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 Hagenbaugh

mhagenbaugh@scout.wisc.edu

Lead Internet Cataloger and Support Specialist

Michelle is the lead cataloger and support specialist at Internet Scout Research Group. She 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 baking, sewing, and obsessing over and adding to her collection of designer fabric.
Matthew Zinsli

mzinsli@scout.wisc.edu

Outreach Coordinator

Matthew grew up in Verona, Wisconsin, and a circuitous route has brought him back to the Madison area. After completing a BA in English at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, he spent a year teaching in Thailand and then six years as a teacher and administrator at a bilingual K-12 school in Comayagua, Honduras. He managed to squeeze an MA in Environmental Studies somewhere in there as well. Since 2015, Matthew has been pursuing a PhD in Sociology and International Development Studies at UW–Madison, focusing on conflicts over scientific expertise, conservation, market access in rural development projects in Latin America. Outside of work, Matthew enjoys gardening, cooking, crossword puzzles, hiking, nature and wildlife photography, and preparing exciting adventures as a Dungeons & Dragons DM.
Jacob Wolf

jwolf@scout.wisc.edu

Cataloger

Originally from Michigan, Jacob came to Wisconsin to pursue graduate studies at UW-Madison's Information School. With a background in various library, archive, and museum settings, Jacob seeks to improve access to and the preservation of the human story. When they are not cataloging records or studying archival theory, Jacob can be found watching old movies, tinkering away with a drum machine, creating jazz guitar arrangements, or hanging out with pals.
Isaak Mertz

imertz@scout.wisc.edu

Outreach Assistant

A Madison native, Isaak is a rising junior and prospective communications major at UW-Madison. In his off-hours, he enjoys hiking, long bike rides, songwriting, tinkering with music gear, expanding his repertoire of country cover songs, and thrifting.
Alyssa Rodriguez

arodriguez@scout.wisc.edu

Outreach Assistant

A Wisconsin native, Alyssa is a rising junior double majoring in Communication Arts and Spanish at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. On-campus, Alyssa is also a part of the Alpha Kappa Chapter of Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Inc. On her time off, Alyssa likes to spend her time hiking, running, reading, and trying out new coffee shops around the Madison area.
Simon Wu

swu@scout.wisc.edu

Web Developer

Originally from New York City, Simon is a rising sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Computer Science. When he's not coding, he spends his time playing Ultimate Frisbee, playing video games, watching TV shows and drinking coffee.
Ethan Nguyen

enguyen@scout.wisc.edu

System Administrator

Ethan is a first-year student at UW-Madison planning to study computer science. He is originally from the Northern Virginia area, and other than coding, enjoys biking and hiking.
Debra Shapiro

Contributing Editor, The Scout Report

Debra Shapiro was an Internet Cataloger at Internet Scout from 1998 to 2000, and is now an instructor at UW-Madison's School of Library and Information Studies, where she teaches in the areas of organization of information, online searching, and web design. Prior to coming to Scout, Deb was a photo archivist, and her undergraduate degree is in art history, so she contributes reviews of art, museum, and pictorial web sites to The Scout Report. That undergraduate degree in art history prepared Deb for about 15 years of restaurant work, which gave her a long-lasting love of cooking and recipe development, that you can read about on her blog, Deb's Lunch.
Mostafa Ali

mali@scout.wisc.edu

Web Developer

Born in NYC, Mostafa grew up in Egypt, where he developed passion for technology and programming. He moved to Madison in 2019 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Computer Sciences. On his off time, Mostafa likes to work on side projects with his friends, play video games, and listen to music.