Meet the People of PALNI
All PALNI staff can be reached using a single email. Contact us any time.
Kirsten Leonard
Retiring Executive Director
As Chief Executive Officer, the Executive Director acts on behalf of the PALNI organization under the policy direction of the Board through her retirement in December 2026. She is guiding the leadership transition and supporting incoming Executive Director Noah Brubaker as he begins his role.
(317) 752-6831
Email Kirsten Leonard
Noah Brubaker
Executive Director
The Executive Director is responsible for leading PALNI in advancing its mission and strategic priorities and reports to the PALNI Board of Directors. He provides creative leadership and vision for the consortium, guiding staff and supported institutions to deepen collaboration, expand services, and reduce costs.
(317) 721-8198
Email Noah Brubaker
Amanda Hurford
Associate Director
The Associate Director is responsible for advancing PALNI's strategic planning, program development, and collaborative initiatives and reports to the Executive Director. She also directs PALNI's scholarly communications programs, providing leadership for repository, affordable learning, and open access publishing services that extend the work of supported institutions.
(317) 747-0507
Email Amanda Hurford
Molly Reed
Strategic Communications Director
The Strategic Communications Director works to identify, optimize, and manage PALNI communication systems. Her main responsibilities include but are not limited to, highlighting the value and impact of the libraries and library staff, guidance on crisis communication, managing the consortium's websites, internal and external PALNI communications, developing communication best practices, and managing public relations and marketing requests by any of PALNI’s institutions.
(317) 512-7359
Email Molly Reed
Lisa Gonzalez
Collections Services Manager
The Collections Services Manager is responsible for advancing PALNI's shared collections, licensing, acquisitions, and collections management services. She advises on resource licensing and negotiations, oversees PALNI's analytics, fulfillment, and metadata support, and identifies opportunities to strengthen collective collections and services across supported institutions.
(317) 565-4560
Email Lisa Gonzalez
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Lauren Magnuson
Systems Director
The Systems Director is responsible for leading the daily operations of PALNI's systems and technical infrastructure. She provides leadership in systems strategy, development, vendor management, and technology project management, and helps PALNI evaluate emerging technologies, including AI implementations, to support services across the consortium.
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Nic Don Stanton-Roark
Digital Repository and Archives Manager
The Digital Repository and Archives Manager oversees the operations of Hyku Commons, PALNI’s shared open-source repository service, and provides archives consulting and training for PALNI-supported libraries. With deep expertise in repositories and archives, he supports the ongoing development of Hyku and archival services across the consortium—strengthening PALNI’s collaborative infrastructure and expanding access to digital scholarship and historical materials.
Andrea Bearman, Ed.D.
Program Manager, Collaboration Services
The Program Manager, Collaboration Services coordinates PALNI’s collaborative work across supported libraries. Reporting to the Associate Director, this role facilitates PALNI working groups, helps build leadership capacity among library staff, and ensures group activities align with PALNI’s strategic goals. The Program Manager guides groups such as Instructional Technology; Reference, Instruction, and Outreach; and Fulfillment, while contributing expertise in areas including instruction, instructional technology, accessibility, and faculty outreach.
Emily Helton, Ph.D.
Affordable Learning Program Manager
The Affordable Learning Program Manager supports the PALSave Affordable Learning Program and advances affordable learning initiatives across supported institutions. Reporting to the Scholarly Communications Director, this role coordinates program operations and faculty grants, develops training and resources, and supports the adoption of zero-cost instructional materials. The Program Manager contributes subject-matter expertise in open educational resources (OER) and open pedagogy, and collaborates with library staff to expand access, assess impact, and support sustainable affordable learning efforts.