Washington, D.C. – Emily Gore, deputy university librarian at the University of Georgia, has been elected to serve as the new chair of the SPARC Steering Committee, and Emma Molls, director of open research and publishing at the University of Minnesota, will serve as vice chair. The new leaders were voted on by SPARC’s elected Steering Committee members and their positions will begin once confirmed by the SPARC Board of Directors. Their terms will run through February 2029.
“We’re delighted to have Emily and Emma at the helm,” said Heather Joseph, SPARC’s executive director. “They each bring critical expertise and perspective to SPARC’s work, as well as a deep commitment to our mission. They’ve both been effective and collaborative members of the SPARC Steering Committee, and the whole SPARC team is looking forward to working with them in these new leadership roles.”
Emily Gore, Deputy University Librarian, University of Georgia
Gore has more than 25 years of experience working in higher education, nonprofit and library management. She has a master’s degree in library science from the University of Alabama. Before coming to the University of Georgia, she was assistant dean of libraries at the University of Tennessee. She has also held leadership positions at Florida State University, Clemson University and the Digital Public Library of America. Gore has served on the board of SPARC, Inc., LYRASIS, the Open Access Network and the RightsStatements.org Consortium.
“I’m super excited to be able to chair the Steering Committee,” Gore said. “I’ve learned so much from the SPARC team and my steering committee colleagues about the federal policy environment related to scholarly communications and best practices at SPARC institutions that have really helped me do a better job on my campus to further open access, open data and open education. Serving as chair will allow me to continue this collaborative work while giving back to the community that has helped me immensely throughout my career. ”
Emma Molls, Director, Open Research & Publishing, University of Minnesota
Molls first became connected to SPARC through OpenCon in 2014. In addition to leading a department that includes publishing, research data services, research information management, they are interim director of the Data Curation Network. Molls has been president of Library Publishing Coalition, associate editor for DOAJ and was named a 2021 Library Journal Mover & Shaker for their work with open research.
“I want to give back to SPARC. It has been so instrumental in getting me where I am now,” Molls said of their new position as vice chair. “Research and librarianship is a global community. Our work doesn’t stop at the U.S. border and the need to connect with folks around the world. I’m interested in bringing creativity and nimbleness to this work.”
SPARC also gratefully acknowledges the outgoing chair, April Hathcock, and vice chair, Yasmeen Shorish, for their invaluable service in the roles.
SPARC’s membership includes over 230 libraries and academic organizations across North America. This membership is complemented by affiliated SPARC coalitions in Africa, Europe, and Japan as well as individual member organizations in Australia and Hong Kong. The full list of Steering Committee Members as well as information about SPARC’s governance and membership is available on sparcopen.org.
About SPARC
SPARC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports open systems for research and education that enable everyone, everywhere to access, contribute to, and benefit from the knowledge that shapes our world.