STM goes to Washington: The Scientific Method Meets the Political Process

Although every year in the scholarly publishing ecosystem is a balancing act of innovation, optimization, and value creation, 2025 is shaping up to be particularly challenging as the pace and scale of change is accelerating more than we’ve ever seen before. There is increasing pressure to provide value to and to meet the incredibly diverse needs of the global research community while maintaining financial health for our own organizations, living our values, and continuing to protect the scholarly record. With AI, open access, integrity, and mistrust frequently dominating the conversation, we are in the midst of an unprecedented shift in both our industry and society as a whole. As always, the SSP community continues to focus on bringing together academics, funders, librarians, publishers, service providers, technologists, researchers and countless others with a communal interest and stake in disseminating scholarly information. We look to the 47th Annual Meeting as an opportunity to continue this tradition and welcome all colleagues and community stakeholders.

Darla is the central business, operational, and thought leader for open science, research integrity, and publications. Recently, she led a science-first, scientist-centered response to public access plans across all FASEB member societies. Darla served in leadership positions at John Wiley & Sons and at the American Chemical Society as the first Head of Open Access. She is a frequent speaker at industry meetings and serves on multiple boards and committees. She holds a PhD in biological chemistry from Duke University and scholarly information works under her remit have earned 11 industry awards.

Karinna Gerhardt is a Manager on the Emerging Technologies team at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), where she leads tech policy initiatives centered on tech equity, AI, and data privacy. In today’s increasingly complex world where new technologies can create as many problems as they solve, she is committed to advancing policy solutions that safeguard individual rights and dignity. Karinna previously consulted with Pyrra Technologies as a disinformation and extremism researcher, where she tracked the lifecycle of false narratives through online information ecosystems. Prior to joining FAS, she worked with the Public International Law & Policy Group to implement human rights and atrocity prevention programs in Bangladesh, Yemen, and Libya. Committed to a career in public service, Karinna is a Truman Scholar, and holds degrees in Political Science and International Studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Tom runs Smarter Learning, a consultancy focused on relationship management, business development, communication strategy, and science advocacy. He’s also the creator of the "STM Goes to Washington" series of talks connecting the scholarly and academic publishing world to experts in government affairs and public policy. Tom is formerly head of Public Affairs in North America for Frontiers, overseeing government relations for the US and Canada; before that he was manager of Publisher Relations for Clarivate, where he coordinated communication and content strategy with the Web of Science Group from both the US and UK.

With over a decade of political and policy experience, Tony provides a breadth of tactical knowledge and expertise on a wide range of issues. Tony provides Platinum’s clients with real-time, in-depth analysis and updates on key policy and political discussions in DC and beyond. Prior to joining the Platinum team, Tony was the Legislative Director in the office of US Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01). There, he directed the legislative efforts of the Congresswoman’s DC staff, formulated and implemented the Member’s legislative agenda, and managed an expansive legislative portfolio including appropriations, energy, labor, and financial services policies. Tony also has extensive experience in the political arena – directing the field efforts for successful congressional campaigns that involved massive voter outreach and volunteer coordination efforts.