Team

Vincent Aliberto, Video Services Manager

Will Andersen, Digital Repository Assistant

Chris Anderton, Web Developer

Brett Bisogno, Video Producer

Jack Donovan, Lead Application Developer

Patrick Force, Application Developer

Sarah Holsted, Digital Repository Coordinator

Risa Karaviotis, Production Manager

Rebecca Kennison, Director

Alberto Ortiz Flores, Web Developer

Kathryn Pope, Scholarly Communication Head

Kristian Portella, Video Producer

Diana Price, Communications Coordinator

Merran Swartwood, Usability Researcher

Eva Terzopoulos, Project Manager

Robin Wells, Usability Research Head

Ginny Wiehardt, PMA Editor

• Director

  Rebecca Kennison, Director

  rkennison [at] columbia.edu

  As Director, Rebecca is responsible for developing the programs and services of the Center and for coordinating these efforts with other Libraries/Information Services divisions, including the Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning, the Copyright Advisory Office, the Libraries Digital Program Division, the Libraries Information Technology Office, and Preservation and Digital Conversion Division. Her primary objective for the Center is to facilitate scholarly research and the communication of that research through technology solutions, and she works with faculty and researchers to address the issues that affect them.

  Before coming to Columbia, Rebecca was Director of Content Services for Healthline Networks, an online consumer health website. From 2002-2006, she was Director of Production at the open-access publisher, Public Library of Science. She has also held positions with Cell Press, SilverPlatter Education, Blackwell Publishing, Inc., and Database Publishing. She has an M.A. in English from Arizona State University.

• Digital Initiatives

  Digital Initiatives team members initiate and cultivate long-term relationships with CU researchers, research groups and departments, and library staff.

  • Will Andersen, Digital Repository Assistant

    wla2103 [at] columbia.edu

    Will joined CDRS in June 2009, with responsibility for cataloging and acquiring material for deposit in Academic Commons, Columbia University’s research repository. While getting his M.S. in library science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill he worked at the Carolina Digital Library and Archives, doing XML encoding for Documenting the American South. In addition to metadata and digital collections cataloging experience, Will has a background in traditional archives and Civil War history, with an M.A. in public history from North Carolina State University.

  • Sarah Holsted, Digital Repository Coordinator

    sholsted [at] columbia.edu

    Sarah guides the growth and development of Academic Commons, Columbia University’s research repository. She works with current students, faculty, and staff of Columbia University and its affiliates to deposit digital items created through research and study into the online repository. She also collaborates with colleagues in CDRS and in other departments of the library to find innovative ways to manage, publish, and provide access to repository content.

    Previously, Sarah consulted in the area of education technology and specifically on implementing, evaluating, conducting outreach for and promoting the sustainability of education digital libraries. Among other groups, she worked with the National Science Digital Library, the Instructional Architect Project at Utah State University, and the Association of Research Libraries. Prior to establishing a consulting practice, Sarah worked in the private sector conducting market analyses and assessments related to deploying technology in higher education. She received an M.S.L.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

  • Diana Aquino Price, Communications Coordinator

    dp2065 [at] columbia.edu

    As Communications Coordinator, Diana oversees external communications, provides a wide range of support to CDRS teams, and is the primary contact for selected client services.

    Prior to joining CDRS in September 2008, she worked in Beijing, China on the Asia Pacific marketing services team for Weber Shandwick, a global public relations firm. Before moving to China, Diana was the Assistant to the President and Young Feminist Programs Co-Coordinator at the National Organization for Women in Washington, D.C. Her professional experiences have also included teaching English as a second language and working as an audio/visual technician. Diana has a B.A. in English from Barnard College, Columbia University.

• Video Services

  The Video Services team captures Columbia’s diverse array of lectures, conferences, and other events on video for preservation and sharing.

  • Vincent Aliberto, Video Services Manager

    va118 [at] columbia.edu

    Vincent has been providing video production services Columbia University since 2001, first with Digital Knowledge Ventures (DKV), and now at CDRS. From the beginning, he recognized the need to capture events, lectures, and symposia on video, both for archiving and preservation as well as for online delivery. In doing so, Vincent has helped CDRS become a key resource for the University. He works closely with The Earth Institute, The School of International Public Affairs (SIPA), University Programs and Events, and other departments on a regular basis.

    Previously, Vincent worked at Thirteen/WNET as an audio engineer and associate producer for the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM version of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series, Civilization, Heritage and the Jews.

  • Brett Bisogno, Video Producer

    bmb2113 [at] columbia.edu

    Brett is a video producer responsible for taping University events, as well as editing and posting them to the Columbia website.

    Before arriving at Columbia, Brett worked as an editor for FOX News Channel. Brett attended the State University of New York at New Paltz, where he received a B.A. in Television and Radio Production.

  • Kristian Portella, Video Producer

    kjp2127 [at] columbia.edu

    As a video producer, Kristian is responsible for on-location videotaping of interviews and events, including lighting and audio/video, as well as post-production editing.

    Kristian previously worked for the Photo/Forensic and Audio Visual Unit of the Fire Department of the City of New York, providing (among other responsibilities) documentary and public relations materials for the FDNY in the wake of 9/11. Kristian has also worked in the public relations department of the National Museum of Catholic Art and History and for several film production companies, such as Auteur, Corsair, Deborah Schindler, and UFO Entertainment. Kristian holds a B.A. in Communications from the Film and Video Department of the City College of New York and is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program (with a Film Studies concentration) of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

• Production

  The Production group puts CDRS’ and its partners’ ideas into motion and implementation.

  • Risa Karaviotis, Production Manager

    kk2648 [at] columbia.edu

    Risa Karaviotis is the Production Manager for CDRS, wrangling multiple projects and pilots into tight timelines, ensuring the utilization best practices in design, information architecture (IA), and code. She joined Columbia University Libraries/Information Services fresh from a year of writing screenplays and finishing her novel, but prior to that she worked at MTV Networks for 8 years, on sites such as imagineradio.com (defunct as of 2001), mtv.co.uk, cmt.com, spiketv.com, comedycentral.com, and mtv.com (and those blasted Movie and Video Awards). She was dedicated to comedycentral.com from the end of 2003 until she left in 2007. She has only good things to say about Jon Stewart and Dave Chappelle.

  • Christopher Anderton, Web Developer

    cja2126 [at] columbia.edu

    Christopher is responsible for coding and designing web sites and web applications. He has experience in designing, implementing, and maintaining Internet-based applications in a variety of languages. Also in his repertoire is a wide variety of art and design skills in both digital and traditional media. Before working at Columbia, Christopher was employed at a start-up and was responsible for building the technical infrastructure and creating the internal data management system, the website, and the promotional materials.

  • Jack Donovan, Lead Application Developer

    jd2148 [at] columbia.edu

    As the lead application developer, Jack designs, develops, and maintains computing systems and software, working with multiple languages such as Java, PHP, XML, and Ruby on Rails and with various databases.

    Jack transitioned to CDRS as part of the reorganization of Columbia University’s Digital Knowledge Ventures (DKV), where for several years he had been a senior software analyst/developer. Prior to that, Jack worked as a developer at Teachscape Inc., Worldwide Xceed Group, and the Episcopal News Service. Jack obtained his B.A. from the New School for Social Research.

  • Patrick Force, Application Developer

    pbf2105 [at] columbia.edu

    Patrick Force is a software developer with a focus in the area of web development. He’s very happy to join CDRS at Columbia University, having come from a background of working primarily in the hectic and maddening world of web-development start-up companies. Patrick has a strong track record in XML, databases, and web service development. In addition to developing software, Patrick also contributes music to various theater, film, and internet video projects. He’s happy to have worked with comedians Pete and Brian on a number of occasions, including an online internet short, FCU: Fact Checkers Unit, featuring Bill Murray. Oh, he also built their website.

  • Alberto Ortiz Flores, Web Developer

    ao2262 [at] columbia.edu

    Alberto designs, creates, and enhances web applications and site components, using innovative technologies such as XML/XSLT, PHP/MySQL, and Javascript, while utilizing search engine optimization best practices for a better user experience. Before joining CDRS in 2008, Alberto worked in the tourism industry.

  • Eva Terzopoulos, Project Manager

    et2231 [at] columbia.edu

    Eva oversees all aspects of multimedia projects, working closely with faculty members to help them achieve their project goals. She is responsible for creating schedules and resource requirements, as well as coordinating resources over the entire life cycle of a given project.

    Prior to coming to Columbia, Eva worked account management in the health care communications industry. Before that she managed projects for a small web development company in San Francisco. She has a B.S. in biology from Boston College.

  • Ginny Wiehardt, PMA Editor

    glw2113 [at] columbia.edu

    Ginny Wiehardt maintains the Publications Management Application (PMA), an online archive of scholarship by Columbia Business School faculty that supports the Ideas at Work website and Business School faculty pages. In keeping with the project’s open-access mission, she also negotiates rights agreements with publishers to post full-text versions of this scholarship online.

    In addition to working for Columbia, she writes and edits for a number of organizations, including e-Scholastic and About.com. Previously, she was Managing Editor for Library Relations at the American Council of Learned Societies History E-Book Project and, prior to that, an editorial assistant at NYU Press. She has an M.F.A. in Poetry from the Michener Center for Writers and a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Austin. Her work has appeared in journals such as the Notre Dame Review, PN Review, and Spoon River Poetry Review.

• Usability Research

  The Usability Research group is committed to integrating the best practices of user-centered design (UCD) into all CDRS projects.

  • Robin Wells, Head of Usability Research

    rw2142 [at] columbia.edu

    As Head of Usability Research, Robin works with CDRS team members and Columbia partners (faculty and researchers) to ensure that all projects incorporate best practices of User-Centered Design. This approach leads to solutions that users find useful, easy to use and that promote efficient transformations in work practices. Robin also consults with CUL/IS members over their specific usability issues (e.g., web design, information architecture, usability testing, focus groups, survey design).

    Before joining CDRS, Robin gained methodological breadth in applied research by working in a diversity of fields, most recently in market research as Director of Research at Columbia’s Digital Knowledge Ventures. She was engaged in human factors research as a Bell Labs Distinguished Member of Technical Staff, first at AT&T and then Lucent Technologies, information architecture at Columbia University and Logical Design Solutions, organizational psychology at AT&T and the Conference Board, social policy development at the Ford Foundation and NYC Human Resources, and biological psychiatry at NY Medical College. Robin obtained her Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from New York University.

  • Merran Swartwood, Usability Researcher

    mes104 [at] columbia.edu

    As Usability Researcher, Merran works with colleagues and clients to understand the needs of each project’s users and assist in the development of usable and useful solutions. In her time at CDRS and previously at Columbia’s Digital Knowledge Ventures, she has held a wide range of responsibilities, including quality assurance, copyediting, editorial work, research, and web development. Merran holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Columbia.

• Scholarly Communication Program

  This program aims to facilitate discussion about, and inspire innovative approaches to, sharing scholarly work, as well as offer practical information about the opportunities and challenges presented by scholarship and research in a time of technological change.

  • Kathryn Pope, Head of the Scholarly Communication Program

    kp2002 [at] columbia.edu

    As Head of the Scholarly Communication Program, Kathryn’s goal is to raise awareness of, and encourage new solutions to, scholarly communication issues. She works towards this goal through organizing a speakers series on relevant topics, maintaining a dynamic and informative web presence for the program, and meeting with members of the Columbia community. She works closely with other CDRS staff and the Copyright Advisory Office.

    Before assuming her current role at Columbia, Kathryn was a Project Manager and Director of Research and Rights for Digital Knowledge Ventures. Her background is in multimedia production, and she has worked on video, audio, and print projects for organizations including MSNBC, Court TV, Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, PBS, and a number of museums. Kathryn has a B.A. in Women’s Studies from Brown University.