Maria Praetzellis Appointed to UC3 Associate Director Position

We are delighted to share that Maria Praetzellis has been appointed the new Associate Director of the University of California Curation Center (UC3) program at the California Digital Library (CDL).

Maria’s Journey within CDL

Maria has been an integral part of UC3, showcasing her product management and leadership skills along with an understanding of the nuances of the digital library space. Her journey within UC3 started four years ago as the Product Manager for UC3’s Research Data Management portfolio with a focus on data management plans (DMPs). Since then, she has been directly involved in a number of systemwide and global projects and was promoted to a Senior Product Manager role on the UC3 team. Her direction and vision have helped move the team forward and  guided global conversations around data policies and the need for machine-actionable data management plans (maDMPs).

Maria’s Background

Maria brings to this new role a wealth of experience with a Master of Arts in US History and Archives from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.  

Prior to CDL, in her role as a Program Manager at the Internet Archive (IA), Maria oversaw large-scale data archiving and management, fostering strategic partnerships with cultural heritage institutions, national libraries, and international organizations. Prior to that, Maria’s roles as Web Archivist and Digitization Project Manager further showcased her expertise in addressing technical challenges and managing complex projects in a variety of library settings.

Looking Forward

With Maria Praetzellis stepping into the role of UC3 Associate Director, we are confident in the continued success and growth of the UC3 team. Please join us in congratulating her on this well-earned promotion. Congratulations, Maria!