Staff
CRKN employs a diverse team of librarians, developers, technicians, and other professionals to meet the evolving needs of its member community.
Department
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Clare Appavoo
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ED-DG@crkn.ca
613-907-7029
Clare joined CRKN as Executive Director in 2012 and provides innovative leadership to meet CRKN’s ambitious strategic objectives, while representing CRKN in several collaborations.
Nazia Bundhoo
Manager, Administrative and Corporate Services
nbundhoo@crkn.ca
613-907-7036
Nazia oversees the administration and governance of CRKN, working with the Board, committees, and membership. She has worked in office management and governance for over 12 years.
Rebecca Dempsey
Manager, Digitization
rdempsey@crkn.ca
Rebecca is a graduate of the Photography Program at Algonquin College. She has several years of experience working in imaging and photography.
Claire Duncan
Senior Manager, Strategy and Engagement
cduncan@crkn.ca
Claire holds a PhD in English from the University of Toronto, which involved digital archival research. She has worked in communications supporting the Canadian STEM research community.
James MacGregor
Director, Research Infrastructure and Development
jmacgregor@crkn.ca
James has been working in the digital heritage and scholarly communications worlds since 2001, and has contributed to several national digital infrastructure initiatives in that time.
Craig Olsvik
Director, Content Program
colsvik@crkn.ca
613-907-7033
Craig Joined the CRKN team in 2011. Craig has a BA in English and History and a Master of Library and Information studies, both from Dalhousie University.
Stephanie Pimentel
Director, Finance and Administration
spimentel@crkn.ca
Stephanie is an accomplished business professional with 15 years of experience in corporate administration, budget management, financial reporting, and internal controls.
Adele Torrance
Manager, Heritage Services
Adele joined CRKN as Manager, Heritage Services, in 2025. Adele is in an archivist who has been working with documentary heritage for over 20 years. She has a Master of Archival Studies from the University of British Columbia.
Department
LICENSING AND MEMBER SERVICES
Amanda Holmes
Senior Licensing Officer
aholmes@crkn.ca
613-907-7031
Amanda holds a BA from Carleton University and a Library Technician diploma. She has broad academic experience gained from nearly 5 years of working in different capacities at uOttawa.
Allison Loveridge
Licensing and Member Services Officer
aloveridge@crkn.ca
613-907-7035
Allison holds two BAs from McMaster University and a MLIS from Western University. She is passionate about making information sustainably and equitably accessible.
Department
INFRASTRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT
Abhinav Khetarpal
Junior Systems Administrator
akhetarpal@crkn.ca
Abhinav holds a BCS from Carleton University. Before joining CRKN, he worked with Connected Canadians for two years as a Remote Technology Mentor & Outreach Coordinator.
Brittny Lapierre
Senior UX Developer
blapierre@crkn.ca
Brittny holds a BCS from Carleton University and a certificate in User Experience from the University of Toronto. Before joining CRKN, Brittny worked with IBM for four years.
Hugo St-Gelais
Senior Systems Analyst
hstgelais@crkn.ca
Hugo has been in IT for 20 years working with Microsoft and Linux systems. Before joining CRKN, he worked at the library of the University of Ottawa for 5 years.
Mary Zheng
Application Developer
mzheng@crkn.ca
Mary holds a Master's degree in Applied Computing from Windsor University and has over ten years of programming experience spanning various business sectors. She is passionate about developing industry applications.
Matthew Walley
Systems Administrator
mwhalley@crkn.ca
Matthew holds a Diploma in Computer Systems Technician from Algonquin College and has 13 years experience in IT support. Before joining CRKN, he worked with the National Arts Center for 2 years as a IT Infrastructure Support Technician.
Department
Persistent Identifiers
John Aspler
Manager, Canadian Persistent Identifier Community
jaspler@crkn.ca
613-907-7038
Dedicated to service and knowledge access, John has experience working in research and public library contexts. He earned a PhD in neuroscience from McGill University in 2021.
Nikolas Lamarre
Canadian Persistent Identifier Community Officer
nlamarre@crkn.ca
Nikolas has a CILIP-certified MSc in Book History and Material Culture (University of Edinburgh). He has experience working in cultural heritage on both sides of the Atlantic.
Department
HERITAGE SERVICES
Avalon Arsenault
Document Scanning Operator
aarsenault@crkn.ca
Avalon is a graduate of the Digital Photography program at Algonquin College. She has a passion for the digitization of collections for both heritage projects and museums.
Raymond Binda
Document Scanning Operator
rbinda@crkn.ca
Raymond has a diploma in computer programming from La Cité Collégiale and has worked in the heritage, publishing, and web design fields.
Patricia Brisson
Cataloguer
pbrisson@crkn.ca
Patricia is a graduate of the Library Technician program at Algonquin College. She has worked for Canadiana for over 30 years.
Francesca Brzezicki
Heritage Engagement Officer
fbrzezicki@crkn.ca
613-907-7028
Francesca holds an MA in Public History from Carleton University. She joined CRKN in 2019 and has a background in research and outreach for digital heritage projects.
John Loitzenbauer
Digitization Technical Lead
jloitzenbauer@crkn.ca
John is a graduate of the Algonquin College School of Media & Design's Photography program. He brings extensive public and private sector technical experience to the CRKN team.
Natalie MacDonald
Senior Metadata Analyst
nmacdonald@crkn.ca
Natalie has a Library Technician diploma (Algonquin College), a BA (Carleton University), and a MLIS (University of Alberta). She has worked in library technical services since 2010.
Percy Miller
Heritage Services Specialist
pmiller@crkn.ca
613-907-7023
Percy Miller holds a BA in English from Mount Allison University, as well as a Master of Information from the University of Toronto. She is passionate about providing excellent service to research communities.
Department
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
Tamana Ariapor
Administrative Assistant
tariapor@crkn.ca
Tamana Ariapor holds a Bachelor of Arts from Kabul University in Afghanistan. She has extensive experience in administration and logistics with international organizations.
Zoe Chen
Senior Accountant
zchen@crkn.ca
Zoe holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from Carleton University and has over five years of accounting experience working in not-for-profits.
Department
Engagement
Alyssa Arbuckle
Strategic Research and Partnerships Advisor
aarbuckle@crkn.ca
Alyssa holds an interdisciplinary PhD from the University of Victoria, which focuses on open social scholarship and its implementation. She has worked in the open digital scholarship space since 2013.
Emily Haugen
Strategic Engagement and Communications Advisor
ehaugen@crkn.ca
Emily is a mission-driven communications and engagement professional with experience in non-profit, government, and healthcare sectors. She holds an MBA, BBA and Non-Profit Certificate.
Angela Joosse
Community Engagement Specialist
ajoosse@crkn.ca
Angela is dedicated to community-building and fostering collaboration for collective benefit. She holds a PhD from the York/Toronto Metropolitan program in Communication and Culture, and a Master of Information from the University of Toronto.
Monica Scott (on leave)
Strategic Communications Advisor
mscott@crkn.ca
Monica is an experienced communicator who has worked in health care, government, non-profit, and academic sectors. She joined CRKN in September 2023.
Mélanie Plante
Communications Coordinator
mplante@crkn.ca
Mélanie holds an Honours BA in English from the University of Ottawa. She joined CRKN in February 2024 and is passionate about Canadian literature.