Board of Directors

Open Board + Community Meetings

The Board of Directors holds regular Open Board + Community meetings over Zoom. The board will strive to host at least one in-person meeting per year (or video-enabled web conference for those who can’t make it).

For the full calendar and past recordings, see here.

Members

Joe Lucia, Board Chair

Dean of Libraries, Temple University

Joseph Lucia is Dean of Libraries at Temple University. Under his leadership, in 2019 the university completed construction and began operation of the world-class Charles Library, notable for its unique design by architects Snøhetta and local partners Stantec. Prior to serving as Dean at Temple, Lucia served as University Library at Villanova University for eleven years. During his tenure at Villanova, Falvey Library won the 2013 ACRL Excellence Award in the University category. Before assuming his post at Villanova in 2002, Lucia served as Director for Library Technology & Access within Information Resources (a merged library & computing support organization) at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. While at Lehigh, Lucia taught creative writing in the English Department from 1995 through 2002. In addition to his professional work, he is an active amateur musician with a current solo project called Sounds from Upstairs audible on SoundCloud.

Laura DeBonis, Treasurer

Independent Consultant

Laura DeBonis works as an independent consultant and advisor to tech startups and nonprofits. Recently she concluded her term on the Public Interest Declassification Board at the National Archives, to which she was appointed in 2015 by President Obama and where she served as Co-Chair of the Technology Working Group. Laura has previously worked at EF Education First and Google in a variety of positions including Director of Library Partnerships for Book Search, Google’s initiative to make all the world’s books discoverable and searchable online. Laura started her career in documentary film and multimedia and in strategy consulting for internet businesses. She is a graduate of Harvard College and has a MBA from Harvard Business School. Laura is thrilled to be returning to the board of DPLA!

Ben Lee

Assistant Professor, University of Washington

Benjamin Charles Germain Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Information School at the University of Washington, where he started the Lab for Computing Cultural Heritage. Ben’s research explores how to re-imagine search and discovery for large-scale digital collections held by libraries, archives, and museums. Previously, Ben has served as an Innovator in Residence as well as a Kluge Fellow in Digital Studies at the Library of Congress. He also was the inaugural Digital Humanities Fellow at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and a Visiting Fellow in Harvard’s History Department. Ben received his A.B. in Astrophysics and Mathematics from Harvard College and his Ph.D. in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Washington, which was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in machine learning. His public writing has appeared in publications including The New Republic, WIRED, and Longreads.

Marcia Walker-McWilliams

Executive Director, Tulane University History Project

Marcia Walker-McWilliams is the Executive Director of the Tulane University History Project, a long-term project engaging the impacts of slavery, segregation, and issues of racial equity at Tulane University. She is a former Executive Director of the Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC). She received a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Chicago and an undergraduate degree in Social Policy and African American Studies from Northwestern University. She is the author of Reverend Addie Wyatt: Faith and the Fight for Labor, Gender, and Racial Equality (University of Illinois Press, 2016) and co-author of The New Civil Rights Movement Reader: Resistance, Resilience and Justice (University of Massachusetts Press, 2023) with Traci Parker. Marcia has curated historical exhibits at the Chicago Public Library and the University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center. Prior to the BMRC, Marcia taught courses in American history and African American Studies at Lone Star College, Prairie View A&M University, the University of Houston, and Rice University where she also served as an Associate Director in the Center for Civic Leadership. She sits on the board of several organizations including the Digital Public Library of America.

Kelvin Watson

Executive Director, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District

Watson oversees 25 branches spanning 8,000 square miles, a budget of $77 million, 700 employees, and a collection of 3.2 million items. Watson joined the Library District from the Broward County Libraries Division, where as director he managed 700+ full-time employees and a budget of more than $70 million. Regarded as one of the most highly respected thought leaders in the library industry, he is credited with expanding his customer base in past library management roles, through outreach efforts to underserved and diverse populations. A current example of this is a partnership with the Regional Transit Commission of Southern Nevada to provide a library app to bus riders using on-board WiFi. This program introduces the library to thousands of potential new customers who may have had no previous library interaction. Previously, he served as COO/senior vice president for Queens Borough Library. In his prior role as chief innovation & technology officer/vice president, information, technology, and development, he was instrumental in establishing several groundbreaking programs, and he developed and implemented digital divide strategies, which promoted equality and equity for all.

He serves on the San Jose State University School of Information, Leadership, and Management Program Advisory Committee, co-chairs the American Library Association Digital Content Working Group, and serves on the American Library Association Business Advisory Group, REALM Project Steering Committee and on the Board of the Book Industry Study Group. He is a past president of Black Caucus of the American Library Association and past Public Library Association Board member. Mr. Watson earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and a Minor in Military Science from Lincoln University in Missouri. He earned his Masters of Library Science Degree from North Carolina Central University and is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Board Alumni

Amy Ryan • Brian Bannon • Cathy Casserly • Chris Bourg • Denise Stephens • Elaine Westbrooks • Felton Thomas • Jamie Hollier • Jennifer Lee • Jill Bourne • John Palfrey • Josh Frazier-Sparks • Katherine Maher • Luis Herrera • Mary Minow • Niko Pfund • Paul Courant • Robert Darnton • Sarah Burnes • Siva Vaidhyanathan