HMML Welcomes Three New Directors To Its Board Of Directors
HMML Welcomes Three New Directors to Its Board of Directors
HMML is pleased to welcome three new members to its Board of Directors: Donald J. Waters, Christian Y. Dupont, and Steven E. Helland.
Together, these new directors bring nationally-recognized expertise in manuscript stewardship, research libraries, digital preservation, scholarly communications, technology, and organizational leadership. Their collective experience strengthens the Board’s ability to advance HMML’s mission: preserving and sharing the world’s handwritten past to inspire a deeper understanding of our present and future.
Donald J. Waters
Donald J. Waters recently completed a distinguished 23-year career as senior program officer for scholarly communications at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (New York, New York), where he guided major investments in research libraries, archives, digital preservation, and scholarly communications. Prior to Mellon, he served as founding director of the Digital Library Federation (Alexandria, Virginia), and held leadership positions at Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut).
Widely recognized as a leader in digital preservation and scholarly access, Waters has helped shape national and international efforts to preserve cultural heritage collections and expand access to knowledge. His expertise in scholarship, preservation, and library innovation brings valuable perspective to HMML’s work and future priorities.
Christian Y. Dupont
Christian Y. Dupont serves as associate university librarian for scholarly resources and as the Burns librarian at Boston College, (Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts). Throughout his career, he has been a leader in special collections, archives, scholarly resources, and cultural heritage stewardship, helping expand access to rare and unique collections for researchers, students, and the public.
Dupont’s professional experience spans libraries, archives, manuscript collections, and digital scholarship. He brings to HMML’s Board a deep understanding of the preservation, interpretation, and accessibility of cultural heritage materials—expertise closely aligned with HMML's mission and global preservation efforts.
Steven E. Helland
Steven E. Helland is a partner at Fredrikson & Byron law firm (Minneapolis, Minnesota), where he chairs the firm’s Tech & Data Group. His practice focuses on technology transactions, intellectual property, cybersecurity, data privacy, and emerging technologies. For more than three decades, he has advised organizations ranging from startups to established enterprises on technology strategy, innovation, and governance.
Helland brings to the HMML Board significant expertise in technology, risk management, intellectual property, and strategic leadership. His experience will help support HMML’s continued investment in digital preservation, global access, and technology-enabled scholarship.
HMML looks forward to the insight, leadership, and expertise these directors will bring as the organization continues its work preserving endangered manuscript collections and making them accessible to communities and scholars around the world.
