Dean's Office Staff
Executive Assistant
As the Executive Assistant to the Dean for the College, Keri serves as the primary
liaison and strategic partner for the Dean’s Office, managing high-level communications,
staffing recruitment processes, and the end-to-end execution of college events ranging
from donor stewardship and corporate visits to all-college faculty and staff meetings.
She contributes to the college’s digital presence, including the website and social
media, while also serving as the primary safety officer and coordinator for donor
stewardship initiatives.
Prior to joining SJSU, she worked in operations and development at Santa Clara University.
Education
B.S. (Business Administration/Marketing) California Polytechnic State University,
San Luis Obispo
Email: keri.barton@sjsu.edu
Digital Access Architect
As our Digital Access Architect, Derek manages the College's CMS sites, develops and
extends custom software for the college, and oversees a team of student assistants.
The web development team responds to a broad array of technical requests from our
growing community of students, faculty, staff and stakeholders in the world of LIS.
In addition to the day to day maintenance of the iSchool websites, he creates web
applications using AJAX, PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, JSON, jQuery, XHTML, CSS, and XML.
Derek is an advocate for the open source software movement.
Biographical Sketch
He is happiest when joining tables in a MySQL database, but also enjoys time with
his family and walks on the beach. He has two cats and believes humor is a brush with
the sublime. See: https://xkcd.com/327/
Prior to joining SJSU, Derek worked in business development and sales in the cellular
and electronics industries.
Education
MLIS San José State University (2008)
MBA University of Southern California (1995)
BA (English Literature) University of California, Irvine (1990)
Email: derek.christiansen@sjsu.edu
Student Outreach Specialist
As a member of the CIDS Student Success Team, Sheila Gurtu supports graduate advising
and develops student success resources for the San José State University School of
Information. She conducts prospective and current student advising appointments by
Zoom. She maintains the Canvas advising sites for MLIS and Certificate students, manages
Open Classes and Certificate programs and implements outreach campaigns, hosts student
success workshops, reports on success metrics and conducts survey analysis for the
school. As a member of the CIDS Recruitment and Events Team, Sheila supports the CIDS
Events Associate by traveling to exhibit programs at conferences, graduate school
fairs and represents our programs at special events.
In 2010, Gurtu first joined the iSchool Circle of Learning grant team, in a SJSU Research
Foundation part-time position, providing support with student services, accounting,
communications, project marketing and dissemination, data collection, reporting, and
conference planning. She also helped iSchool faculty with other federally funded grants.
Gurtu is an iSchool alumna and enjoyed working as a teacher librarian in elementary
and junior high schools in San José for many years.
Education
MLIS San José State University
Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, Teacher Librarian Services Credential, San José
State University
BA (Anthropology and Art History) University of California, Santa Cruz
Email: sheila.gurtu@sjsu.edu
College Resource Analyst
Karlen serves the College in a data and operations-focused role, where he is committed
to advancing data-driven decision-making across academic and administrative units.
His work centers on revenue analysis by program, faculty workload equity, recruitment
performance metrics, and budget optimization. He partners closely with college leadership
to develop actionable reports that identify growth opportunities, improve resource
allocation, and enhance transparency.
Karlen is leading efforts to establish key performance indicators (KPIs) related to
enrollment, retention, recruitment ROI, and career outcomes. He is focused on centralizing
reporting infrastructure and developing interactive dashboards to make complex data
accessible to non-technical stakeholders. His long-term objectives include mapping
student success data to identify opportunity gaps, improving early intervention strategies,
and strengthening the College’s ability to align academic resources with institutional
priorities.
Prior to joining the College, Karlen worked in data analysis and institutional research
for IRSA.
Education
B.A. in Management Information Systems, SJSU
Email: karlen.kirkland@sjsu.edu
Network Administrator
Abigail Laufer joined the SJSU iSchool in 1996 as a computer lab technician and server
administrator. Since 2000, she has helped build and support the iSchool technology
infrastructure. Presently, Abigail serves as the Network Administrator for the College.
Her expertise spans the administration of UNIX, Linux, and Windows servers and applications,
as well as the strategic planning of server co-location and coordination. She is dedicated
to the success of the academic community, offering high-level end-user assistance
for faculty, staff, and students.
Prior to joining SJSU, Abigail worked for the University of Washington.
Education
B.A. (English) University of California at Santa Barbara (1996)
M.L.I.S. San José State University (1999)
Email: abigail.laufer@sjsu.edu
Academic Support Analyst
Jyoti serves as the Academic Support Analyst, providing comprehensive administrative
and operational oversight for the College’s academic units and the Dean’s Office.
She is the primary point of contact for University Personnel compliance, developing
and maintaining college-wide procedures that promote efficiency and ensure adherence
to university policies. Jyoti also oversees and facilitates all student employee onboarding,
supporting departments in maintaining smooth and compliant hiring processes.
Email: jyoti.mehta@sjsu.edu
Taryn serves as a strategic liaison and advocate, dedicated to enhancing student outcomes
through the rigorous collection and analysis of retention, persistence, and time-to-degree
data. By collaborating with advisors and administrators, she designs and evaluates
innovative advising tools, workshops, and engagement initiatives that streamline the
student experience across both physical and digital platforms. Taking a proactive
approach to student care, Taryn identifies complex academic issues and leverages qualitative
and quantitative insights to recommend systemic policy improvements to leadership.
Ultimately, she bridges the gap between student needs and institutional goals, ensuring
that programs are continuously refined to foster a supportive and successful academic
environment.
Prior to joining the College of IDS, Taryn was an elementary and high school counselor
for about 20 years in California, New Mexico, and Hawai’i.
Education
MA Counseling, Sonoma State University
Pupil Personnel Service Credential, School Counseling, Sonoma State University
BA Social and Behavioral Sciences, California State University Monterey Bay
Email: taryn.reiner@sjsu.edu
College Resource Analyst
With a degree in Business Administration from SJSU, Jackie brings specialized analytical
expertise to the Dean’s Office, focusing on the oversight of budget and financial
affairs for the college’s academic programs. She works closely with individual departments
to manage funds and align resources with the college’s broader financial goals. Beyond
budget management, Jackie is a key resource for staff and faculty, providing hands-on
support for procurement, accounts payable, and employee travel reimbursements.
Education
B.S. (Business Administration, Accounting) San Jose State University
Email: jackie.thai@sjsu.edu
TC provides essential technical leadership for the College of Information, Data and
Society, ensuring the seamless operation of our diverse technological ecosystem. His
primary duties include the deployment, maintenance, and troubleshooting of hardware
and software for faculty, staff, and students within the iSchool and across the college.
Beyond basic support, TC serves as a critical resource for optimizing digital workflows
and maintaining the high-level security standards required for our data-driven programs.
By bridging the gap between complex infrastructure and user needs, he ensures our
academic community remains connected and productive in an evolving digital landscape.
Prior to joining the College, TC worked in the private sector and at Stanford University.
Education
B.S. Business Administration and Mangement Information Systems, SJSU
Email: tc.truong@sjsu.edu
Vivian leads the college’s conference and event recruitment initiatives, collaborating
with internal teams to identify high-impact outreach opportunities, manage budgets,
and coordinate marketing efforts. She represents the college at conferences worldwide,
connecting with prospective students and building meaningful relationships. In addition,
she organizes networking events that foster engagement among current students and
alumni.
Prior to joining the iSchool in 2022, Vivan worked as an Administrative Services Coordinator
for the School of Social work at SJSU.
Education
B.A. (Intensive Psychology), University of California at Santa Cruz
Email: vivian.zuo@sjsu.edu
