About Permanent Legacy Foundation

Our mission is to preserve and provide perpetual access to the digital legacy of all people for the historical and educational benefit of future generations.
Group photo of Permanent team with matching Tenacious Tardigrades t-shirts
Team photo from our 2023 Retreat in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Proudly Nonprofit

The Permanent Legacy Foundation is not your typical tech company. We are a mission-driven, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, cultural heritage organization, just like a library, museum, university, or faith-based organization.

Any money left over after paying salaries and utility bills is reinvested into the preservation of the digital materials entrusted to us. We actually pool all our one-time storage fees into a shared endowment and use the interest on this tax-exempt investment fund to pay our ongoing operations and storage costs, in perpetuity.

Charitable donors are valuable partners. Philanthropy allows our team to do what we otherwise could not: research new technology, innovate on user experience, recruit new talent, and expand access to the broadest possible community through our Byte4Byte Program. Charitable gifts can take many forms, such as cash, stocks, property, bequests, and valuable volunteer time.

The team reliving the dining experience of the 1900s in an Art History museum.
Our team immersing themselves in a 1900s diner menu at an exhibit that recreates the dining experience of that era.
The team recreates a painting of a group portrait.
Emily, Liam, and Cecilia showing off their unique find of a mural of fun hats inside the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History.
Robert points at a floor map
Robert finding the exact location of the ABQ Art History Museum on a 20-ft, large-scale satellite map of New Mexico.

The Nonprofit Advantage

Typical for-profit data storage companies answer to their shareholders. Their products and services are destined to change as profits grow and shrink. Without this burden, Permanent is able to stay true to our mission and our Board of Governors ensures the fidelity of our foundation.

Our unique nonprofit designation also allows us to put people first and guarantee more protection and power for our users. Unlike other platforms, we don’t require anyone to relinquish their copyright, we will not jeopardize their privacy, sell their information or use their files to market third party products.

Meet the Team

Headshot of Robert Friedman

Robert Friedman

Executive Director
Robert brings two decades of experience in academia, research, museums, technology, and nonprofit leadership. His work at the Mozilla Foundation and the Adler Planetarium in Chicago sparked his passion for digital equity. He holds a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Chicago. Robert enjoys raising chickens and homesteading in the lost pines outside of Austin, TX.
Headshot of Cecilia Krum

Cecilia Krum

Director of Engineering
Cecilia has a decade of experience working in open source and civic tech. She was co-author on a report to the World Bank and led a project for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In her Aspen Institute Tech Policy Fellowship, she researched consumer tech solutions for the digital afterlife. Cecilia enjoys cross-country skiing and paddleboarding in Minneapolis, MN.
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Amanda Meeks

Community & Partnerships Manager

Amanda (she/they) is an interdisciplinary artist, librarian, educator, activist, and end-of-life doula. Her tenure in libraries, museums, and community archives spans over ten years. When Amanda isn’t working or making art you can find her biking around Tucson, AZ with a free mobile zine library, gardening, or reading a good creative non-fiction book.

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Kaitlyn JarnaginMember Success Manager
Kaitlyn Jarnagin is a trained digital archivist who is interested in making digital preservation accessible to everyone. She received her Master of Science in Information from the University of Michigan and has previously built digital preservation programs in university libraries and archives. Kaitlyn enjoys crafting, running, and playing with her three cats in Knoxville, TN.
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Han Pham

Member Journey Coordinator
Han Pham is passionate about creating excellent customer experiences on digital platforms. She has an expansive background in strategy and operations leveraging a customer-focused mindset to reach her goals. Born and raised in San Diego, CA, but recently moved to NYC, Han loves to spend time with her dog at the beach, compete in local tennis tournaments, and stay healthy and active in her community by playing pickup games at the park.
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Natalie Martin

Software Engineer

Natalie Martin is a software developer who cares about writing clean code and enhancing both user and developer experience. In addition to her years as a professional front end developer, she has also contributed to multiple open source projects in her free time. She likes developing video games and is an accordionist living in Phoenix, AZ.

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Liam Lloyd

Senior Software Engineer
Liam Lloyd is a backend software developer who strives to write well-crafted, readable code that will endure the test of time. In addition to professional software development, he enjoys using programming to solve puzzles. Outside of software, Liam enjoys historical fencing, tabletop RPGs, poetry, and video games. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
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Nathalie Rayter

UX Designer
Nathalie Rayter is a UX designer with a passion for addressing problems in complex service systems. She draws from her previous work in education and her Master's in human-computer interaction from Carnegie Mellon to build flexible, accessible designs for digital interfaces and IRL experiences. A longtime Chicagoan, she loves traveling on foot and cooking for other people.
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Alexa Stickler

Growth Coordinator
Alexa Stickler is a digital marketing professional who specializes in strategic brand growth and creating compelling content that drives engagement. She recently relocated to Austin, TX, after spending five years living abroad in Prague, Czech Republic. In her free time, she loves exploring new destinations, attending music concerts, and playing disc golf.

Our Advisors

We are honored to join a rich community of thought leaders, industry experts and fellow travelers. We seek their insight and guidance to tackle our most ambitious challenges and we thank them for their support.
Headshot of Dean Drako
Dean DrakoGoverning Board Member
Founder, President & CEO of Eagle Eye Networks, Founder of Barracuda Networks
Headshot of Tracy LeQuey Parker
Tracy LaQuey ParkerGoverning Board Member
Internet Hall of Fame Innovator, Best Selling Author, Founder of the UTeach Institute
Headshot of Stephen Wolfram
Stephen WolframGoverning Board Member

Founder & CEO of Wolfram Research, Wolfram Alpha and Pioneer of Wolfram Language

Headshot of Joshua Baer
Joshua BaerGoverning Board Member
Serial Entrepreneur, Email Guru, Founder & CEO of Capital Factory
Headshot of Paul Vixie
Paul VixieGoverning Board Member
Internet Pioneer, Founder of Internet Software Consortium, Internet Hall of Fame inductee
Headshot of David Munson
David MunsonGoverning Board Member
President of the Rochester Institute of Technology. Former Dean of University of Michigan College of Engineering
Headshot of Brewster Kahle
Brewster Kahle

Founder, Internet Archive

Headshot of Mark Surman
Mark Surman
Executive Director, Mozilla Foundation
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Cheri Bush

Deputy Chief Genealogical Officer, FamilySearch

Headshot of Cathi Nelson
Cathi Nelson
Founder and President of The Photo Organizers (APPO), Speaker and Author
Headshot of Jeff Ubois
Jeff Ubois
Program Officer, MacArthur Foundation
Headshot of Karen Jeffrey
Karen Jeffrey

President, ForAllSystems

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Brian Muntz
Commercial Photographer, Muntz Studios
Headshot of Patti Hixon
Patti Hixon
Vice President, Buie & Co
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Karl Fogel
Partner, Open Tech Strategies & Best Community Builder, Google/O'Reilly Open Source Award
Headshot of James Vasile
James Vasile
Partner, Open Tech Strategies
Headshot of Brad Jung
Brad Jung

Partner, Strategy and Product Marketing Decision Counsel

Headshot of Wendy Hanamura
Wendy Hanamura
Director of Partnerships, Internet ArchivePartner, Open Tech Strategies
Headshot of Richard Stiennon
Richard Stiennon
Independent Analyst and Author of Secure Cloud Transformation: The CIO's Journey
Headshot of Eric Niloff
Eric Niloff

Co-Founder and CEO, EverPresent

Special thanks to UptimeRobot for sponsoring Permanent's monitoring service.