As of October 19th 2020, Jennifer Gibson assumed leadership of OASPA as Caroline Sutton stepped down as Chair of the Association.
Jennifer is a non-profit executive and board member with 15 years’ experience driving openness in research through advocacy and leadership. She is currently Head of Open Research Communication for eLife, a non-profit initiative established by research funders to transform science publishing. As a founding member of eLife, she has worked since 2011 with researchers, funders, publishers, developers and others to explore fresh paths toward accelerating discovery through open research communication and open technology innovation. Jennifer was Chair of the OASPA annual conference earlier this year and of the OASPA Communications Committee from 2012 to 2015. She also serves on the Board for FORCE11.
“I’m honoured and excited at the opportunity to lead OASPA at this special moment in time,” says Jennifer. “There is unprecedented momentum behind open research and behind solutions that fully enable open access for the worldwide community of scholars – and the machines that aid them.”
“Thanks to the work of my predecessors Caroline Sutton and Paul Peters, the other founders of OASPA, and Claire Redhead in particular, the organisation is trusted, well-supported and agile enough to traverse a fast-changing landscape. I look forward to helping to guide our efforts and our community toward what’s next.”
Caroline Sutton served as President of the OASPA Board from the official inception of the organization in 2008 until 2013, when Paul Peters took on this role. Caroline again served as Chair for the 2019-2020 term and will now continue her work with the board as she moves into the role of Secretary as part of the Executive Committee and Board of OASPA.
As she hands over the role of Chair to Jennifer Gibson, Caroline said, “It has been a privilege to serve a second term as OASPA Chair and as always I look forward to supporting the organisation and the Board moving forward. As her recent contribution as Chair of the OASPA 2020 Conference Committee has shown, Jen brings a thoughtful and inclusive leadership style to the Board that will serve us well as we navigate the many challenges and opportunities emerging in the global open research landscape .”
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