Sonja Erickson, VP of Engineering at bepress, is an expert at steering companies on the leading edge of development. On working at bepress, Sonja says, “I believe strongly in using technology to provide access to resources and information for everyone. The bepress commitment to the Open Access movement aligns perfectly for me in a way that is both educational and innovative.” She has guided Digital Commons and the new Expert Gallery Suite to take advantage of cloud-based technologies where, as she puts it, “the sky is the limit for imagining new features and services.”
Sonja has introduced new collaborative approaches to make sure that customers get the most out of her team’s developments. Her periodic two-day hack-a-thons, for example, invite bepress folks from different departments to brainstorm new features. The competition between teams is fierce to come up with an idea that customers will love, as the winning team gets an unusual prize: to go knife-throwing at Sonja’s house!
And that’s not the only hidden talent on the development team: Stefan is a scuba diver, Ann knits baby gifts, and Kit, our System Administrator, is a musician and regularly holds karaoke nights. If you’re in Berkeley and want to belt out a favorite song, just say the word!
Part of the bepress development team L-R: Stefan Amshey, Nicole Johnson, Susan Tan, Shane Watson, William Wong, Alex Kessinger, Sonja Erickson, Joel Stevenson, Paul Oxborrow, and Ann Connolly.
