STAFF

Erin Bell, Operations Director

Erin Bell, MLIS, is an information science professional with over 6 years of service in the field. She is the Operations Director at the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, after many years of volunteering. Erin is dedicated to accessible library service and passionate about archival preservation. She is a co-creator of the Gerber/Hart’s podcast Unboxing Queer History. Her article “Developing a Podcast to Share LGBTQ+ History” was published in the January/February 2022 issue of Archival Outlook, the official journal of the Society of American Archivists.


Jen Dentel, Community Outreach & Strategic Partnerships Manager

Jen Dentel has volunteered at Gerber/Hart since 2014 and has served as part-time staff since 2019. During her time at Gerber/Hart, Jen co-created the Unboxing Queer History podcast, helped curate several Gerber/Hart exhibits, and has planned community programming and run Gerber/Hart’s social media accounts. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Jen has a BA in history from University in Chicago and is currently enrolled in the MSLIS program at UIUC. Jen’s research on Chicago pulp author and activist Valerie Taylor was published in Queer Between the Covers (2021) from University of London Press. She is excited to continue building relationships in Chicago’s LGBTQ+ communities and planning programming to increase community awareness of Gerber/Hart’s resources!



Michael Rashid, Development Manager

Michael Rashid is the Development Manager at Gerber/Hart, responsible for donor cultivation and stewardship, grants and sponsorships, and coordination and implementation of fundraising appeals and benefits. In addition to his 20 years of non-profit development and administrative experience, he is a longtime theatre actor and director, and currently an ensemble member with Hell in a Handbag Productions. He holds an MFA from West Virginia University, and a BA from Western Michigan University. Michael is inspired everyday by the supporters and volunteers of Gerber/Hart, who devote so much of their time and resources to its mission of LGBTQ+ historical preservation and literary accessibility.


Additionally, a 30+ core of volunteer staff serve as librarians, catalogers, archivists, exhibit curators, and in operations support roles.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Officers:

Kevin Nunley, Co-chair, serves as a Senior Consultant for Slalom, Inc with a focus on Business Advisory Services. Prior work includes positions at several colleges and universities in higher education, student affairs, wellness, and teaching with roles in residential life, counseling, wellness, diversity and inclusion. For over 20 years, Kevin has supported numerous non-profits in a variety of leadership positions, including serving as the President of the Board of Directors for Metro DC PFLAG for 10 years. Kevin’s academic background includes a MS in Biomedical Science from the Quillen College of Medicine.

James Conley, Co-chair, is the Co-founder and Designer at Studio Folklore, a Chicago-based interior design firm. Prior to his role as a small business owner he served a decade as the Media Services Librarian for Loyola University Chicago. Including prior work for the University of Illinois at Chicago’s library system, James’ tenure in public, private, and academic libraries has spanned over 20 years. James also serves on the editorial board of Chicago’s own Video Game Art Reader (a peer-reviewed journal) and is a practicing visual artist. James has been a volunteer exhibit curator for the Gerber/Hart for the past 6 years. James is currently writing his first book on queer readings of popular cinema.

Becky Chmielewski, Secretary, is an administrator at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and a visual artist. She recently received her MFA from Ohio University, where she researched and highlighted the LGBTQ history of Southeastern Ohio. She is passionate about our community’s history, and driven by a desire to share that history and build community resilience and visibility through the storytelling made possible by Gerber/Hart.

Members:

Elisabeth Bayley is a Senior Lecturer in the English Department at Loyola University Chicago. She has been a professor for ten years specializing in American Literature. Her interests of research are on Willa Cather and John Steinbeck, with a particular focus on Ecocriticism. She is on the Editorial Review Board for the Steinbeck Review and is really excited to be a board member of the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives.  

Jen Kelly currently works as a Senior Project Manager with Walgreens. Before her tenure with Walgreens, she held roles at DePaul University and Bridgeview Bank Group. Jen graduated from DePaul University with a Master’s in Communication and Media and is passionate about the preservation of LGBTQIA+ history and ephemera.

Craig A. Nadborne is a Senior Managing Director, at Bradford Allen specializing in Tenant Representation. Craig joined Bradford Allen in 2007 as a Senior Managing Director and in 2014 was elected to the Midwest Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame. In a Tenant Rep capacity, Craig expertly assists a client base with renewals, relocations, expansions, and renegotiations of their office space leases. Craig specializes in helping the small to mid-size clients who traditionally do not benefit from the quality service that major corporations receive. Another focus is on not-for-profit clients, including Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund, Life Span, Heartland health Organization, Thresholds, and TPAN (Test Positive Aware Network).

Johanna Russ is the Unit Head of Special Collections at Chicago Public Library’s Harold Washington Library Center where she helps to preserve Chicago’s history. She previously worked at Wayne State University’s Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, in Detroit. She is excited to bring her 15 years of library and archives experience to Gerber/Hart. She is especially inspired to preserve the LGBTQIA+ historical record by her children so they can see the broader context for their family.

Jacqui Shine is a writer and historian whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Slate, The Awl, Lapham’s Quarterly, Pacific Standard, the Chicago Reader, The Sun, Vulture, the Boston Review, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Buzzfeed, The New York Times Magazine, Longreads, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. She holds a BA from Smith College, an MA and PhD in United States history from the University of California, Berkeley, and a certificate in nonfiction documentary writing from the Salt Institute. She has been awarded residencies at the Ragdale Foundation and the Vermont Studio Center and was a finalist for the Mirror Awards for media reporting. She teaches in the American Studies program at DePaul University. 

Tanner Waddell is a non-practicing attorney and member of the Illinois Bar. They received their law degree from DePaul University, College of Law and their BA from the University of Nevada, Reno. Tanner’s passion lies in domestic and international human rights advocacy. It is their desire to see LGBTQIA+ history preserved and utilized in the development and creation of inclusive laws. Tanner is inspired by Gerber/Hart’s mission and is excited to be a part of an organization that can help better their community and change the legal world.

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