Re-introducing The Carpentries Core Team

Until recently, The Carpentries and its community were supported by a 16-member strong Core Team, but due to financial constraints, the organisation let go of seven members of this staff cohort, reducing the Core Team members to nine. This reduction in staff has necessarily entailed a reduction in the programs and activities the team can continue to lead and support, and tomorrow, 1 February 2024, we will share what continued work for the Core Team will look like moving forward. However, we are confident about and committed to carrying forward our vision and mission; this is not the first time a small team has supported The Carpentries, and for 25 years the organisation has grown into its vision of being the leading inclusive community teaching data and coding skills.

In this post, we would like to reintroduce you to The Carpentries Core Team and inform you of the changes to some of their roles and titles.

Dr. Kari L. Jordan, Executive Director

Kari joined the Core Team in 2016 as the Deputy Director of Assessment for Data Carpentry, eventually taking the helm of the organisation as its Executive Director in 2020. Kari remains the Executive Director and will continue to work closely with the newly constituted Board of Directors to provide the Core Team and the community with executive and strategic direction and support. Additionally, she will lead the work of the Community Engagement Team, whose role is to actively engage members of The Carpentries global community in sustaining the organisation’s mission-aligned core activities.

Dr. Erin Becker, Associate Director

Erin joined the Core Team in 2016 as the Associate Director of Data Carpentry, transitioning to Associate Director of The Carpentries upon its formation in 2018. In this role, she has supported many disparate aspects of our programming, at various times serving as interim Team Lead for our Community Development, Curriculum, Instructor Training, Membership, and Technology Teams. In 2024, Erin will lead our newly constituted Management Team, overseeing all programming, personnel, and financial management aspects. Erin is active in the community as a Trainer, Instructor, Lesson Development Trainer, and Maintainer of The Carpentries Workbench.

Dr. Toby Hodges, Director of Curriculum

Toby joined the Core Team in 2020 as the Curriculum Community Developer, and he was promoted to be Curriculum Team Lead in 2021. Before joining The Carpentries as a member of the Core Team, Toby had volunteered as a community member for a few years, first as an Instructor and committee member and subsequently as a Trainer. As the Director of Curriculum, Toby will continue leading the Curriculum Team, with some support from our Associate Director, Dr. Erin Becker.

SherAaron Hurt, Director of Workshops and Training

Sher! joined the Core Team in 2017, working part-time as a Workshop Administrator. Then, in 2017 she stepped into a new role as Workshop and Logistics Manager, and finally, in 2022, she was promoted to the position of Director of Workshops, responsible for supporting our Instructors. Following the sunset of the Director of Instructor Training position, Sher!’s responsibilities now extend to supporting Trainers, taking over some of the responsibilities previously managed by Dr. Karen Word. Her new title is Director of Workshops and Training, and she will receive some support from Danielle Sieh, our Workshops and Training Manager, Maneesha Sane, our Associate Director of Technology, and Dr. Angelique Trusler, our Community Manager. Sher! is looking forward to building relationships with the Trainers and continuing to support the Instructors.

Danielle Sieh, Workshops and Training Manager

Danielle joined the Core Team in 2021 as the Workshop Administrator. Working closely with the Director of Workshops, she managed workshop logistics, communicated with and offered support to hosts and Instructors, and responded to general workshop inquiries. Danielle’s role has changed to Workshops and Training Manager in tandem with the newly-minted Director of Workshops and Training. She will be supporting workshops in the Americas, Asia, and Australasia. She will work closely with Community Manager Dr. Angelique Trusler, who will provide similar support for workshops in Africa and Europe. As Workshops and Training Manager, she will be more visible in the Instructor and Trainer communities. Danielle loves interacting with the community face-to-face and is excited to have an opportunity to do more of it in her new role!

Dr. Robert Davey, Director of Technology

Rob joined the Core Team in 2023 as the Director of Technology, a role he will retain under the new structure. He became involved in The Carpentries efforts in 2014 when he helped teach his first Software Carpentry lesson, and subsequently became a Carpentries Instructor and Trainer. In his current role, he will continue to lead The Carpentries data privacy and security efforts and provide strategic direction for improvements to the technology stack used in our work.

Maneesha Sane, Associate Director of Technology

Maneesha joined the Core Team in 2015 as Program Coordinator for Software Carpentry and subsequently fulfilled various roles within the organisation until her appointment in 2022 as the Deputy Director of Technology. Maneesha is the longest-serving member of the Core Team, and as such, she carries vast historical knowledge of the organisation’s development and processes. We are happy she continues to be with us as the Associate Director of Technology, doing critical and hard work behind the scenes to provide technical support to the Core Team and the Carpentries community.

Dr. Angelique Trusler, Community Manager

Angelique joined the Core Team in 2019 as the Regional Consultant for Southern Africa, and in 2021 she was promoted to African Capacity Development Manager. Angelique has volunteered as an Instructor since 2017 and a Trainer since 2020. Under the new structure, her role has again changed to Community Manager, reflecting her commitment to supporting Carpentries communities in Africa and extending her reach to Europe and beyond. Angelique is excited to forge meaningful relationships with the global community and actively engage members of The Carpentries to sustain the organisation’s mission.

Oscar Masinyana, Communications Manager

Oscar joined the Core Team in 2023 as the Communications Manager. Working closely with Kari and Angelique, he will continue to support the community by publishing community engagement-related items on our external communication channels. He is particularly excited about increased participation in community events and having more opportunities to meet and engage with community members.

Continued Community Support

The Core Team reiterates that we cannot work without the community’s support. We are excited to share our plans for work to be supported by the Core Team moving forward tomorrow, and we appreciate your continued support in this regard. We are excited about working together to realise our vision and mission in 2024 and beyond.