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Leadership Team​

Program Director​

Daniel Shown - Program Director

Daniel Shown

Daniel Shown is the Program Director of the Open Source with SLU program. He handles the program's daily operations, builds connections with industry partners, works with internal and external clients of the program, and guides and supports our graduate students. Daniel's focus is to ensure that the program follows its mission of research support, commitment to open-source, and providing students with relevant software development experience.

Faculty Director​

Jason Fritts - Faculty Director

Jason Fritts, Ph.D.

Jason Fritts is the Faculty Director of the Open Source with SLU program. He is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Interim Chair of the Department of Computer Science in the School of Science and Engineering at Saint Louis University. He holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Washington University, and his research is in computer vision and image processing, with a focus on image segmentation. He teaches Computer Architecture, Computer Vision, and the undergraduate Capstone Project sequence through which many students join the program. As Faculty Director he provides academic leadership for the program and keeps its experiential learning courses aligned with the department's curriculum.

Founder​

Kate Holdener - Founding Faculty

Kate Holdener, Ph.D.

Kate Holdener founded Open Source with SLU. She was an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Saint Louis University until Spring of 2025. Her main focus in the department was on software engineering courses. She founded the open-source software program in an effort to engage more students in open-source development, as a way to give them practical experience during school. She is still involved in the program as a member of our community of contributors, and provides guidance and input that enables the progam. She now serves as an external advisor for Open Source with SLU.

Faculty Advisory Board​

Our Faculty Advisory Board consists of experienced researchers and educators from across Saint Louis University who provide strategic guidance on academic initiatives and ensure program alignment with institutional priorities. These faculty members bring diverse disciplinary perspectives and deep expertise in a range of disciplines. The board helps shape curriculum development and research partnerships that advance both student learning outcomes and scholarly impact.

Industry Advisory Board​

Our Industry Advisory Board comprises seasoned technology leaders, open source practitioners, and innovation executives who provide insights into current market trends and workforce development needs. These industry professionals help ensure our programs remain relevant to evolving technology landscapes, offer guidance on emerging best practices in open source software development, and create pathways for student career development through mentorship opportunities and industry connections.