Our Team
Dr. Jinhee Kim — Digital Literacy Program Lead / Professor, Associate Dean, and Associate Director of the University of Maryland Extension
Dr. Jinhee Kim, the program lead for the Digital Literacy Project, is a Professor, Associate Dean, and Associate Director at the University of Maryland Extension (UME). Her primary research focuses on financial management, economic well-being, and health. Dr. Kim published three book chapters and 69 journal articles and made 100+ invited and refereed presentations. She has successfully secured and managed over $10 million in external funding. Dr. Kim has led the development, delivery, and evaluation of extension education programs and community-based projects such as rural opioids, mental health, healthy relationships, economic development, and financial management. She has trained over 2,000 Extension and financial professionals and taught departmental courses addressing family financial management and credit. Dr. Kim was president of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) on national boards, including the National Consumer League, the American Council on Consumer Interests (ACCI), and the National Jump$tart Coalition. She is a Distinguished Fellow with the AFCPE.
Mark Demorra — 4H and Youth Development State Specialist
Mark DeMorra is the Maryland 4-H STEM Specialist at UMD, overseeing programs focused on topics including robotics, aerospace, computer science, engineering, emerging technologies, and maker spaces. He earned his B.S. in Physics from Salisbury University in 2008. After interning at NASA-Goddard in the Astrophysics Department in 2009, Mark ran STEM programs for 13 years across Maryland for kids through adults. He was on the Board of Directors of the M4Reactor maker space and was a Maryland Out-of-School-Time STEM ambassador from 2014-2017. Mark also coached FIRST Lego League and FIRST Tech Challenge teams from 2009 to 2019 for multiple organizations while earning his MBA from Salisbury University and starting his Ph.D. with a focus on nanotechnology and nano-scale 3D-Printing. Mark also currently serves as the Chair of the National 4-H STEM Working Group. He can be reached by e-mail at mdemorra@umd.edu.
Dr. Mega Subramaniam — Professor and Associate Dean of the College of Information Studies (INFO), University of Maryland
Dr. Mega Subramaniam is a Professor and the Associate Dean for Faculty at the College of Information Studies (INFO) at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on enhancing the role of libraries in fostering the mastery of digital literacies among youth. Her work brings research and practice together to enhance the skills of in-service and pre-service librarians. She has successfully led the design of multiple professional development resources and training for in-service and pre-service librarians including ConnectedLib, Safe Data Safe Families, HackHealth, Youth Experience, and IMPACT. Her research has resulted in several national recognitions, most recently including the Library Journal's 2019 Movers and Shakers award, YALSA’s 2020 Outstanding Achievement Award, and the Fulbright Specialist Award. To learn more about her work, visit her website.
Isaias Yemane Tesfalidet — Digital Literacy Project Director
Isaias comes with over 17 years of experience in the public and private sectors, international development, the IT industry, and academia combining technical knowledge of emerging technologies with expertise in mixed methods research, law, business strategy, public policy, and project management across multiple industries. Isaias worked with and consulted for academic institutions, think tanks, industry, government, NGOs, and international organizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America on thematic areas ranging from access to justice, awareness-raising campaigns among vulnerable communities, emerging technologies, and development. Isaias also consulted in the context of software development most recently in Cryptography as a Service for a global payments company, and large software development and IoT data analytics for a US energy company. Earlier in his career, Isaias served as Staff Attorney at the Office of the Legal Advisor to the President of Eritrea. Isaias speaks Tigrinya, Amharic, and English and holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Yale Law School and an LL.B. from the University of Asmara as well as certifications in project management (PMI), and data analytics (Google).
Maria Barga — UMD Tech Extension Educator
Maria Barga joins UME as a Tech Extension Educator. She serves UMD and her community with a mission to instruct the community in the use of digital technology. Although her home base is in the Charles County office, she will be reaching out to all of Southern Maryland. Growing up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Maria got involved with extension early on by being a member of Wicomico County 4-H, where she did everything from raising sheep to learning to paint. Earning her BFA from Columbus College of Art and Design with a major in Illustration, Maria began to develop a background in Graphic and web design. She spent several years later working in a variety of fields that enabled her to have a diverse background in both in-person and online customer service along with business management. Last year, Maria joined the Calvert County Extension as an administrative assistant where she supported various program areas by creating content for marketing, maintaining the county webpage, and various administrative tasks. As a Tech Extension Educator, Maria looks forward to helping people become comfortable navigating the internet and hopes to spark curiosity amongst those who may feel technology to be intimidating.
Jane Ingram Behre — Doctoral Student at UMD iSchool
Jane Behre is a Ph.D. student at the UMD iSchool. Her research interests include everyday life information literacy, health information literacy, and the information needs of LGBTQ+ youth. She is a member of the Information Policy and Access Collaborative (iPAC). She was a Research and Teaching Fellow at McKeldin Library and taught information literacy skills to first-year English 101 students during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years. She holds an MLIS from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University.
Alison Harding — Doctoral Student at UMD iSchool
Alison Harding is a Ph.D. student at UMD iSchool studying rural identity and the narrative of metropolitanization through the lens of the information practices of rural youth exploring and navigating queer identities. She works with the Extension to research the digital literacy and inclusion landscape of the state of Maryland and expand the network of digital literacy stakeholders across the state. Prior to her time at UMD, she obtained her MS-ILS from University at Buffalo, an MFA in theatre from Virginia Tech, and a BA in theatre from Wagner College.
Vishnupriya Desai — Digital Navigator Program Manager
Vishnupriya Desai joins the University of Maryland Extension as a Program Manager since November 2023. Her professional background is in Computer Science & Engineering and has her B.A. in Management of Aging Services from UMBC. In her previous position as a Digital Inclusion Coordinator, she helped close the digital divide by serving the technology needs of seniors in Baltimore County. With great enthusiasm, she looks forward to bringing digital equity to Maryland.
Uhjin Sim — Instructional Designer
Uhjin Sim joins the University of Maryland Extension as an Instructional Designer to develop, design, and curate innovative learning design solutions. Her academic and professional expertise is in educational media and technology, curriculum & instructional design, and bilingual education. Throughout her career working as a learning designer in both academia and industry, she continues to find joy and passion in designing engaging and innovative learning experiences, hanging out at the intersection of design, technology, and pedagogy. She holds an M.A. in Learning Engineering from Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development and a B.A. in English language education from Korea University.