Austin, TX DuraSpace is pleased to announce that Michele Mennielli will join DuraSpace as the new International Membership and Partnership Manager on August 1, 2017. His duties will include initiating efforts to broaden and extend our organizational reach in support of the preservation and accessibility of cultural heritage and academic resources globally. DuraSpace aims to ensure that our shared digital assets are accessible and usable by researchers of every stripe to advance interdisciplinary research and discovery around the world. Working with staff and our community Mr. Mennielli will help guide international outreach and opportunities for DuraSpace.
“DuraSpace has worked with Michele on many DSpace marketing initiatives targeted at greater International engagement. He is seen as a leader in the community with a large global network and a proven track record community building.” —Debra Hanken Kurtz, CEO
Michele Mennielli has been part of the DuraSpace community for some time. His contributions include serving on the DSpace Steering Group and working as a Registered Service Provider liaison for CINECA and 4Science. He led the DSpace marketing interest group in 2015 and developed a DSpace Marketing Strategy that provided an analysis of DSpace competitors and suggestions for how to leverage the strength of the large, international DSpace repository community. In 2015 Mr. Mennielli presented contrasting and well-received views of the open access policy landscapes in the United States and Europe at the DuraSpace Member Summit.
Mr. Mennielli is currently the International Business Developer at 4Science where his primary responsibility is to promote the company worldwide, create partnerships, and develop new projects. He is active in communities related to technological innovation for academia and research and serves as an Executive Board Member of euroCRIS. He held an international liaison position with the for Italian University Consortium, Cineca, and was a Board Member and Secretary of the European Organization EUNIS.
“Michele is a precious resource for the future of Open Knowledge and he will continue serving the global community through DuraSpace. We are not losing him as a colleague since with DuraSpace we share the same interest for a wider adoption of open and sustainable tools that provide access to digital assets worldwide. I am confident that also the Registered Service Providers will benefit from this move”. —Susanna Mornati, Head of Operations, 4Science
In the past Mr. Mennielli has also worked for media and publishing companies. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, and a Masters degree in Marketing, Communication, and New Media, with advanced courses in copyright and geopolitics. He has a passion for open source technology development, innovation, open science, books, movies, TV series and travel.