Jennifer Johnson, Candidate for Nominating Committee

Professional Experience: Associate Archivist, Cargill, Incorporated, 2007–present. Archivist, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of History and Heritage Resources, 2005–2007. Government Records Analyst, Government Records Assistant, Collections Assistant, 1998–2003, State Archives, Minnesota Historical Society.

Education: MLS, University of Maryland, College of Information Studies, 2004. BA, History and International Studies, Stephens College, 1999.

Professional Activities: Society of American Archivists: Annual Meeting Task Force, 2011–present; Business Archives Section, member at large, 2011–2012; Education Committee, Chair, member, 2007–2011; Awards Committee, Pease Award, 2010; Program Committee, Student Program Subcommittee, 2008–2009. Midwest Archives Conference: Council, 2012–present; Spring 2013 Program Committee; Education Committee, 2011–present; Spring 2011 Local Arrangements Committee. Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference: Fall 2007 Program Committee; Steering Committee, Maryland Caucus Representative, 2006–2007. Twin Cities Archives Round Table: President, 2010–present. James Ford Bell Library Associates Board: 2012–present. Archives Leadership Institute: 2011.

Publications: “Become the Next SAA Webinar Developer,” Archival Outlook, March/April 2012. Crossroads Special Edition: Metadata Functions and Considerations, NAGARA, June 2006.

Conference Presentations: “You, Me, We: Meeting Modern Challenges to Archives Through Collaboration,” SAA 2012. “‘I Didn’t Know We Had an Archives!’ Outreach Successes and Challenges in Corporate Archives,” MAC, April 2011. “Educating Archivists and their Constituencies: XML and Metadata,” NAGARA 2002. “Archivists, Education, and Information Technology,” MAC, October 2001.

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Question posed by the Nominating Committee: Nominating Committee members are responsible for identifying candidates for leadership who represent a variety of backgrounds and perspectives, as well as a passion for and commitment to advancing the profession. What would be your strategy for identifying qualified candidates?

We want the candidates we nominate for SAA President, Treasurer, Council, and Nominating Committee to be diverse; to reflect the variety of SAA’s membership, culturally, geographically, and institutionally. And, these individuals, based on their personal and professional experiences, will have unique ideas on leading the organization and advancing the profession as a whole. We want candidates who will focus on the three strategic priorities of SAA: technology, diversity, and advocacy, and who will respond to the calls for change from within our membership. We want a balance between young and new, and long-term and experienced members. Strategies for finding these candidates should be as diverse.

Members of the Nominating Committee have numerous avenues for identifying talented, qualified, and passionate individuals for these roles. The first place to look is within SAA itself. Sections and Roundtables have active participants who should be connected with the opportunity to serve SAA in new roles. Who better than other SAA members to identify committed and thoughtful individuals to be the ones to lead us? Those who have self-identified and volunteered to serve on SAA’s Committees and Boards should be included in this search.

Those who are willing to serve and to advance the profession are also found within local and regional organizations. As SAA and the regional associations seek to build stronger bonds, we need to recognize that leadership occurs at all levels of the profession. Those who are responsive, insightful, and willing to innovate, deserve the opportunity to grow and share their ideas in a new venue.

We all know someone who would be a great candidate for one of the open positions. Maintaining an open and transparent nomination process will ensure that everyone will feel free to propose a colleague for a position. Collaboration amongst members will guarantee that we have the best candidates to serve us.