Introducing The Carpentries Accessibility Manager, Brynn Elliott

We are pleased to welcome Brynn Elliott to The Carpentries Core Team! Brynn is joining as our new Accessibility Manager, through funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to advance The Carpentries Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices (read announcement). We asked Brynn to share a bit about herself. Read on to learn more!

Hello!

I am very excited to be joining The Carpentries community as the Accessibility Manager. Though I am incredibly new to The Carpentries, accessibility has been at the forefront of my professional career for years.

I earned a master’s degree from the University of Wyoming in Educational Administration. My bachelor’s degree is from William Woods University in Sign Language Interpreting and Educational Studies. I learned early on in my educational career that being a teacher in the traditional sense was not for me, but I continue to be drawn into education.

My professional life has been rooted in Higher Education, with experience working with both community colleges and a university. I began my career as a sign language interpreter at the University of Wyoming where I also found my passion for working with students with disabilities. After that I spent a number of years as the Director of Disability Services at a community college in Wyoming. My most current role was the Assistant Dean of Students at a small community college in western Nebraska. I oversaw new student orientation, student conduct, the student food pantry and community garden, and helped out with residence life, student engagement, student accessibility, and multicultural and inclusion initiatives.

Though I will miss the students I worked with daily, I am incredibly excited as I move into the next chapter with The Carpentries. One of the things that drew me to The Carpentries were the core values. These qualities align with many of my personal values. After meeting with members of the Core Team, I knew this would be a great fit. I can’t wait to jump in and get started!