Advisory Board

Samual Abramovich, Ph.D. is the director of the Open Education Research Lab at the University at Buffalo where he is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Learning and Instruction and the Department of Information Science. His research is devoted to finding and understanding the learning opportunities and challenges of Open Education through the application of the Learning Sciences in areas like Makerspaces and Micro-credentials.  Shortly after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with a Ph.D. in Learning Science and Policy, he was named a recipient of an Edmund W. Gordon MacArthur Foundation/ETS Fellowship. Prior to earning his Ph.D., Sam was a researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, a technology coordinator for the Rashi School in Newton, MA, and a serial dot-commer.

Stephanie Chang is the Director of Impact at Maker Ed, having spent 5 years previously leading and designing Maker Ed’s program and project offerings for educators and institutions around the country. Her current work focuses on evaluating the impact and value of programmatic efforts, as well as developing stories, tools, and strategies for better understanding the impact of the field at all levels. She leads related research efforts and informs the design of professional development and partnerships at Maker Ed. Prior to Maker Ed, Stephanie supported makerspaces and programs with 15 California high schools; worked in educational research and evaluation; led the science & technology program at The Tech Museum; and taught environmental and marine science. Stephanie holds a Bachelor’s in Biology from MIT and a Master’s degree from the Learning, Design, and Technology program at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education.

Shannon Foster is the Makerspace Librarian at the Pitkin County Library (CO) and is inspired to engage in community collaboration, create dynamic creative spaces, and new technology to the 17,000 residents of Pitkin County (as well as visitors to the area). Shannon is the “expert” in her library at varying technology, low and high tech, and she finds it important to be proactive and embrace current trends. Shannon received her MLIS in May 2019, from Kent State University. 

Richard Kong is the Director of the Skokie Public Library in Skokie, Illinois. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Skokie Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Rotary Club of Skokie Valley. In previous positions, Richard was active in creating ground-breaking digital media labs at both the Skokie Public Library and the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. Richard is also a recognized leader in the professional library community, currently serving as an executive board member of the Public Library Association and previously as an executive board member of the Illinois Library Association. Richard received his Master of Science in Information from the University of Michigan.

Zeth Lietzau is the Director of Collections, Technology, and Strategy at the Denver Public Library (DPL). Previously he worked at DPL as the Manager of Digital User Experience and the Community Technology Center. He also served as Associate Director at the Library Research Service and has worked desks at a handful of other public libraries in Colorado. Zeth received his Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Denver.

Rebecca Millerjohn is the youth service librarian with the Bubbler at Madison Public Library. Rebecca is a previous six year classroom working in Houston Texas as a Teach For America Corps member and at Gary Comer College Prep on Chicago’s South Side. Rebecca’s library work focuses on school age programming, educator support, and maker education with MPL's Bubbler program. As the Bubbler’s project manager for their Summer of Making Internship and Making Spaces initiatives, she loves sock monsters, power tools, paper circuits, and when kids get little scrunched faces that shows they are THINKING. Her current work includes community engagement with Madison educational partners, the creation of the Bubbler’s Impact blog, and research into making & learning assessments and practices. Rebecca received her Masters in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Rebecca Teasdale, is principal of Rebecca Teasdale & Associates, where she helps libraries build their evaluation capacity and make evidence-based decisions. Rebecca has held leadership positions in urban and suburban public libraries in Illinois and Oregon. She has evaluated projects funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in libraries, museums, afterschool programs, and universities. In August 2019, Rebecca will join the University of Illinois at Chicago as an assistant professor of educational psychology. Her research advances evaluation methodology and examines STEM learning in informal contexts. Rebecca completed her PhD in educational psychology with specialization in evaluation methodology in March 2019. She holds an MA in library science from the University of Iowa.

Nicholos Wethington is the Making and Tinkering Programs Manager at the SpectrUm Discovery Area. Nicholos is passionate about sharing his knowledge of science with everyone, and loves making and tinkering. At spectrUM, Nick works in the museum and with partners in the Bitterroot valley and on the Flathead Reservation creating hands-on educational experiences that engage everyone’s innate ability to make and create. Through these efforts, he is embedded in a number of schools co-teaching activities and helping to build the capacity of teachers and staff to incorporate the maker movement ethos into their curriculum. Nick also maintains and develops spectrUM’s exhibits and IT infrastructure and coordinates outreach efforts for the Blue Mountain Observatory, University of Montana’s astronomical observatory operated by the Physics and Astronomy Department. Nick received his Bachelor of Science Degree in English Literature from Iowa State University.