SLA has named two members of the GLBTI Issues Caucus as Rising Stars for 2010, Reece Dano and Christopher Vestal.
The SLA Rising Star Award is presented annually to recognize up to five new members who show exceptional promise of leadership and contribution to the association and profession.
Reece Dano joined SLA in 2007, while he was an MLIS student at the University of Washington’s iSchool. He initially served as the UW-SLA distance liaison for those enrolled in the online program. Today he is the Membership Director of the Oregon Chapter and participates in the Division of Advertising and Marketing.
As an Information Specialist at Ziba Design, an interdisciplinary design and branding firm, Dano works to “help make every Zibite smarter, every day.” Since 2007 he has worked to build an embedded librarianship model at the company. He provides strategic support on multiple design and branding projects, working with team members throughout the design process. He regularly prepares hypotheses for primary consumer research, conducts competitive brand analyses, provides proof-of-concept support, and normalizes external clients' research models. He also supports Ziba's business development and marketing initiatives. More recently he has made web-based ethnographic studies of consumer-generated data a core competency for the company’s Consumer Insights and Trends group.
As Membership Director of the Oregon Chapter, Dano works to promote ties with students who may be unaware of the wide variety of career paths available to them after graduation. He hopes to inspire students to seek careers outside the traditional canon and think of ways to develop careers relevant to 21st-century demands. He is forging stronger connections to information professionals outside the Portland Metro area via online outreach.
Dano currently serves at the Alignment Ambassador for the Oregon Chapter and the Division of Marketing and Advertising.
Previous to Ziba, he worked in technical positions at the libraries of Boston University, Johns Hopkins University and Reed College.
In addition to his MLIS, Dano holds a Master of Music in Composition from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Arts from Linfield College.
Christopher Vestal has been a member of SLA since 2006 and is currently the co-convener for the GLBTI Caucus, Editor-in-Chief of the Washington, DC, Chapter’s newsletter, an Alignment Ambassador for the DC Chapter, and SLA Public Relations Advisory Council member.
Vestal works for ASRC Management Services supporting its Information Resources and Instructional Service Contract with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Vestal assists patent examiners by researching patent applications relating to computer architecture, software, and cryptographic technologies using Dialog, IEEE Explore, and other commercial databases. He also develops and implements training for patent examiners on searching commercial databases and the latest web-based information resources.
Vestal earned his Master of Science degree in library and information science from Drexel University in 2008. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Winners of SLA’s Rising Star Award must have one to five years of professional experience as an information professional and must be SLA members for five years or less.
Nominees must meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Outstanding work and professional activities on behalf of SLA
- Develop notable innovations on the job.
- Actively participate in SLA units and association programs.
- Promote the visibility of SLA or the value of information professionals.
The first class of SLA Rising Stars was named in 2009. Recipients receive complimentary registration for the SLA Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO in the year in which they receive the award.
