Championing Public Data: Data Professionals in Civic Life
The following text is from Lynda Kellam’s opening keynote for the 2026 IASSIST conference on June 2, 2026. Lynda Kellam’s opening keynote Good morning, everyone. It is a genuine pleasure to be with you today as your opening keynote speaker. I know that virtual conferences are challenging. I miss the hallway conversations with every ounce of my extroverted being. Recently, I attended another virtual conference where the opening keynote asked people to stay as present as possible, and I ask that of you now.