Sakai PMC Elects Three New Members

Apereo Foundation and the Sakai Community are pleased to announce the election of three new members to the Sakai Project Management Committee (PMC). The PMC [1] is responsible for managing the broader needs of the Sakai community and many specific issues related to the project's ongoing development, direction, resourcing, and expenditures [2]. PMC's serve a vital role in the ongoing stability and sustainability of not only their respective projects, but also the health of their communities of practice, and Apereo Foundation's overall success.

PMC membership, elected from various Sakai/Apereo working groups and committees (QA, Core Team, Marketing, Accessibility, Teaching and Learning, etc.) reflects significant contributions to the community and a dedication to the shared goals of the Sakai community. The PMC works closely with the Sakai community, working groups, and committees--often without any need for direct action or intervention--as Sakai's principles and practices highlight that those entrusted with the actual work should also be entrusted with actual decision-making.
 

"The Sakai PMC is an impressive group, representing many aspects of--and with expertise in--higher education, teaching and learning, educational technology, open source, software, and even commercial initiatives. This broad participation and dedicated commitment highlights how open source can engage and benefit diverse communities and interests. Sakai serves as a model in and for open source communities of practice and Apereo thanks both the new members and all those who have served for their support and contributions."

- Patrick Masson, Interim General Manager of the Apereo Foundation

 

Sakai PMC Newly Elected Members

Christina Schwiebert

 

Christina Schwiebert, Northwest State Community College 

Christina is the Instructional Design and Distance Learning Coordinator at Northwest State Community College in Archbold, Ohio.  Within the Sakai community, Christina is a member of the JIRA Triage team and a dedicated QA tester. She's also provided input on a number of projects, including the Sakai roadmaps, analytics, and rubrics.

 

 

 

 

 

Julianne Morgan

 

Julianne Morgan, University of Dayton

Julianne is the Academic Engagement Lead in the University of Dayton's Learning Teaching Center. In addition to training faculty on how to best use UD's Learning Management System (Isidore), she also assists with the design and testing of new features for that system. She completed her undergraduate degree in Philosophy, Women's and Gender Studies, and Art History at UD in 2012. She has also earned her Master of Science degree in Technology-Enhanced Learning at UD. Julianne was a 2022 Apereo Dolphin Fellow for her work within the Sakai Community. She loves rockets, space, geology, k-pop, and her cats.

 

 

 

 

Chris Knapp

 

Chris Knapp, Knapp Strategic

Chris is the owner and managing member of Knapp Strategic. Knapp Strategic is involved in a wide range of efforts including improving accessibility and advocating for those with limited vision including workforce development. Chris has been extremely active in both accessibility and QA ever since starting working on Sakai in late 2020. He has helped to get other accessibility testers working on Sakai and has been key in Sakai continuing to be an accessible and usable LMS. He has represented Sakai at many community events including Educause and Sakai Con.

 

 

 

 

"PMC membership is reflective of significant contributions to the community and a dedication to the shared goals of the Sakai community.

In terms of what PMC membership "means", the PMC members are already active members in the various groups in the Sakai/Apereo community (QA, Core Team, Marketing, Accessibility, Teaching and Learning, etc.). Most of the decisions about Sakai are made in those groups without any need for the PMC to take a vote or render an opinion because we believe that those closest to the actual work should make decisions regarding the work whenever possible.

Please join me in thanking these new PMC members for their past, present, and future contributions to Sakai and welcoming them as the newest members of the Sakai PMC [3]."

- Charles Severance, University of Michigan and Sakai PMC Chair



 

[1https://sakaiproject.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PMC/overview

[2https://www.apereo.org/content/bylaws [Article IX]

[3https://www.sakailms.org/sakai-lms-community