Andrea Powell, Publisher Coordinator at Research4Life and Chair of the Finance Committee, to retire
Andrea Powell, STM’s Outreach Director and Publisher Coordinator for Research4Life and Chair of the Research4Life Finance Oversight Committee will retire at the end of July 2022. Andrea will remain associated with Research4Life as a Director on the Board of Friends of Research4Life.
Andrea has been the Outreach Director for STM since November 2018, a role that focuses on Research4Life and covers topics that relate to global research equity. In this capacity and as Publisher Coordinator for Research4Life, Andrea has played a critical role in steering dialogue about establishing an inclusive, diverse and equitable scholarly communications environment. For example, Andrea co-authored a White Paper with Elsevier’s International Center for the Study of Research and Research Consulting on Ensuring an Equitable Transition to Open Access. Andrea has also spoken at several conferences to highlight the role of Research4Life in the broader research communication ecosystem.
Andrea has leveraged her vast network from prior roles at CABI and as former STM board member to recruit new publisher partners, to champion and raise the profile of Research4Life within the industry. Owing to this, Research4Life has seen a steady growth over the years in the number of journals and books in its collection. Today, researchers in lower- and middle-income countries can access up to 194,000 leading journals and books for free or at low cost. And most recently, in response to the crisis in Ukraine, Andrea has worked with our publisher partners to support the Ukrainian science community by waiving payment for 2022 and granting full all access for the current calendar year.
Andrea has played a critical role in helping Research4Life adapt to changes. In 2020, she steered the User Experience Review that was part of in-depth evaluations including an internal Infrastructure Review and a Landscape Analysis. These evaluations started the strategy formulation process that has resulted in the Strategic Plan for our 2030 Vision. In her capacity as Chair of the Finance Committee, she has structured our financial reporting to make it easier to manage and understand.
Kimberly Parker, Hinari Programme Manager who has worked with each Publisher Coordinator since Research4Life began, said:
Every Publisher Coordinator has had their special areas of focus and expertise. Andrea’s ability to get everyone to think creatively in fresh ways and to dig for the common areas of energy and interest came at the perfect moment for Research4Life. We were really lucky to have her with us as long as we have.
We will all miss Andrea immensely in our day to day working. We wish her all the best in the next chapter of her career, as she plans to focus on her role in local government as a Green Party District Councillor and Cabinet member in South Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.
