Team

Vincent Aliberto, Video Services Manager

Chris Anderton, Web Developer

Brett Bisogno, Video Producer

Eva Cunningham, Senior Project Manager

Jack Donovan, Lead Application Developer

Jackson Harvell, Web Developer

Robert Hilliker, Digital Repository Manager

Rebecca Kennison, Director

Brian Luna Lucero, Digital Repositories Assistant

Julie Morris, Project Coordinator

Mark Newton, Production Manager

Amy Nurnberger, Research Data Manager

Aleksey Pokalyukhin, Senior Application Developer

Kathryn Pope, Scholarly Communication Head

Kristian Portella, Video Producer

Ginny Wiehardt, PMA Editor

Leyla Williams, Communications Coordinator

Semhar Woldeyesus, Production Assistant

• Director

  Rebecca Kennison, Director

  rkennison@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.

• • Academic Commons

    Academic Commons team members acquire materials, manage content, and facilitate researchers, faculty, and students as they deposit content into Columbia’s expanding online repository.

    • Robert Hilliker, Digital Repository Manager

      rh2561@columbia.edu

      As Digital Repository Manager, Robert’s primary role is to acquire content for Academic Commons as well as to promote awareness and use of this ever-growing collection. He also works to ensure the usability, discoverability, and interoperability of the repository and the resources available therein.

      Robert joins CDRS from Rutgers University, where he worked in library technical services from 2008 to 2011, and from which he will receive his MLIS in Digital Libraries in October 2011. Prior to that he worked on various digital library projects at Brown University’s Center for Digital Initiatives and the Modernist Journals Project while completing his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. His B.A. in English is from the University of British Columbia.

    • • Brian Luna Lucero, Digital Repositories Assistant

        bal35@columbia.edu

        Brian oversees the cataloging and metadata remediation for the material in Academic Commons. He also solicits new deposits to the repository and contributes to the Center’s outreach to Columbia’s scholars.

        Prior to joining CDRS, Brian was a Graduate Fellow at the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections at the University of New Mexico while completing a Ph.D. in history. At the CSWR he digitized archival materials for the Celebrating New Mexico Statehood project and worked in public services, library instruction, and special collections reference. He holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies from 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@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@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@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.

        • Christopher Anderton, Web Developer

          cja2126@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.

        • Eva Cunningham, Senior Project Manager

          et2231@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.

        • Jack Donovan, Lead Application Developer

          jd2148@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.

        • Jackson Harvell, Web Developer

          jh3124@columbia.edu

          Jackson joins CDRS after more than 10 years as an independent technology consultant and web developer in New York City. In this role, he worked on an eclectic mix of projects involving web development digital photography, digital video and strategic technology consulting. He hopes to contribute his expertise in front end web development in addition to his focus on design, typography and user experiences in promoting the academic mission of CDRS.

        • Julie Morris, Project Coordinator

          jnm2145@columbia.edu

          Julie Morris comes to the CDRS from Vancouver, British Columbia, where she worked in trade book publishing as the Digital Projects Coordinator at D&M Publishers and as the Communications Coordinator for the new web application, BookRiff. Her focus at D&M was in managing ebook production and working to expand digital offerings to facilitate growth. She also played an important role in the initial launch of the website Bookriff.com, a web publishing site initially developed and partially funded by D&M. She has a Master of Publishing degree from Simon Fraser University and a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

          As the Project Coordinator, Julie hopes to use her experience in digital publishing and web project management to contribute to the development and expansion of ongoing projects at the CDRS.

        • Mark Newton, Production Manager

          mnewton@columbia.edu

          Mark Newton is the Production Manager for CDRS. He oversees the production schedules of the Web-based projects of the Center, including publication support for online scholarly journals, conference proceedings, and other digital projects related to the needs of the Columbia University community for scholarly exchange, and manages a staff of eight developers, designers, and project managers in the service of the center’s multiple project timelines.

          Prior to joining CDRS, Mark was Digital Collections Librarian and Assistant Professor at Purdue University Libraries. He received a Masters of Science in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois in 2007.

        • Aleksey Pokalyukhin, Senior Application Developer

          ap2972@columbia.edu

          Aleksey joins us from Columbia’s CUIT web-infrastructure group, where he worked as part of the course management system team. Prior to working at Columbia, Aleksey worked for several different companies as a Java web developer and software engineer. In his new role as Senior Application Developer at CDRS, Aleksey implements CDRS’ online platforms by architecting, coding, integrating, and maintaining services and back-end applications that support the projects of the Center. Aleksey received his Masters in Computer Science from the Polytechnic Institute of NYU in 2006.

        • Ginny Wiehardt, PMA Editor

          glw2113@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.

        • Semhar Woldeyesus, Production Assistant

          sw2646@columbia.edu

          As the Center’s Production Assistant, Semhar is responsible for helping build out and improve content across websites and digital publishing projects. Prior to joining CDRS, Semhar worked as a freelance reporter and on production teams for NPR, ABC News, and Black Enterprise. Semhar has a Masters of Science in Journalism from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

      • • • • 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@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.

            • Data Management

            • Amy Nurnberger, Research Data Manager

            • anurnberger@columbia.edu

            As Research Data Manager, Amy’s primary role is to address the data life cycle needs of researchers through planning, outreach, and training. She also works to develop policies and best practices that enable research data management.

            Amy joins CDRS from The University of Texas at Austin where she received her M.S. in Information Studies in May 2012. While earning her degree she worked on various public service library projects at The University of Texas at San Antonio and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Before pursuing an education in information, Amy was a Validation Manager in pharmaceutical manufacturing.  She has a B.S. in Biochemistry from Michigan State University.

          • • Communications

            • Leyla Williams, Communications Coordinator

            lwilliams@columbia.edu

          • As CDRS’ Communications Coordinator, Leyla Williams grows and maintains the Center’s online presence, oversees outreach and publicity efforts, and manages partner relationships. Prior to joining CDRS, Leyla worked in her hometown of London in nonprofit communications, campaigns, and political fundraising. Leyla has a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Birmingham, UK.