Jalesa Fandel is the Program and Operations Specialist for SPARC. In her role, Lese supports SPARC programs, helping to grow engagement with members and the wider community. Lese also coordinates key organizational functions, including managing memberships, the Steering Committee, and as well as providing general operational support.
Prior to her joining the team in June 2020, Lese was a resource sharing specialist with the Boatwright Memorial Library at the University of Richmond. She worked with Interlibrary Loan Services and helped manage the university’s repository for faculty, student, and alumni publications. In her position, Lese also developed a new library newsletter, managed the library’s social media accounts, and assisted with Open Access events on campus.She developed an interest in scholarly communication and was part of the Association of Research Library’s Diversity Scholars Cohort in 2019-20.
She is enrolled in the IUPUI online master’s degree in Library and Information Science and is expected to complete her studies in the spring of 2021. She has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in history from Virginia Commonwealth University. She also taught history as an adjunct faculty member at John Tyler Community College in Chesterfield, Virginia.
