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Who we are

Who we are

Participating Institutions

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

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
Kelsey James Rydland Head of Digital Scholarship & Research Data Management Northwestern University
Danny Dotson Head of Geology Library and Gardner Family Map Room Ohio State University
Josh Sadvari Geospatial Information Librarian Ohio State University
Tara Louise Anthony GIS Specialist Pennsylvania State University
Nathan Piekielek Geospatial Services Librarian and Associate Professor of Geography Pennsylvania State University
Nicole Kong GIS Specialist Purdue University
Shirley Li GIS Specialist and Clinical Assistant Professor Purdue University
Innocensia Owuor GIS Specialist and Clinical Assistant Professor Purdue University
Francesca Giannetti Digital Humanities Librarian Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Susan Oldenburg GIS Specialist Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Greg Fleming Business and Economics Librarian University of Chicago
Rob Shepard GIS Librarian & Instructor University of Chicago
Sandi Caldrone Data Research Support University of Illinois
Jay Bowen GIS Specialist University of Iowa
Catherine 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
Karen Majewicz Geospatial Product Manager University of Minnesota
Ryan Mattke Map & Geospatial Information Librarian University of Minnesota
Laura McElfresh Cartographic Metadata Librarian University of Minnesota
Wenjie Wang GIS Specialist University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Meg Mering Coordinator of Cataloging and Metadata University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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.

  • Cody Hanson- IT Director - Administrative Lead
  • Ryan Mattke - Project Lead
  • Karen Majewicz - Geospatial Product Manager
  • Eric Larson - Lead Application Developer
  • 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

Executive Committee:

  • 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