Emily Gore, deputy university librarian at the University of Georgia, has been elected chair of the SPARC Steering Committee, while Emma Molls, director of open research and publishing at the University of Minnesota, has been elected vice chair.
The leadership appointments were selected by SPARC’s elected Steering Committee members and will take effect following confirmation by the SPARC Board of Directors. The new terms will extend through February 2029.
Gore brings more than 25 years of experience in higher education, nonprofit organizations, and library management. Academic credentials include a master’s degree in library science from the University of Alabama. Previous roles include assistant dean of libraries at the University of Tennessee as well as leadership positions at Florida State University, Clemson University, and the Digital Public Library of America.
Professional service has also included board participation with SPARC, Inc., LYRASIS, the Open Access Network, and the RightsStatements.org Consortium. Gore has contributed to initiatives focused on open access, digital scholarship, and collaborative library infrastructure.
Molls oversees a portfolio at the University of Minnesota that includes publishing services, research data services, and research information management. Additional responsibilities include serving as interim director of the Data Curation Network.
Professional activities have included leadership as president of the Library Publishing Coalition and service as associate editor for the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Molls was also recognized as a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in 2021 for contributions to open research initiatives.
The leadership transition follows the service of outgoing steering committee chair April Hathcock and vice chair Yasmeen Shorish, whose terms concluded after supporting SPARC’s governance and advocacy activities.
SPARC’s membership includes more than 230 libraries and academic organizations across North America. The organization also works with affiliated coalitions in Africa, Europe, and Japan, as well as individual member organizations in Australia and Hong Kong.
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