2025-2026 Specialists
We are thrilled to announce that thanks to an incredible amount of interest in our Copyright Specialist in Residence position, we have selected the next four specialists to join our team here at Copyrightlaws.com.
Spring 2025
From March to June, our Copyright Specialist in Residence will be Alizabeth Nowland from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Alizabeth is currently their Head Performance Librarian and Licensing Manager.
Her position within the university combines her love of music and obsession with copyright law. Alizabeth oversees music preparation and library services for over 50 ensembles at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance and facilitates all music-related copyright licensing for the entire University of Michigan campus. In this position, she secures all synchronization licences, master rights, mechanical rights, and performance rights for more than 1,000 live performances produced by students and faculty.
Alizabeth is active in the greater musical world as an expert in music copyright and is regularly sought as a panelist and speaker at conferences and campuses across the United States, including for the Major Orchestra Librarians’ Association, the National Opera Association, the University Information Policy Officers Organization, and Columbus State University (GA).
She is excited to join the Copyrightlaws.com team as the newest Copyright Specialist in Residence and to share her enthusiasm for all things copyright with our students.
Fall 2025
From September to December of this year, our Copyright Specialist in Residence will be Tanya Richard. Tanya came to the copyright field via her early art practice, then expanded her knowledge and expertise in Canadian cultural institutions. She routinely participates in a variety of copyright events and advocacy and is currently the Advisor of Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Canadian Museum of History.
Tanya is very pleased to accept the invitation to be the Fall 2025 Copyright Specialist in Residence for Copyrightlaws.com. “I owe so much of my education about copyright and collaboration to both Lesley (Ellen Harris) and Erin (Gurski) and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to share my knowledge with new copyright practitioners. I’m looking forward to spirited discussions with students, brainstorming new and innovative approaches to rights management.”
Spring 2026
Looking ahead a year, our Copyright Specialist in Residence for the spring of 2026 is Mary Rose MacLachlan, a copyright clearance specialist and visual researcher with over 30 years’ experience. Her clients include international book publishers, universities, NGOs and individuals. Her projects range from children’s books to textbooks, online educational games, and museum exhibits. She has led picture research seminars through the Editors’ Association of Canada and created the Understanding Copyright course for the Faculty of Continuing Education at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. Mary Rose is a member of the Visual Researchers’ Society of Canada, which represents over 100 professional visual researchers across Canada, and a member of the Picture Research Association in the United Kingdom.
Mary Rose is also a graduate of the Certificate in Canadian Copyright Law from Copyrightlaws.com. In the past few years, Mary Rose’s work has focused on anti-racism and reconciliation resources. Mary Rose is a long-time advocate of copyright education and supports the excellent and balanced work done by Copyrightlaws.com to teach copyright management in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
Fall 2026
And finally, joining us in September of 2026 is Mary Jo (“MJ”) Courchesne, the owner and principal consultant of Gryphon Publishing Consulting, LLC. She is a publishing veteran with over 25 years of experience in trade, academic, and direct-response publishing. Her company specializes in supporting the licensing, subsidiary rights, and permissions efforts of independent publishers worldwide. MJ served as adjunct professor for 16 years in The George Washington University Master of Professional Studies in Publishing program, where she taught courses on copyright and permissions. Currently, she serves on the board of directors for the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) where she is also a member, is active with the Rights Committee of the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) and is a member of the Copyright Alliance and the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators. She has served on the board of experts with the National Association of Writers and Editors (NAIWE) as well. A staunch supporter of arts and cultural organizations, she also serves as secretary on the board of directors for The Big Easy in Buffalo. MJ resides in Buffalo, NY, with her husband and two rescue dogs.
MJ is excited to join Copyrightlaws.com as a Copyright Specialist in Residence in the fall of 2026. She’s eager to expand her knowledge of copyright outside of the publishing industry and to share her experiences with other professionals to become confidently copyright compliant.
Please join us in welcoming these talented individuals to the team and thank you to all who applied! Stay tuned for more from each of these accomplished copyright enthusiasts. We will next be inviting applications for this position in the fall of 2026.
Former Copyright Specialists in Residence
Copyrightlaws.com's first Copyright Specialist in Residence was Erin Gurski (October 2019 to January 2020). Scroll down to see information on applying to be our Copyright Specialist in Residence in 2022!
Photo Credit: Louis Savoie. Used with permission.
Erin brought her unique perspective to Copyrightlaws.com. Now an independent consultant as well as a Teaching Assistant to Copyrightlaws.com, Erin also has experience as the Coordinator and Licensing Agent for Copyright Visual Arts in Ottawa, Canada, and as the Copyright Officer and Advisor of Intellectual Property at the Canadian Museum of History.
Erin completed her residency with Copyrightlaws.com in early January 2020 and left us with the following comments.
My experience as the first Copyright Specialist in Residence for Copyrightlaws.com has come to an end and I can honestly say that it has been equally challenging and rewarding in its opportunities. This position has given me the chance to interact with many copyright professionals throughout the world leading to insightful and, at times, therapeutic conversations about the challenges inherent in the management of copyright and non-copyright-minded colleagues and institutions. It has been wonderful to interact with so many individuals from my field and I am sure I will continue to keep in touch with these new-found colleagues beyond my time with the Copyrightlaws.com team.
I would heartily recommend this residency to anyone interested in both deepening their understanding of copyright management as well as anyone looking to expand their network of fellow copyright professionals. This opportunity is an ideal way to build one’s confidence in their knowledge of all things copyright and continue to learn more about this fascinating area of work. I look forward to seeing who the next Resident will be and where they take this exciting position in the future. Thanks very much to Lesley Ellen Harris and the Copyrightlaws.com team for this wonderful opportunity.
Erin Gurski, Copyrightlaws.com Copyright Specialist in Residence
Drawing from her work experience in both a nonprofit institution and a copyright management society, Erin pursued this residency as an opportunity to further develop her balanced views about copyright management.
First and foremost, I believe this position would be a way for me to share the knowledge I have gained over years of training in copyright, as well as provide me with a chance to learn from those who have had a different experience in this vast field of expertise.
Erin Gurski, Copyrightlaws.com Copyright Specialist in Residence
Erin is the new CEO of Copyrightlaws.com and is a graduate of the following courses:
- Certificate in Canadian Copyright Law
- Certificate in Licensing Digital Content
- Developing a Copyright Policy or Guidelines
- Developing a Copyright Education Strategy (now called 21 Virtual Ways to Build Copyright Awareness in Your Library or Organization)
Copyrightlaws.com's second Copyright Specialist in Residence was Lauren Bourdages from February to April 2020.
Lauren brought her own unique perspective to the Copyright Specialist in Residence role. While acting as our specialist in residence, she was the Copyright and Reserves Supervisor at Wilfrid Laurier University. And, she has a long-standing history of working in virtual roles and managing online communities.
I am hopeful that in this role I would be able to share my experiences with current students to help them further their own understanding and explore the wider world of copyright.
— Lauren Bourdages
Lauren is also a graduate of Copyrightlaws.com's Certificate in Canadian Copyright Law, Becoming the Copyright Specialist in Your Library (ALA), Introduction to Open Educational Resources (OERs) (Library Juice Academy), and CopyrightX (Harvard Law School).
About the Copyright Specialist in Residence Role
We designed this virtual residency to encourage exchanges between the Copyright Specialist and the Copyrightlaws.com copyright community.
If you’re interested in applying to the 2025 Copyright Specialist in Residence program, please contact us.
