Bill Branan

Hodson Director, Digital Research and Curation Center & Open Source Programs Office
Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins University

Contact: bbranan@jhu.edu

Bill leads the Digital Research & Curation Center (DRCC) and the Open Source Programs Office (OSPO) in the Sheridan Libraries at Johns Hopkins University. The DRCC supports open scholarship, research, and education through the development and support of digital infrastructure and applications. The OSPO provides support for the creation and management of software across JHU and in collaboration with open source communities worldwide. Prior to JHU, Bill developed software systems for the Federal Aviation Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, and Government Printing Office. These projects introduced him to the power of open platforms and communities and led to roles at Cornell University, Fedora Commons, DuraSpace, and Lyrasis, creating and supporting a broad range of open source systems in roles spanning engineering, architecture, and leadership.

Megan Forbes

Program Manager, Open Source Programs Office
Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins University

Contact: mforbes@jhu.edu

Megan is the Program Manager for the Open Source Programs Office at Johns Hopkins University, working to promote the use of open-source software on campus for research, education, and translation. She has twenty years of experience working with open-source software, museum collections, and collections technology. Previously, Megan served as the co-Director of the It Takes a Village project, the Program Manager and Product Owner for CollectionSpace, and the Director of the Collection at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. Megan holds a MA in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Joy Bhalla

Hodson Graduate Assistant, Open Source Programs Office
Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins University

Contact: jbhalla3@jh.edu

Joy is the Hodson Graduate Assistant for the Open Source Programs Office (OSPO) at Johns Hopkins University, where he supports the technical aspects of OSPO’s mission to promote the adoption of open source software and educate students, faculty, and staff on best practices. He has approximately four years of experience as a software developer at Accenture, working across a range of technologies on enterprise scale projects. Through this industry experience, his appreciation for open source collaboration and community driven development was strongly reinforced. His interest in open source began during his undergraduate studies, where he was an active member of a student group dedicated to promoting the Linux operating system. In that role, he helped teach fellow students about Linux fundamentals and open source concepts.

Additional staff support for the Open Source Programs Office is provided by the Digital Research and Curation Center.