There are more reasons to celebrate the New Year at the Consortium. We have two new staff members joining us as Membership Services Coordinators. Igor Lesko and Marcela Morales Barragán add diversity to the Consortium by bringing varied experiences and academic backgrounds. Igor is originally from Slovakia but has been living in South Africa for the past seven years. He has studied European Studies and Development Studies in Slovakia, Germany, and South Africa. He has worked on various education projects as a researcher and a coordinator. Included among the projects is a Free Courseware project at the University of Western Cape. His interests include development, web 2.0 technologies, digital publications, and of course, education.

Marcela is an instructional designer with a decade’s experience as a project manager in various education programs. Her position at the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey prior to joining the Consortium had her manage teacher training programs and international exchange programs in which she had an opportunity to travel all over the world to increase awareness of different cultures. Marcela believes in the transformative power of education, and this is what attracted her to the work at the Consortium. Igor and Marcela are the two successful candidates out of hundreds of applicants. And I am sure that you will see why once we get to know them a little better.

As membership services coordinators, Igor and Marcela will be working closely with the member institutions and other institutions interested in OCW. They will be in charge of the full cycle of the membership application processes and will provide assistance to our members with their projects. It is a great pleasure to introduce Igor and Marcela to the community, and I am sure everyone will join me in congratulating them and also making them feel welcome in the community.