SSP's magnificent seven

The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) has recognised the efforts of seven deserving individuals from the scholarly communications industry.

Ann Michael, chair of the SSP's nominating and awards committee and 2016-2017 SSP past president, presented Mary Beth Barilla, Publisher Relations Director, RedLink; Lori Carlin, Director, Marketing & Senior Consultant, Delta Think; Yael Fitzpatrick, and Michael Clarke, President, Clarke and Company with the SSP Appreciation Award. The award recognises the work of individuals whose recent actions have benefited SSP and the scholarly communication field.

Barilla was commended for her efforts on the SSP Annual Meeting Program Committee since 2014, serving in the co-chair position for three years.  During her time as a co-chair the Annual Meeting has exceeded records for both the number of concurrent sessions and numbers of attendees. Carlin and Fitzpatrick were recognised for their leadership in spearheading the Branding Task Force, which recently launched a visual identity refresh for the Society. Clarke successfully lead the Scholarly Kitchen Renovation Task Force through a website redesign earlier this year.

'SSP could not accomplish what it does without the efforts of the many active volunteers that are passionate about advancing scholarly communication and their community within SSP,' said Melanie Dolechek, executive director of SSP. 'They are the driving force behind the various year-round programs organised by the Society. These awards honour those that have gone above and beyond to help further the mission of SSP.'

Each year SSP acknowledges the achievements of up-and-coming leaders in scholarly publishing who have demonstrated their potential through outstanding service and contribution. Applications were judged on the nominees’ demonstration of leadership on an SSP committee or task force and innovative contributions made to the field of scholarly communications.