Meet the Executive Committee
The WiderNet Project

 


 

Picture unavailable Thomas   Cook    
Executive Committee Member
Professor of Occupational & Environmental Health at the University of Iowa Environmental Health
thomas-cook@uiowa.edu
A professor in the department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Thomas has taught Occupational Ergonomics as well as Health Seminars. He is currently researching International Environmental Health and Occupational Ergonomics. He holds a Ph.D. in Human Factors Engineering.
 

Picture unavailable John  Buchanan   
Executive Committee Member
Philanthropist
jwallacebu@aol.com
John was a cofounder of Riepe, Buchanan and Piper, now a Marsh & McLennan Company under the name of Marsh Advantage America in Iowa City. He has been involved for a decade in teaching entrepreneurial education at the University of Iowa Henry B. Tippie College of Business. This process began in 1989, when John was one of 20 entrepreneurs nationwide to be selected to participate in the Price-Babson Fellows Program at Babson College. He's currently involved in Ponseti International.
 

Picture unavailable Karen  Chappell  MA
Project Administrator
 
karen@widernet.org
Karen has a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California and an M.A. in Foreign Affairs/Overseas Operations from the East-West Center in Hawaii. She has also studied at Cambridge University in England and at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. Her administrative experience is in both university administration and arts administration and for 11 years she was at the University of Iowa as Associate Director of The Center for International and Comparative Studies. She and her husband have been in New York City for the last seven years and have just returned to Iowa. In New York she was a Development Director and a Development Consultant for several arts organizations. She is also a potter.
 

Picture unavailable Clifford  Curry   
Executive Committee Member
Lecturer at the University of Iowa College of Engineering
clifford-curry@uiowa.edu
 
 

Picture unavailable David  Eichmann   
Executive Committee Member
Associate Director for Biomedical Informatics & Associate Professor in SLIS
david-eichmann@uiowa.edu
David Eichmann is Associate Director for Biomedical Informatics, Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Science. David received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 1989.
 

Picture unavailable David  Hensley   
Executive Committee Member
 
david-hensley@uiowa.edu
David is the Executive Director of the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center. David also teaches several classes in Entrepreneurship and Business.
 

Picture unavailable Rex  Honey   
Executive Committee Member
 
rex-honey@uiowa.edu
Rex Honey is Chair of the Human Rights Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers and Secretary of the International Geographical Union's Commission on Geography and Public Administration.
 

Picture unavailable Michael  McNulty  Ph.D.
Executive Committee Member
Professor of Geography at the University of Iowa
mcnultym@widernet.org
Mike is a long-time student of Africa. A Professor of Geography and former member of the UI central administration, Mike first visited Ghana in 1965-66 as a graduate student. He later lived and worked in Nigeria (1970-71) and returns regularly to teach and do research with African colleagues. Years ago, Cliff was a student in Mike's classes on "Development Policy and Planning;" now Mike is a student in Cliff's "Internetworks in International Development" class. What goes around, comes around!
 

Picture unavailable Edward  Miner  Ph.D.
Executive Committee Member
International Studies Bibliographer at the University of Iowa Libraries and Director of African Studies program
edward-miner@uiowa.edu
Edward Miner is International Studies Bibliographer for the University Libraries, where he manages library collections in African, Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies, as well as Linguistics. He also serves as Director of the UI African Studies Program. His research interests include digital librarianship and archives and their role in African development. He co-edited the digital archive Nuer Field Notes (Indiana University Digital Library Program, 2003), and currently manages a UI Libraries digital project on Akan religion and medicine.
 

Picture unavailable Cliff  Missen  MA
Director of The WiderNet Project
Professor at SLIS of the University of Iowa
missenc@widernet.org
Cliff has over 20 years professional experience in computers, networking, multimedia design, and applications development. At The WiderNet Project, he combines this with his long-term interest in international development. His first visit to Africa was with a medical team in 1982, and he continues to teach and promote appropriate water well drilling technology through the U.S. non–profit organization Wellspring Africa. "I want to see the day when African technicians -- so steeped in understanding of ICT technology -- bend and twist these tools to create appropriate and affordable communications systems for the most rural villages in Africa."
 

Picture unavailable Brent  Palmer  MLIS
Information Architect
 
brent@widernet.org
Brent got his Bachelor's degree in Biology from Kalamazoo College. During his time at Kalamazoo, he also spent nine months in Dakar, Senegal, on foreign study. After college, he had several adventures including teaching English in Japan and hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. Since then, he has obtained a Master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois. He primarily works on the eGranary project helping to design and build the next version of the digital Library.
 

Picture unavailable Ann  Ricketts   
Executive Committee Member
Director, Office of Research Development
ann-ricketts@uiowa.edu
Ann Ricketts is the Director of the Office of Research Development at the University of Iowa.
 

Picture unavailable Lisa  Skemp  Ph.D., R.N.
Executive Committe Member
Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Iowa
lisa-skemp@uiowa.edu