---
title: "Emily Winks - Data Governance Expert | Atlan"
url: "https://atlan.com/authors/emily-winks/"
description: "Emily Winks is a data governance expert who came to data through library and information science. Over 18+ years she has moved from children's librarian..."
---

> Atlan is hosting Context Conference, bringing together the leaders and builders at the frontier of giving AI the context it needs to understand their business. It runs online on October 28, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM ET. Atlan co-founder Prukalpa Sankar opens and closes the day. Leaders from AstraZeneca, BNY and Verizon share why they invest in context and what they get from it. Registrants get early access to The AI Context Gap, a new study from MIT Technology Review Insights. Register: https://atlan.com/context-conference/

Emily Winks is a data governance expert who came to data through library and information science. Over 18+ years she has moved from children's librarian to information architect at WeWork to Atlan's Founder's Office, bringing a cataloging discipline to how enterprises classify, govern, and trust their data. She writes on data governance, enterprise data management, and the context layer.

## Profile

- Byline type: Atlan staff
- Title: Data Governance Expert
- Covers: data governance, information architecture, enterprise data management
- Location: New York, USA
- Atlan editorial contributor since Jan 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-winks/

## Education

- M.S., Library & Information Science - Queens College, CUNY
- Certificate, Archives, Records Management & Preservation - Queens College, CUNY
- B.A., English - St. Joseph's University, NY

## About Emily

After graduating with a Master of Library and Information Science and a certificate in Records Management and Archives, Emily began her career as a children's librarian. After seven years in libraries she left to join the corporate workforce - she doesn't sing The Hokey Pokey (as often) anymore, but still puts her whole self in when it comes to navigating the ambiguities of data, making digital information clear, and empowering others to do the same.

She spent her library years at the Smithtown Special Library District and as a Senior Librarian at the New York Public Library before moving into information architecture. At WeWork she progressed from Information Architect to Senior Information Architect to Data Product Architect, building the classification and data structures behind a fast-scaling business.

Emily joined Atlan's Founder's Office in 2023, where she works at the intersection of data governance, enterprise data management, and the context layer - writing on how organizations classify, govern, and make their data trustworthy for both teams and AI agents.

## Certifications & training

- Atlan Product Essentials - Atlan, 2023
- Computer Science Principles: Programming - LinkedIn Learning, 2022

## Articles

Emily's bylined articles are listed on her profile: https://atlan.com/authors/emily-winks/#articles (all Atlan articles: https://atlan.com/know/).

## Editorial relationship

Atlan staff byline. Emily is a member of the Atlan team. Articles published under her byline reflect her own analysis and expertise; Atlan's editorial team works with her on structure and clarity but does not author content attributed to her. She reviews and approves every piece published under her byline before publication.