Samantha Winn, Candidate for Nominating Committee

Professional Experience: Collections Archivist, Virginia Tech, 2014–present. Archives Assistant, University of Texas at Tyler, 2011–2014.

Education: MS Library and Information Science, Drexel University, 2014. BA, History, University of Texas at Tyler, 2012. BA, Political Science, University of Texas at Tyler, 2012.
 
Professional Activities: Society of American Archivists: Committee on Public Policy, 2016–present; Architectural Records Roundtable, 2016–present (Co-chair); CAD/BIM Taskforce, 2014–present; Students and New Archives Professionals Roundtable, 2013–2015, 2015–2016 (Chair); Annual Meeting Navigator, 2014–2016; Ad-hoc Working Group on the Archives & Archivists listserv, 2014. Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference: Program Committee, Fall 2015. National Historical Publications and Records Commission: Peer Grant Reviewer, 2015 and 2016. Displaced Archives Project: Working Group Member and Database Team, 2013–present.

Selected Publications and Awards: Co-PI, “Women of Design: Revealing Women’s Hidden Contributions to the Built Environment," CLIR Digitizing Hidden Collections Grant, 2016. Co-authored with Anthony Wright de Hernandez, “Partnering Across Campus to Engage the LGBTQ+ Community,” Gender Studies in the Library: Case Studies of Innovative Programs and Resources (Smallwood & Sanborn, forthcoming). “Ethics of Access in Displaced Archives,” Provenance (33, v.1), 2015.

Selected Presentations: "Deconstructing Whiteness in Archives: Opportunities for Self-Reflection," SAA Annual Meeting, 2016. "Archives and Digital Inequality," SAA Annual Meeting, 2016. "Secondary Trauma and Archivists," MARAC Roanoke, 2015. "Mujeres en la Arquitectura," Universidad de Cuenca, Ecuador, 2015. "Archival Education: Outcomes and Opportunities," SAA Annual Meeting, 2014.

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Question posed by Nominating Committee:

An essential component of the nomination and election process is identification of new leaders within SAA who embody the diversity of the archives profession. Describe what you believe to be the core responsibility of the members of the Nominating Committee, and outline your ideas for identifying the next generation of SAA leaders to ensure that new or distinctive voices and perspectives contribute to the future of the profession.

Candidate's Response:

The core responsibility of the Nominating Committee is to prepare a robust and broadly representative pool of candidates that embody the aspirational future of our profession. The fundamental work of the Nominating Committee is to intentionally engage with and elevate emerging leaders who will sustain and advance our field. The Committee should seek out candidates who demonstrate the potential for long-term, effective, and equity-driven leadership. The ballot put forth by the Committee should inspire and challenge the membership, presenting so many outstanding candidates that members have a hard time choosing who to vote for. Within this overarching goal, a strong ballot will represent demographic diversity and a multiplicity of institution types, geographic regions, and archival ideologies.

Instead of relying on comfortable stereotypes of archival leadership, the Nominating Committee must challenge itself to elevate the voices and experiences of groups who have traditionally been marginalized in our field. In this way, the Nominating Committee will contribute to the aspirational diversity of SAA. To compile a candidate pool that reflects the full depth and breadth of our profession, the Nominating Committee should explore a wide range of proving grounds. The next generations of SAA leaders are already hard at work in SAA sections and committees, affiliated regional organizations, and student chapters. Through initiatives like Documenting the Now, the Itinerant Archivists, and the Archives Leadership Institute, the SAA leaders of tomorrow are innovating, debating, and reforming archival practice. Finally, compelling new voices make themselves heard in peer-reviewed literature, non-traditional publications, and alternative discussion platforms. 

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