Samvera Board membership

  • Karen Cariani (The GBH Archive) (August 2023 - December 31, 2024)

  • Jeremy Friesen (Software Services by Scientist.com) (January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2025)

  • Vacant (January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2025)

  • Kirsten Leonard (Hyku for Consortia) (January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2024)

  • Kate Lynch (Princeton University) (January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2026)

  • Alicia Morris (Tufts University) (2020 - December 31, 2026)

  • Robin Lindley Ruggaber (University of Virginia) (May 18, 2023 - December 31st, 2025)

  • David Schober (Northwestern University) (January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2025)

  • Tamsin Woo (University of California, Santa Barbara) (January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2026)

  • Non-voting ex officio: Heather Greer Klein (Community Manager), Esmé Cowles (past Board chair)

Members of the Board may be contacted by emailing board@samvera.org

Finance subcommittee

The finance subcommittee currently comprises

  • Karen Cariani

  • Kirsten Leonard

  • Alicia Morris

  • Robin Ruggaber

  • David Schober

  • Ex officio: Heather Greer Klein

The Samvera Board

What is the Commitment for Board Members?

On any given week, Board members dedicate a significant portion of their time the Samvera Community.  Depending upon need, a Board Member may dedicate a minimum of a couple of hours in a week, but may see spikes of up to 10 or 20 hours required for taking on certain issues, attending meetings, and so forth.

Membership requires a commitment to travel to Board meetings.  The Bylaws indicate that the Board will meet in person at least once per year when practical. Note that Board Members are responsible for associated costs of travel as well as their time.  

  • The Samvera Board has one regular video call per month, with others as needed.

  • The Board generally meets face-to-face 3 times per year:

    • 2 meetings associated with other meetings such as Connect and Partners

    • 1 standalone winter Board retreat

What Does the Samvera Board Do?

The Board of Directors provides stewardship and central administration of the Community; they are responsible for helping create the structures to see that critical tasks are addressed, and backstopping the Partners' group in the event that they do not fulfill these critical tasks. Duties might include:

  • creating Community structures

  • making day-to-day decisions, and determining when decisions must be brought to the Partners for a vote

  • backstopping partners when issues go unaddressed

  • handling sensitive issues.

  • stewardship and caretaking of the Community as a whole

  • providing continuity of the Community

  • Delegating work to the Community Manager

The Community should be aware that this list is not exhaustive and that the Board may be asked to take on additional tasks depending upon needs of the Community and Partners, and delegate work to others. Samvera's Community Manager takes on much of the delegated work, and the Board guides their work.
Like any other Partners, members of the Board also participate in Community activities including contributing to Working and Interest Groups, attending meetings, giving presentations etc.

Past Members 

Past members of the Samvera/Hydra Steering group or Samvera Board who are no longer active nor voting members of the Steering Group or Samvera Board. We thank them for their leadership and service!

  • Chris Awre (University of Hull) (2008-2020)

  • Jon Dunn (Indiana University) (2014-2020)

  • Robin Ruggaber (University of Virginia) (2010-2020)

  • Julie Allinson (CoSector/Notch8) (2018-2020)

  • Mike Giarlo (Penn State/Stanford University) (2014-2019)

  • Richard Green (University of Hull) (2008-2019)

  • Tom Cramer (Stanford University) (2008-2018)

  • Mark Bussey (Data Curation Experts)  (2013-2018)

  • Bess Sadler (U Virginia/Stanford U/Data Curation Experts)  (2008-2018)

  • Debra Hanken Kurtz (DuraSpace) (2016-2018)

  • Karen Estlund (Penn State University) (2015-2018)

  • Jonathan Markow (DuraSpace) (2011-2016)

  • Lynn McRae (Stanford University) (2009-2015) 

  • Matt Zumwalt (MediaShelf) (2009-2012)

  • Eddie Shin (MediaShelf) (2009-2012) 

  • Thorny Staples (DuraSpace) (2009-2010)

  • John Weise (University of Michigan) (2018-2021)

  • Kevin Kochanski (Notch8) (2020-2021)

  • Nabeela Jaffer (University of Michigan) (2021-2022)

  • Hannah Frost (Stanford University) (2020-2023)

  • Simeon Warner (Cornell University) (2020-2023)

  • Rosalyn Metz (Emory University) (2018 - 2023)

  • Harriett Green (Washington University St. Louis) (2021 - 2023)

  • Esmé Cowles (Princeton University) (2020 - 2023)

  • Brian McBride (University of Utah) (2020 - 2023)

  • Jessica Hilt (University of California, San Diego) (2023 - 2024)