2025 Product Council Elections

Name

Institution

Candidate Statement

Jennifer Eustis

Five Colleges

I am seeking re-nomination to the Product Council because I believe in the community open-source model that FOLIO represents. As a member of the Product Council, I can leverage my expertise in metadata, batch loading, and project management. One of my primary goals is to ensure that the voices of those who work with FOLIO are heard within the Product Council. This perspective will help us understand FOLIO more holistically, enabling the Product Council to better support the ongoing efforts to improve FOLIO.

Thomas Trutt

Cornell University Library

I am grateful for the opportunity to apply for the PC. As the FOLIO Application Manager at Cornell, I serve as the Product Owner for three areas, work directly with the development team Vega, and actively participate in several SIGs and working groups within the FOLIO community. I also co-convene the Implementors SIG and other working groups. Additionally, I have presented many times at WOLFcon. My love for technology has driven my career, and I have spent 25 years at the Cornell Library, gaining experience in all aspects of access services. I have taught myself three programming languages, further fueling my passion for technology. I deeply believe in FOLIO's potential and would be honored to contribute to its future.

Autumn Faulkner

Michigan State University

I’m a faculty librarian and a supervisor of cataloging operations, so I am well-versed in database management, library workflows, ILS functionality, etc. My leadership and process development work includes chairship of the MSU Libraries Strategic Plan and other MSUL governance bodies, as well as officer positions for professional associations. In our 5th year as a FOLIO institution, MSU is increasingly involved in FOLIO community activity. I’ve been plugged into the Data Import SIGs for a few years now, and I’m a current member of the Product Council’s Better Sample Data Working Group. I'm ready to contribute to FOLIO development priorities and I'd also like to help shape a vision for FOLIO's future.

Tod Olson

University of Chicago Library

I am seeking a seat on the FOLIO Product Council. I have been involved with library management systems for three decades. I am currently the Director of Integrated Library Systems at the University of Chicago, where I have also held programmer/analyst and systems librarian roles, and have always acted as a bridge between technical staff and non-technical staff. I've been engaged with the FOLIO project for several years, have served on the Technical Council, and was previously active in the Reporting SIG, SysOps SIG, and some working groups. I believe that my experience in the FOLIO community and my experience in library automation would allow me to contribute productively to the Product Council.

Charlotte Whitt

Index Data

I have been engaged in the FOLIO Community work for 8-9 years by now, and the past 2 years as elected member of the Product Council. With my background as librarian, product owner, and now lead-product owner for 3 development team, I bring to the table experience on FOLIO development work, and I know the FOLIO planning process by heart. The shift to the Eureka platform has been one of our biggest challenges the past year. This work is not completed yet, and here one of my focus areas will be that we get all FOLIO libraries safely moved from Okapi to the new Eureka platform. Another area is the PC's Working Group on Better Sample Data in our reference environments. I'd like to seek re-election, and continue the PC's work for 2 more years

Jana Freytag

GBV / VZG, Göttingen

I have been an active member of the FOLIO community since 2017, serving as the RA SIG Convenor for nearly five years and contributing to various other working groups, including the Community Outreach SIG, the Prioritization Working Group, and the WOLFCon Planning Group. As a systems librarian supporting FOLIO migration and operations for the GBV consortium, I bring hands-on experience in managing and supporting development work, implementation, library workflows, and stakeholder collaboration.
My goal is to further serve the FOLIO community by sharing insights gained from managing complex, consortium-level needs. I am committed to the FOLIO community and would be honored to contribute my expertise to the Product Council.

Robert Heaton

EBSCO Information Services

FOLIO’s varied users have varied priorities, so asking the right questions is more important than having all the answers. PC can reward community members’ contributions by fostering connections that bring technical, procedural, and administrative value.

I have been a senior FOLIO implementation consultant at EBSCO since 2022 and spent a decade before that in e-resources and collection management at an academic library. I have been a regular participant at various times in the Support, Acq, Workflow, and RA SIGs, and I work to stay current on every aspect of FOLIO operations.

I currently serve on NISO’s KBART Standing Committee (member since 2017, co-chair since 2023) and as past president of the Cache Valley Library Association.

Aaron Bales

Notre Dame

I am the head of the Library Applications Management department at the Hesburgh Libraries of Notre Dame. We have recently begun a FOLIO migration project, and plan to go live in production in the summer of 2026. I am very interested in the community development approach to FOLIO, and in contributing to its direction.