Staff Bios

You may also view bios for emeritus Scout staff.

Edward Almasy

ealmasy@scout.wisc.edu

608.262.6606

Director

After publishing his first shrink-wrapped software package for the original Apple ][ at the tender age of 18, Ed spent most of the next six years tinkering with photons before being sucked into the Internet vortex in 1987. Since then he has been involved in various Internet-related ventures and high-tech startups before finally ending up herding virtual cats at Scout. When not sitting in front of a computer and/or pontificating on novel new ways to use the Internet, Ed can often be found boating, snowboarding, writing and playing and dancing to music, or maybe just enjoying some of Wisconsin's finer exports in the great outdoors.
Rachael Bower

bower@scout.wisc.edu

608.262.6587

Director

Born in NYC and having spent most of her life east of the midwest, Rachael moved to Madison in 1995 to work for the Trace Center at the University of Wisconsin. After many years in Wisconsin she has finally learned to appreciate domestic cheese, fish icing, the true meaning of the phrase "wind chill factor," and her uncle Luke's hotel in Mexico. With a background in communications and library science, and having gone from academia to Internet-startup-land and back again, she brings strong project management, organizational, and fundraising skills to Scout. It also doesn't hurt that she has a wicked sense of humor and the ability to throw a fabulous dinner party with less than a day's notice. When not at Scout she spends her time practicing yoga and barre, knitting, reading way too many murder mysteries, and hanging out with friends, her fabulous family including her talented brother Isaac, and her wonderful husband Iain.
Kendra A. Bouda

kbouda@scout.wisc.edu

608.265.9453

Metadata and Information Specialist

Kendra is metadata and information specialist with Internet Scout Research Group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She holds her MA in library and information studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a MA in arts management from Columbia College Chicago, and a certificate in artifact collection care from the University of Chicago. Prior to joining the Scout team, Kendra taught as adjunct faculty at Columbia, instructing arts management and business writing courses, and served as acting collections manager of Columbia’s fashion study collection. Kendra has a strong interest in the openness movement, particularly as it pertains to cultural objects and datasets that have the potential to help realize positive change in people’s lives.
Corey Halpin

chalpin@scout.wisc.edu

608.262.6608

Software Engineer

As a tender young undergraduate at UW-Madison, Corey studied electrical engineering and computer science with an emphasis on processor design. This lead naturally to a stint at the Forest Products Laboratory where he helped build robots that squished samples of building sealant while being outside. From there Corey mastered science and then doctored philosophy in the department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology. His research used computer modeling combined with field data to examine trade-offs between growing space efficiency and species diversity among different silvicultural systems and to elucidate the long-term developmental trajectory of northern hardwood forests subject to natural disturbances. He enjoys hunting 4+ leaf clovers, watching every Star Trek series ever with his family, failing to keep up with his assigned reading, eating the delicious food his wife makes, collecting interesting and beautiful pens along with gorgeous purple ink, and generally embodying xkcd 1806.
Ray Perry

rperry@scout.wisc.edu

Project and Collaboration Coordinator

Originally from Massachusetts, Ray grew up largely in Illinois and attended Macalester College in Minnesota, where she studied Linguistics and Psychology, focusing on language comprehension and communication. She moved to Madison in 2015 and has held a variety of jobs since, from lab manager to bartender to customer care representative. Across the board, Ray has specialized in communication, organization, design, and usability. On the side, Ray is also a dance instructor, and illustrator for I/O Arcade Bar. In her free time, she's a TV and movie buff, and enjoys drawing, watercolor painting, dancing, comics, and trying to figure out just what it is her cat actually wants.
Michelle Lake

mlake@scout.wisc.edu

Lead Internet Cataloger and Support Specialist

Michelle received her MA degree in library and information studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During her time studying at UW, Michelle focused on archives and digital collections. She has worked at the Wisconsin State Historical Society digitizing maps and processing film collections and at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum as an assistant processing archivist. In her free time, she enjoys sewing and obsessing over her collection of designer fabric.
Autumn Leonard

aleonard@scout.wisc.edu

Software Engineer

Hailing from the exotic land of Sun Prairie, Autumn has in fact lived in many corners of the storied world of Dane county. Growing up in McFarland, he knew he wanted to be a programmer when he got his first graphing calculator (a TI-86) in middle school and taught himself basic. Later as an undergraduate at UW-Madison, he learned there are actually a few other programming languages too. Now Autumn spends more time than he'll admit building Lego sets, tweaking custom home automations, and playing video games. He and his wife Liz love going out to their favorite Madison restaurants, working on community theatre productions together, and watching through sci-fi television (in any of its range of quality).
Laura Vergenz

lvergenz@scout.wisc.edu

Outreach Coordinator

Having lived in Madison since 2010, Laura considers both the city and the University of Wisconsin-Madison her home. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University and is currently a Doctor of Nursing Practice student in the Systems, Leadership, and Innovation track. With a love for technology, healthcare, and teaching, Laura enjoys exploring how innovation can support learners and educators in the world of nursing. Her professional background is in critical cancer, oncology care, and nursing research. Having worked on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in Madison’s ICUs, Laura developed a newfound appreciation for life, meaning, and connection. She spends her free time hiking around Wisconsin, weight training, finding new recipes on Instagram to try, appreciating art and interior design, watching random documentaries on Netflix, and spending time with friends and family.
Mallory Malvitz

mmalvitz@scout.wisc.edu

Digital Collections Assistant

Mallory is a first year student at UW-Madison planning to study computer science. She is from West Allis, Wisconsin. In her free time, she likes to play soccer, listen to music and spend time with friends and family.
Arda Gürcan

agurcan@scout.wisc.edu

System Administrator

Originally from Turkey, Arda is a third-year undergraduate at UW-Madison studying Computer Science, Data Science, and potentially Economics. In his free time, he loves making video games, playing the guitar, sailing, and reading about economics, politics, and philosophy.
Paige Holke

pholke@scout.wisc.edu

Outreach & Communications Assistant

Paige is a freshman at UW-Madison studying Communication Arts and Strategic Communication from Germantown, Wisconsin. She enjoys going to concerts, watching musical theater, playing Stardew Valley, and exploring coffee shops to find the best chai-tea lattes!