the Scholarly Communication Librarian at East Carolina University. She leads the Research and Scholarly Communication team in supporting faculty and student scholarly communication needs on campus. She is also active in state-wide OER and textbook affordability initiatives through the University of North Carolina System and NC LIVE’s Open Education North Carolina. Jeanne was a 2018-2019 SPARC Open Education Leadership Fellow.

Bryan McGeary

Penn State University

Bryan is the Learning Design and Open Education Engagement Librarian at Penn State University. He is a 2020-2021 SPARC Open Education Leadership Fellow, a facilitator for the Rebus Textbook Success Program, a graduate of the inaugural cohort of the Open Education Network’s Certificate in OER Librarianship, and co-editor of the peer-reviewed open access journal Pennsylvania Libraries: Research & Practice. He is also co-creator of the Open Pedagogy Project Roadmap.

Lily Todorinova

Rutgers University

Lily is the Undergraduate Experience Librarian/Open Educational Research at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Lily has been involved with open education since 2015, as a participant in the Open Education Network Institute and as a participant in the first OER Librarianship Certificate Program. Lily’s interests include open pedagogy, open research, and student/faculty outreach.

Nicole Williams

City University of New York

Nicole is the Electronic Resources Librarian and an Assistant Professor at the City University of New York’s School of Medicine. She holds an MLIS from Rutgers University and a MALS with a concentration in Africana Studies from the CUNY Graduate Center. Nicole is an advocate of equitable, inclusive, and student-centered learning experiences, particularly those achieved through the use of open pedagogy and open educational resources.

Michael Whitchurch

Brigham Young University

Michael is the Open and Media Learning Librarian at Brigham Young University’s Harold B. Lee Library. He currently leads the OER efforts at BYU in part by chairing the BYU Affordable Course Materials Working Group and the Library Scholarly Communications Committee. He also provides strategic guidance to the software training, media production, and makerspace units of the library.

Di Zhang

Renton Technical College

Di ("Day") Zhang is the Instruction and OER Librarian at Renton Technical College. He received his MLIS from the University of Washington in 2012 and has worked in various library roles—public as well as academic—since 2008. Di received a Certificate in OER Librarianship from the Open Education Network in 2022, and the experience was extremely helpful to his role as OER Librarian. In his spare time, Di enjoys practicing martial arts and gardening with his wife and two kids.

Certificate in Open Educational Practices Instructors

Our instructors for the Certificate in Open Educational Practices are experienced open education leaders who offer you a supportive learning experience.

Will Cross

North Carolina State University

Will is the Director of the Open Knowledge Center & Head of Information Policy at NC State University. Trained as a lawyer and librarian, he guides policy, speaks, and writes on copyright literacy and open knowledge. As a course designer and presenter Will has developed training materials and workshops across the US and for international audiences from Ontario to Abu Dhabi. He is currently conducting research on international copyright literacy practices as a Fulbright Schuman Scholar.

Abbey Elder

Iowa State University

Abbey is the Open Access & Scholarly Communication Librarian for Iowa State University, where she has managed campus initiatives for open access and open education since 2017. In addition to her institutional work, Abbey serves as the Statewide Open Education Coordinator for the Board of Regents on the Iowa Open Education Action Team (Iowa OER), where she collaborates with institutional leads to develop and assess programs that support open education across the state of Iowa.

Tanya Grosz

Open Education Network

Tanya is the Director of Educational Programs for the Open Education Network (OEN). She began her career as a high school English teacher before transitioning to college-level teaching and administration and completing her Ph.D. in Education and Online Teaching and Learning. In her previous role as dean at the University of Northwestern - St. Paul, she spearheaded an open education initiative which led to creation of the first Z degree in the state of Minnesota.

Lindsey Gwozdz

Roger Williams University

Lindsey is an Associate Professor and the Scholarly Communications Librarian at Roger Williams University, where she has been leading OER adoption, revision, and creation since 2016. She co-chairs the Rhode Island Open Textbook Initiative Steering Committee and is a fellow for Open Education at the New England Board of Higher Education. She researches the intersections of open education, information literacy, and U.S. copyright law.

Heather Miceli

Roger Williams University

Heather is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U), where she is researching the impact of OER adoption on student outcomes. She is very interested in the impacts Open Education Practices/Open Pedagogy can have on student achievement and how those practices can impact student confidence and anxiety. She is also interested in alternative assessment strategies. She serves on the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) OER Advisory Committee.

David Tully

North Carolina State University

Event Planning Committee

The Event Planning Committee identifies community needs and creates a responsive events schedule that facilitates connections between community members and supports their work.

Ginelle Baskin

Middle Tennessee State University

Ginelle is the Student Success & Open Education Librarian at Middle Tennessee State University. She leads Walker Library’s student success initiatives, including the development and oversight of the campus' open educational resources program. She earned her M.S. in Information Sciences from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Abbey Childs

Virginia Commonwealth University

Abbey (she/they) is the Open Educational Resources Librarian at Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries. They promote open and affordable course content adoption at VCU through advocacy, outreach, and education for a wide range of disciplines across both campuses of VCU. Abbey also guides faculty in the creation, identification, adoption, and dissemination of OERs and manages the VCUL Affordable Course Content Awards grant program, which provides financial support for faculty pursuing OER projects.

Mandi Goodsett

Cleveland State University

Mandi (she/her) is the Performing Arts & Humanities Librarian, as well as the Open Educational Resource & Copyright Advisor, at Cleveland State University. She serves as an OhioLINK Affordable Learning Ambassador and an instructor for the Open Education Network Certificate in OER Librarianship. Her research interests include open education, critical thinking in library instruction, mentoring new professionals, and sustainability in libraries.

Nicole Swanson

Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI)

Nicole is a Senior Coordinator of Library Services and Outreach at CARLI where she supports statewide Open Educational Resources initiatives along with CARLI colleagues and the CARLI OER Committee. Initiatives include supporting Illinois SCOERs (Support for Creation of Open Educational Resources) Open Textbook Pilot grant from the U.S. Department of Education, coordinating the Illinois Course Materials Survey: Student Perspective, supporting the Open Illinois OER Commons Hub, and collaborating to develop and instruct OER programs.

Stephanie Walker

University of North Dakota

Stephanie is the Dean of Libraries & Information Resources at the University of North Dakota. Previously, she served as Chief Librarian & Executive Director of Academic Information Technologies at Brooklyn College. She has also served in managerial, library IT, or IT liaison roles at Harvard University’s Countway Library, Mount Saint Vincent University (Canada), and the University of Toronto, and has held IT positions in programming, technical support, and database administration.

Yang Wu

Clemson University

Yang is the Open Resources Librarian at Clemson University, South Carolina, specializing in OER and Open Education. He has served as Chair of PASCAL, the South Carolina academic library consortium's Affordable Learning Committee, contributing editor of the OER Beyond Blog and on the Open Education Conference Communications Committee. Yang is currently an editorial advisory board member for the Journal of Open Education Resources in Higher Education and is part of an initiative by PASCAL and other organizations to start a statewide OER program in South Carolina.