Hans Schmidt was elected to the interim position of Director of Research and Development (the position previously known as Director of Development) at the April 12 OPN meeting. Hans is known for success in tackling problems of paper and information. He has worked for attorneys in New York and Cleveland as a paralegal, investigator, and process server. He is currently an investigator for the Ohio Real Estate Appraiser Board.

Schmidt graduated from Cornell University in 1995, a graduate of the ten year BS program in Industrial and Labor Relations. He made dean's list throughout college, was named to the Oracle Society in 1984, and was named Daniel Alpern Scholar in 1986.

Schmidt spent the summer of 1986 working in Washington DC and Philadelphia PA for the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, where he directed a team of canvassers in targeted congressional districts in the District, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The goals were to get people to sign a petition demanding that the Reagan Administration stop the arms race, to get them to join SANE, and to get them to donate money.

In 1987, back at Cornell, and having completed three full years of college at 3.6 GPA, Schmidt took a leave of absence and started working full time in the circulation and reserve department of the Martin P. Catherwood Library of the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations where he had already done work study.

In 1988, Schmidt helped relocate the archives of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union from NYC to Ithaca, NY. He continuted such work on the Harry Van Arsdale Labor History Documentation Project, which located, cataloged, and preserved the historical records of labor unions throughout New York State. Schmidt's territory included the Rochester, Finger Lakes, and Southern Tier regions of upstate New York. Schmidt also took oral histories of prominent people.

From 1991 to 1997, Schmidt worked as a freelance writer, editor, photographer, researcher, and proofreader. Projects included an electronic dictionary and thesaurus project; opposition research for the gubernatorial election in New York; writing, editing, shooting photos, manual and desktop publishing for various monthly union newspapers; undercover investigative journalism.

OPN would like to extend a warm welcome and thanks to this energetic volunteer. Welcome, Hans!