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PALINET Staff Bios

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Catherine C. Wilt joined PALINET as the Executive Director in 2002. Prior to coming to PALINET, Cathy served as Director of Member Support and Education Services at Amigos Library Services in Dallas, Texas. Her responsibilities included consulting, training, and technical support for network members. Prior to joining Amigos' staff, Cathy was the first Executive Coordinator for the Online Computer Library Center's Regional OCLC Network Directors Advisory Committee (RONDAC). A graduate of James Madison University, Cathy received her MLS at the University of Pittsburgh and a master's in education from Temple University, Philadelphia. Cathy formerly lived in the Philadelphia area and was the Resource Center Manager at Drexel University's College of Information Studies. She also held library and teaching positions at Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pa., that included Acting Library Director, Assistant Director of Public Services, and Co-Director of the American Studies Program.

Kathy Anderson joined the PALINET staff as Writer/Editor in November 2007. As a member of the Marketing Team, she is responsible for the weekly eNewsletter, press releases, promotions and advertisements, website content, grant support, Annual Report and other publications. Previously, Kathy worked for 30 years for the Atlantic County Library System in New Jersey, holding a variety of positions, including Reference Section Manager, Branch Manager, and Community Relations Librarian. She received her BA in English from the University of Delaware and her MLS from the State University of New York, Geneseo.

 

Melissa Bishop joined the PALINET staff in January 2008. As Support Specialist, she is responsible for member product and order support, renewals, and order processing. Previously, she was Research Librarian in the law library of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in Philadelphia. She received her BA in American Studies from the University of Minnesota in 1998 and her MSLIS from Drexel in 2006.

 

 

Diana Bitting joined the PALINET staff in 1989. As Manager of the PALINET Education Program, Diana oversees the development and administration of PALINET workshops, as well as the development of the PALINET Online Distance Education program. Diana began her career at PALINET as an Administrative Services Coordinator, has served as the Web Technologies Senior Consultant, the Senior Marketing & Communications Coordinator, an OCLC Services Senior Coordinator, and a Computer and Network Services Coordinator.

 

K. John Bower joined the PALINET staff in November 2004. As Executive Assistant, he is currently responsible for corporate knowledge asset management, and organizational support for documentation, procedures, and process. John combines his many years of administrative assistance, computer support, and programming for this position.

Tom Ceresini joined PALINET in September 2006.  As Technology Consultant, he works with members and business partners, focusing on software-based solutions and other technology issues, as well as training.  Previously, Tom worked at Siemens Health Services Corporation for 25 years, holding a variety of positions that included Software Engineer and Lead Network Security Analyst.  In 2006, he received an MS(LIS) from Drexel University and holds a BA from Millersville University.  Tom has also earned CISSP (Certificate #52378) and GSEC (Analyst #801) computer security certifications.

Meryl Cinnamon is Membership Manager, responsible for leading membership services and activities. With PALINET since 1987, Meryl was previously Director of Education & Support Services and Manager of PALINET's OCLC Service Department. Before joining PALINET Meryl was Manager of Marketing Support with Utlas International U.S., Inc., and Manager of Member Services with CAPCON in Washington, D.C. Meryl began her library career as Head Catalog Librarian for Music/AV at Rutgers University. She received her BA in Sociology and Spanish and her MLS from Rutgers University.

 
Thomas F. R. Clareson joined PALINET as Director for New Initiatives in October 2005.  Leading PALINET's digital collections creation and management services, preservation services, and consulting activities, he is responsible for establishing new services and funding sources, grant writing, and outreach to the museum and historical society communities.  With more than 17  years of experience in preservation and digitization services, Tom was previously Global Product Manager at OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.; he also served in various capacities at Amigos Library Services, Inc.  Tom holds an MLS from Kent State University, an MA from Ohio State University, and a BA from Ohio Wesleyan University.  A former representative from the Society of American Archivists to the Joint Committee on Archives, Libraries, and Museums, he currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Heritage Preservation.
 

Jo-ann Fawns joined PALINET in July 2006 as a Support Assistant in the Consortial Services area, where her responsibilities include invoicing and processing member requests. Jo-ann previously worked at Tishman Construction as an Office Administrator, and at Comcast Cable as a Marketing Support Coordinator.

 

Laurie A. Gemmill joined PALINET in June 2008. As Digital Services Program Manager, she is responsible for establishing the PALINET Mass Digitization Collaborative and for working with members and business partners to broaden the array of digital services available to PALINET members. Previously, she worked for OCLC in positions including Senior Implementation Program Manager and Digital Projects Specialist. For the Ohio Historical Society, she managed several award-winning digital projects, including Ohio Memory (www.ohiomemory.org) and The African-American Experience in Ohio, part of the Library of Congress American Memory online resource (www.ohiohistory.org/africanam). Her other positions at the Ohio Historical Society included State Archivist and Electronic Records Archivist. She received her MLIS from the University of California, Los Angeles; her MA in European History from the University of California, Irvine; and her BA in European History from the University of California, San Diego. She teaches courses in digital libraries as adjunct faculty at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN.

 

 

Donna Harnish has been with PALINET since 1993. She is PALINET's Events Coordinator and assists with conference planning and educational sessions registration. She previously served as administrative assistant/receptionist in the Philadelphia office. Before joining PALINET, Donna was secretary/accounting clerk at Electric Tachometer Corp., Philadelphia and served in the US Navy as an Ocean Systems Technician. She graduated from Phillips Junior College.

 

Douglas J. Horner joined PALINET in 2001 and is Chief Operations Officer and oversees financial, IT, and administrative operations. Previously he was Director of Finance & Administration. A Certified Public Accountant, Doug was Controller for Northeast Lincoln Mercury, Philadelphia, and Holman Enterprises, Pennsauken, NJ. He was a Senior Accountant with Coopers & Lybrand in Philadelphia. He received his BS in Accounting from La Salle University.

 
John Houser joined PALINET in September 2006 as Senior Technology Consultant. His responsibilities include enhancing PALINET’s role as a leading technology advisor through awareness building, training, and consulting. He also facilitates implementation of new technology tools, methods and resources for members in areas such as open source software, digitization and digital library development, portals and federated searching, institutional repositories, and e-content management. John’s most recent prior position was Director of Information Systems at VTLS Inc, where he designed and coded that company’s internal management system and the reporting module for their flagship product. Previously he ran the Information Systems Department at the Detroit Public Library, and was also a Systems Librarian at UCLA. John holds an MILS from University of Michigan, and a BA from Grinnell College, IA.
 

Carrie Kostroba joined PALINET in 2004 as an Administrative Assistant and was promoted to Operations Assistant in August 2005. Her current responsibilities include accounts payable, member billing, and administrative support. Carrie graduated from the PJA School in 2002 with an Associates Degree in Accounting. Previously, she worked as an administrative assistant at Republic First Bank. She also worked as an Accounting Clerk for Wal-Mart, Inc.

 
Kate Lawrence joined PALINET in March 2007. As Senior Information Technology Coordinator, Kate is responsible for supporting internal and external network infrastructure, IT project management, server administration, and technical support. Her previous positions include Network Administrator & Technical Trainer at CGFNS International; and LANDesk Engineer, Network Administrator, and Helpdesk Supervisor at Health Partners of Philadelphia. Kate earned a BA from the University of Pittsburgh, and is certified through BrainBench.com on Linux Administration, Computer Technical Support, Information Technology Industry Knowledge, and Mathematics Fundamentals.
 
 
Christine Martire joined PALINET in 2004. As Director for Strategic Partnerships, she is responsible for business development and partnerships, marketing/communications, and group purchasing. In the latter, she strives to expand PALINET's consortial offerings, including electronic information resources, digitization products, and other library materials and services. Previously she was Manager of Cooperative Purchasing. Chris has extensive experience in electronic resource publishing and library automation, including various product management and business development roles at Chadwyck-Healey, SilverPlatter, and WebCT. Most recently, Chris was Director, Publishers' Digital Business for Baker & Taylor, working with publishers for eBooks and print-on-demand distribution. Chris has a BA degree from Connecticut College, in New London, CT.
 
 
Ken Norquist joined the PALINET staff as Marketing Coordinator in August 2008. As a member of the Marketing Team, he is responsible for advertising, conference coordination and promotion, list and data management, email promotions, and website management. Previously, Ken worked for Cerebral Palsy of New Jersey, Inc. as Coordinator of the Technology Lending Center and for Burlington County College as Resource Technician. He received his BA in Communications and Theatre Arts from Rutgers University.
 

 

Peg Pullan joined PALINET in September 2008 as a Support Associate in the PALINET Support Center, where her responsibilities include invoicing and processing member requests. Previously, she worked for the State of California, Judicial Branch, as Administrative Coordinator; the University of Maryland’s Center for Substance Abuse Research as Program Administrator; and was a small business owner. She received her Bachelors in Liberal Studies from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.

 

Mary Alice Robinson joined PALINET in September 2006. As Member Services Consultant, she helps members evaluate and implement new products and services, with an emphasis on exploring solutions in cataloging and metadata. She also has responsibilities for providing training and support for OCLC Cataloging and Collection Management services. Previously Mary Alice was Bibliographic Support Specialist at Access Pennsylvania. Prior to that, she worked at Drexel University’s Hagerty Library and Temple University’s Paley Library. Mary Alice holds an MS(LIS) from Drexel University, and a BA from Temple University.

 

 

Beth Scheinfeld joined PALINET in October 2006 as a Support Assistant and was promoted to Support Specialist in February 2007.  In addition to assisting members with order processing and renewals of electronic resources, Beth is the project coordinator for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Opportunity Online Hardware Grant to public libraries.  Previously a Circulation Desk Assistant at West Chester University and an Intern in QVC’s Information Center, Beth also has over 20 years experience as an Executive Secretary. Beth received an MSLS from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in May 2006, and a BA in English from Immaculata University, PA.

 

 

 

Raili Throndson joined PALINET in 2004 as an Electronic Resources Consultant, promoted in August 2006 to Associate Manager, Consortial Services, and in March 2008, to Support Center Manager. She oversees PALINET's member support services for product acquisition, set-up and routine use. Before joining PALINET, Raili worked as a corporate librarian for Rolls-Royce, a global aircraft engine manufacturer, managing the Engineering technical library at its Indianapolis site. Raili received her MLS from Indiana University’s School of Library and Information Science and her BA from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX.


 
Donna Vito joined PALINET in May 2006 as Marketing Manager. She is responsible for integrating and expanding marketing strategies to promote PALINET’s mission, programs, and services among members and the broader library and cultural communities. Donna brings a unique perspective drawn from a variety of experiences including software, higher education, and pharmaceutical marketing. Most recently, she was Marketing Director at Motivation Mechanics, LLC, a strategic branding firm and Marketing Manager at the College of General Studies, University of Pennsylvania. Previously she worked at Dorland Global Heath Communications, WiredVines.com, and Astea International Inc. Donna holds a BS from the Pennsylvania State University, and has completed other marketing, computer software, and MBA coursework at area universities and associations.
 

Cynthia Wilson joined PALINET in 2004 as the Member Support Coordinator and was promoted to Support Center Associate Manager in August 2006. She graduated with her Masters degree in Library Science from Clarion University and has a Bachelors degree in Communications from Arcadia University. Cynthia served on PALINET's Preservation Advisory Committee from 2002-2004. Prior to joining the PALINET staff, Cynthia worked with both access services and technical services in academic and special libraries. She is serving on the Student and Academic Relations Committee of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) until 2007 and is owner of www.iamalibrarian.com.


Donna Wolfe joined PALINET in September 2007.  As the Member Services Consultant, she provides training and consulting for members, particularly in the area of resource sharing.  Prior to joining PALINET, Donna worked at Princeton University Library, most recently as the Assistant to the Head of the Science and Technology Libraries.  She also served as an English Instructor at a number of institutions, including the Devry Institute of Technology and the University of Pittsburgh.  Donna received her MLS from Rutgers State University in 2006.  She also received a MA in English and Comparative Literature from the University of Cincinnati and a BA in Humanities from the University of Louisville.

 

John Yorio joined PALINET in May 2008. As Support Specialist, he is responsible for member product and order support, renewals, and order processing. Previously, he worked for PC Helps Support, LLC, as Team Leader and Software Support Consultant. He received his MSLS from Clarion University and his BA in Philosophy from State University of New York College at Fredonia. John is an active library volunteer at the Philadelphia Zoo.

 

 

 Ann C. Yurcaba is Chief Program Officer overseeing member support services, which includes PALINET's Education Program, technology leadership, and Support Center. Ann joined PALINET in 1990 and has served as Director of Development & Cooperative Purchasing, Interim Executive Director, Manager of Information & Education Services, and an OCLC Services Coordinator. Prior to joining PALINET, she was Assistant Director and Head of Technical Services at Neumann College, Aston, PA. She was also a public service librarian for two public library systems in Minnesota. Ann has a BS and an MLS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

 
 
Eric Zino joined PALINET in October 2006. As Member Services Consultant, he works with members and business partners, focusing on new library systems and technology, as well as support and training for OCLC Reference Services. Previously Eric worked at the Burlington County College Library – Pemberton Campus, most recently as Assistant Library Director. He was also the Executive Director of the Consortium of Distance Education, which leverages course content for member institutions in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Eric received an MLIS from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ and a BA from Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ.