The Library is pleased to announce the hire of Melissa Skinnell as the Director of Digital Technology. Melissa’s first day at the Library was January 4.

The Director of Digital Technology is a member of the Library’s executive team, providing energetic, creative, and forward-looking leadership for the Library’s digital infrastructure and applications. Melissa coordinates and collaborates with partners within and outside the Library — including the Office of Information Technology, where Melissa worked previously as the Associate Director of Project Management — ensuring that the Library’s digital services are aligned with Brown’s teaching and research mission.

The functionality, usability, and accessibility of the Library website is a prominent function of Melissa’s role, as is meeting accepted and emerging security and access protocols while remaining responsive to the needs of students, faculty, and staff. Melissa and her team infuse their work with the principles of diversity, equity, access, and inclusion. They contribute to outstanding digital scholarship at the Library, support resource acquisition and discovery, and promote Library programs, services, and expertise though a state-of-the-art, user-centered suite of digital tools and platforms.

Melissa will complete a Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) degree from the University of Rhode Island in April. She received her bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1995. After college she spent five years in Fairfax, Virginia working for American Management Systems (now CGI, Inc.), implementing enterprise-wide financial management systems for federal civilian agencies like the IRS, Customs, and the District Court in Phoenix, Arizona. She moved back to Rhode Island to be near her family and in early 2000 took a job with Brown running the student financial systems in the Bursar’s office. Several years later her position was integrated into central IT, and she worked on system assessments and implementations across the University, including the multi-year Banner student system. Recently, she contributed to the Temporary Resource Management system, created to address student quarantine and support needs during the pandemic. Melissa developed the project and portfolio management practice in Computing and Information Services (now the Office of Information Technology) and managed a team of Senior Project Managers. 

Melissa is thrilled to combine her IT management experience with her interest in library science. Her favorite part of working at Brown is building relationships across campus and helping people improve business processes through the effective use of technology. Melissa lives in East Greenwich with her two daughters, husband and golden retriever. She serves on the Board of Governors at Warwick Figure Skaters and manages the synchronized skating program there. She enjoys yoga and is passionate about social justice and representation in children’s and young adult literature, as well as the critical importance of information and media literacy education.