Katie Davis
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Dr. Katie Davis is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington Information School, Adjunct Associate Professor in the UW College of Education, and a founding member and Co-Director of the UW Digital Youth Lab. Her research explores the role of new media technologies in young people’s personal, social, and academic lives, with a particular focus on the intersection between technology and identity development during adolescence and emerging adulthood. Dr. Davis holds two master’s degrees and a doctorate in Human Development and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Mega Subramaniam
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Dr. Mega Subramaniam is a Professor at the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, and a founding member and Co-Director of the UMD Youth eXperience (YX) Lab. Her research focuses on enhancing the role of libraries in fostering the mastery of emerging digital literacies that are essential to STEM learning among underserved young people. Dr. Subramaniam received her Ph.D in Information Studies from Florida State University and her master’s degree in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University, Bloomington.
Chris Coward
Chris Coward is a Senior Principal Research Scientist at the University of Washington Information School, director of the Technology & Social Change Group, and co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public. Chris studies issues of information access, digital equity, information and digital literacy, misinformation, and civic engagement. Much of his research involves codesigning new programs and services in public libraries around these issues. He holds two master’s degrees in international studies and public administration, both from the University of Washington.
Kelly Hoffman
Kelly M. Hoffman is a doctoral candidate at the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland. She earned an MLS from the University of Maryland in 2007 and worked as a systems librarian and knowledge manager before returning to the college. Her dissertation research focuses on algorithm awareness and literacy.
Linda Braun
Linda W. Braun, a Learning Consultant with LEO, works with educational institutions across the United States to design and deliver quality learning experiences for youth, families, communities, and staff. She co-authored the reports, Ready to Code: Connecting Youth to CS Opportunities Through Libraries, The Future of Library Services for and with Teens: A Call to Action, and Transforming Library Services for and with Teens Through CE and has authored numerous books and articles. She is a past president of YALSA and has taught for Simmons College School of Library and Information Science, the University of Washington iSchool, and the University of Maryland College of Information Studies.
Stacey Wedlake
Stacey is a research coordinator and analyst with the Technology & Social Change Group at the University of Washington Information School. Much of her research focuses on adult community-based digital equity programs. Before coming to the UW, she taught basic computer classes at a nonprofit, community college, and as Peace Corps Volunteer in Mongolia. Stacey holds degrees in Public Administration (MPA) and Library and Information Science (MLIS) from the University of Washington. She earned a BA in Communication from Trinity University (San Antonio, Texas).
Rotem Landesman
Rotem Landesman is a PhD student at the iSchool at University of Washington. She earned her BA in Communications at the IDC in Israel, and a MA in Technology and Philosophy at Tel Aviv University, as well as worked in several marketing and learning roles in the industry.
Advisory Board
Tammy Dillard-Steels
Tammy Dillard-Steels is the Executive Director of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) where she leads her team to support library staff in alleviating the challenges teens face and help to put them on the path to success.
Prior to joining YALSA, she was the Executive Director of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and was a regional director at the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). Tammy served as the director of constituents services for the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) and as the executive director of the Urban Sustainability Authority, a nonprofit organization where she founded, provided fundraising, day-to-day operations, and strategic direction.
She has held numerous health and safety leadership positions at Commonwealth Edison, University of Chicago Hospitals and the National Safety Council.
Tammy is a strategic executive with over 25 years of experience in both the nonprofit and private sector with a solid record to outline, develop, and implement measurable performance improvements to advance the organizational mission. She is a professional speaker, mentor, and an active member of her community.
In 2016 she became a scholar with the American Society of Association Executive’s (ASAE) Diversity Executive Leadership Program. She is a recipient of the coveted 2012 Workforce Diversity Scholarship from the Association Forum of Chicagoland (Association Forum), and in 2007, she became a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Leadership Fellow.
Mizuko Ito, Ph.D
Mimi Ito is a cultural anthropologist, learning scientist, entrepreneur, and an advocate for connected learning—learning that is equity-oriented, centered on youth interest, and socially connected. Her work decodes digital youth culture for parents and educators, offering ways to tap interests and digital media to fuel learning that is engaging, relevant, and socially connected. She is the director of the Connected Learning Lab and Professor in Residence and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Chair in Digital Media and Learning at the University of California, Irvine. She is also co-founder of Connected Camps, a non-profit providing online learning experiences for kids in all walks of life. Her co-authored books include Hanging Out, Messing Around and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media and Affinity Online: How Connection and Shared Interest Fuel Learning and the reports, From Good Intentions to Real Outcomes: Equity by Design in Learning Technologies, and The Connected Learning Research Network: Reflections on a Decade of Engaged Scholarship.
Bailee Hutchinson
ARSL Board Member and Branch Manager at the Altus (OK) Public Library
William Penuel
Professor, University of Colorado, Boulder
Dale Musselman
Learning Manager at WebJunction
Gail Sheldon
Youth Services Consultant at the Alabama State Library