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Who we are

Participating Institutions

  1. Indiana University Bloomington
  2. Michigan State University
  3. Northwestern University
  4. Ohio State University
  5. Pennsylvania State University
  6. Purdue University
  7. Rutgers University-New Brunswick
  8. University of Chicago
  9. University of Illinois at Urbana­Champaign
  10. University of Iowa
  11. University of Maryland
  12. University of Michigan
  13. University of Minnesota
  14. University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  15. University of Oregon
  16. University of Washington
  17. University of Wisconsin-­Madison

Team Members

Our Team Members form the core of BTAA-GIN, each contributing unique skills and perspectives. Their collective expertise covers a wide range of areas, including geospatial science, data management, and metadata, as well as map cataloging and cartographic history. They also contribute valuable insights into social justice and web accessibility, alongside technical skills in software development and user-friendly interface design.

First Name Last Name Job Title Institution
Theresa Quill Map and Spatial Data Librarian Indiana University Bloomington
Ronda Sewald Cartographic Resource Cataloger & Interim Head, Area Studies Cataloging Indiana University Bloomington
Amanda Tickner GIS Specialist Michigan State University
Kathleen Weessies Head, Map Library Michigan State University
Méch Frazier GIS Specialist Northwestern University
Danny Dotson Head of Geology Library and Gardner Family Map Room, Mathematical Sciences Librarian & Science Education Specialist Ohio State University
Josh Sadvari Geospatial Information Librarian Ohio State University
Tara Louise Anthony GIS Specialist Pennsylvania State University
Owuor Innocensia GIS Specialist and Clinical Assistant Professor Purdue University
Shirley Li GIS Specialist and Clinical Assistant Professor Purdue University
Francesca Giannetti Digital Humanities Librarian Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Sue Oldenburg GIS Specialist Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Rob Shepard GIS Librarian & Instructor University of Chicago
Sandi Caldrone Data Research Support University of Illinois
Jay Bowen GIS Specialist University of Iowa
Cathy Hodge Monograph & Cartographic Resources Cataloging Librarian University of Iowa
Milan Budhathoki Geospatial Librarian University of Maryland
Caroline Kayko Map and Geospatial Data Librarian University of Michigan
Nicole Scholtz Librarian for Geospatial and Numeric Data University of Michigan
Melinda Kernik Spatial Data Analyst & Curator University of Minnesota
Laura McElfresh Cartographic Metadata Librarian University of Minnesota
Wenjie Wang GIS Librarian University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Meg Mering Coordinator of Cataloging and Metadata University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Gabriele Hayden Head of Data Services University of Oregon
Kathy Stroud Cartographic and Government Information Librarian University of Oregon
Matthew Parsons Geospatial Data and Maps Librarian University of Washington
Allison Anderson GIS Infrastructure and Support Specialist University of Washington
Jim Lacy Associate State Cartographer University of Wisconsin-­Madison
Jaime Martindale Map and Geospatial Data Librarian University of Wisconsin-­Madison

University of Minnesota Operations Staff

The University of Minnesota serves as the administrative and technical hub of the BTAA-GIN.

Core Staff

  • Ryan Mattke - Program Director
  • Colleen Wilson - Associate Director: Program & Outreach Coordination
  • Karen Majewicz - Associate Director: Technology & Data Curation
  • Eric Larson - Lead Application Developer
  • Cleo Young - Geospatial Metadata Technician

IT and Web Development Support

  • Cody Hanson- IT Director - Administrative Lead
  • Michael Berkowski - Web Developer
  • Mark Engelmann - Web Analytics

Alumni

Project Sponsor Alumni

  • Wendy Lougee, University Librarian and McKnight Presidential Professor - University of Minnesota (2015-2020)
  • James Hilton, University Librarian and Dean of Libraries - University of Michigan
  • Kim Armstrong, BTAA CLI Big Ten Academic Alliance Director Library Initiatives
  • John Butler, Associate University Librarian for Data & Technology - University of Minnesota (sponsor 2015-2021)
  • Kirsten Clark, Director, Access and Information Services - University of Minnesota (sponsor 2019-2021)
  • Claire Stewart, Associate University Librarian for Research & Learning - University of Minnesota (sponsor 2015-201
  • Barbara Dewey- Dean of University Libraries & Scholarly Communications, Penn State (2020)

University of Minnesota Staff Alumni

  • Kevin Dyke - Spatial Curator and Geoportal developer
  • Michael Johnson - Web Analytics
  • Paul Bramscher - Linux Systems Administrator and Software Administrator

Graduate Research Assistant Alumni

  • Owen Connolly - (2023-2024)
  • Alexander Danielson - (2022-2023)
  • Ziying (Gene) Cheng - (2020-2022)
  • Yijing (Zoey) Zhou - (2020-2021)
  • Emily Ruetz (2018-2020)
  • Andrew Smith (2017-2019)
  • Lewei Hi (2017)

Team Member Alumni

First Name Last Name Job Title Institution
Paige Andrew Maps Cataloging Librarian Pennsylvania State University
Linda Ballinger Metadata Strategist Pennsylvania State University
Mara Blake Spatial & Numeric Data Librarian University of Michigan
Sam Brown Map Collection Manager University of Chicago
Adonna Fleming Professor University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Taylor Hixson Resident Librarian for GIS University of Chicago
Jae Sung Kim Open Source Geospatial Analyst Pennsylvania State University
Nicole Kong GIS Specialist Purdue University
Jennifer Liss Monographic Image Cataloging Librarian Indiana University Bloomington
Kelley O'Neal GIS Geography and Maps Librarian University of Maryland
Bria Parker Metadata Librarian University of Maryland
Rob Shepard GIS Specialist University of Iowa
Andrea Twiss-Brooks Director of Research and Teaching Support University of Chicago
Tim Utter Manager Clark Library University of Michigan
James Whitacre GIS Specialist University of Illinois
AJ Wortley State Outreach Specialist University of Wisconsin-­Madison