Biographies

Chairman: Ralph M. Shoffner, DLS

Ralph M. Shoffner, DLS, Board Chairman provides logistical planning and organizational support for all business activity of Ringgold. His wife, Alice Shoffner, actively assists in customer support. For OpenRFP Ralph maintains the catalog of functional descriptors and associated XML tags for describing vendor products and services. The various features, benefits, and statements about functionality are used by libraries as specifications for online RFPs. Ralph's doctorate is in Library Science. Phone: 1-503-645-3502 Email:Ralph Shoffner

President: Donald Chvatal

Don has over 40 years of experience as an executive in business organizations, developing and applying new information systems technology. Don is also a librarian and former bookseller, with extensive experience in the automation of Acquisitions. He has worked for a number of ILS companies in sales, marketing and product development as well as in the role of consultant to libraries and suppliers on management and automation issues. In 2003 he participated in creating OpenRFP, a new paradigm in business-to-business eProcurement. In 2005, OpenRFP was renamed Ringgold, Inc. Don serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Ringgold, Inc.

Managing Director, Ringgold Ltd: Helen L. Henderson

Helen has worked as a librarian, publisher and subscription agent in her 36 years in the information industry. Her company, Information Power Ltd, provided services to publishers including the work now being used for Ringgold’s Identify services and institutional identifiers. She has advised on strategic development of business models for pricing and packaging of electronic publications of all types. Helen works on several standards committees including NISO and is currently the Joint Editor of SERIALS, on the UK Serials Group committee, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals and of the Royal Geographical Society. She a Freeman of the City Livery Company of Information Technologists.

Technical Director: Peter Evans

Peter provides in depth knowledge of web development and database tools. As a librarian Peter created www.biblio-tech.com, a Ringgold website devoted to news and commentary on library automation matters worldwide. Peter’s primary responsibilities are for the architecture and implementation of all web-based services of Ringgold, including OpenRFP and Identify.

Research Director: Chris Leamy

Chris was one of the pioneers of the information world, starting his career with OSTI, the predecessor of the British Library Research Department. He left the BL Chief Executive’s office to become Assistant Secretary at the Department of Culture Media and Sport responsible for UK libraries and the UK’s representation at the European Commission for science and technology. Having taken early retirement he worked as a consultant for the EC and for companies such as Dialog (then MAID) working on automatic database matching and indexing.

Chris’s primary responsibilities are the management of Identify database and the audit research work.

Management Support Team

Data Manager: Michelle Koster

Michelle began her career in the Customer Service Department of Swets Information Services, UK after reading Philosophy at Exeter University. She was previously employed in the Marketing Department of Professional Books, a Butterworth Company. In freelance, Ms. Koster has over 20 years experience in publishing and the information industries, including research, project management, indexing, marketing, and editorial roles. Michelle manages the research and support teams within Ringgold and is the main contact point for Ringgold’s Identify customers

Customer Support: Rachel Taylor

Rachel is a Graduate Librarian from the University of Central England (now Birmingham City University) with over 15 years’ experience within business information services and software houses. She has experience in managing support and development teams and is an experienced Business Analyst producing software solution requirements for national clients. Her main responsibilities are customer support and training, and she also works in testing and quality assurance for Identify web services.

Assistant Data Manager: Ankie Visschedijk

Ankie is a Graduate Librarian who worked for the BBC and a variety of media companies after graduating in Forestry from the Agricultural University of Wageningen. She is responsible for the European research team and for quality control of the Identify database.