Introducing The Carpentries Director of Community, Alycia Crall

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Alycia Crall to The Carpentries Core Team! Alycia is our new Director of Community and has extensive experience serving diverse communities. We asked Alycia to share a bit about herself, read on to learn more!

I’m very excited to be joining The Carpentries as your Director of Community! I have known of The Carpentries since I started my last position with the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), a program that collects and provides open environmental data to advance the field of ecology. Since that time, the positive reputation of the organization has been underscored through my work within the data science community and through my interactions with members of The Carpentries Core Team and the organization’s volunteers. It’s an amazing community and one I cannot wait to be fully engaged with.

A little about me… I received my bachelor’s degree in Ecology from the University of Georgia, my master’s degree in Ecology from Colorado State University, and my PhD in Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My dissertation research supported the development and evaluation of a national invasive species citizen science program. Following graduation, I served as the Director of the Virginia Master Naturalist program. In this role, I trained and engaged ~2,500 volunteers in citizen science, environmental education, and stewardship projects throughout Virginia. While at NEON, I led strategic engagement activities, identifying outcomes for all the program’s community engagement activities along with metrics and milestones tied to its strategic plan. Most recently, we co-developed a new program with the American Geophysical Union’s Thriving Earth Exchange to support local communities in using NEON data and resources to address their needs and priorities and to grow regional networks of scientists and community leaders who advocate for and advance community science approaches. Since 2019, I have also served as the Community Manager for the Environmental Data Science Inclusion Network (EDSIN). The network supports nine priority areas that emerged following a conference examining diversity, equity, and inclusion at the intersection of the environmental and data science fields.

In my new role at The Carpentries, I’m excited to begin taking the knowledge and skills gained throughout my career and applying them to support the community in its important work. This will take many forms, including the development of new community resources and programs. I am particularly interested in hearing from each of you on how I, and The Carpentries, can best support you in this work. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time via email or Slack. You can also set up a time to meet with me at my Calendly. Thanks for all you do to make this community what it is. I very much look forward to seeing what we will co-create together!