Amy Fitch, Candidate for Treasurer

Amy Fitch

Archivist, Rockefeller Archive Center

“To me, the role of the SAA Treasurer is to ensure that this organization has the fiscal strength and stability to support both its goals and its responsibilities—to sustain a setting in which members have the resources to be effective and creative in their pathways to success.”

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Archivist, Rockefeller Archive Center, 2000–present.
• Archivist, Sidwell Friends School, 1995–2000.
• Archives Consultant, self-employed, 1995–2006; 2014–present.
• Assistant Archivist, The History Factory, 1994–1995.

EDUCATION

• MA coursework, American Studies and Archives Management, George Washington University.
• BA, American Studies, Smith College.
• Declassification Training (annual week-long workshop), National Declassification Center, National Archives and Records Administration.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Society of American Archivists: Privacy and Confidentiality Section, Chair; Privacy and Confidentiality Section, Steering Committee member; Congressional Papers Section, Diversity Task Force member. 
• Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference: Finance Committee member. 
• Irvington (NY) Public Library: Local History Advisory Committee member and Local History volunteer.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND AWARDS

• Case Study on Classified Records in Private Institutions, Collaborator, anticipated 2018.
• A Life Illustrated in Art: John D. Rockefeller, Sr. at 175, Online exhibit, 2014.
• “Profile of the Rockefeller Family Archive,” Metropolitan Archivist, Spring 2011.
• “Nelson A. Rockefeller: A Centennial Celebration in 100 Photographs,” Online exhibit, 2008.
• “A Survey of Sources at the Rockefeller Archive Center for the History of New York,” Contributor, 2006.

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS

• Society of American Archivists: “Records Management, Access, and Born-Digital MPLP: A Conversation about Empowering Archivists and Preventing Crises,” 2015; “A Trickle Becomes a Flood: Agency, Ethics, and Information,” Session Chair, 2014.
• Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference: “Moving Mountains: Ingenuity and Innovation in Archives,” 2015; “Prominent Family Archives: Family Dynamics and the Rockefeller Family Archive,” 2010.

QUESTION POSED BY NOMINATING COMMITTEE

One of SAA’s core organizational values is to foster a culture of creativity and experimentation across the association. How can the position of Treasurer incorporate that core value while ensuring the following outcomes:

• Continuation of SAA’s good financial standing;
• Meeting members’ needs; 
• Encourage investing in sustainable ways; and
• Financial transparency.

CANDIDATE'S RESPONSE

Honestly, this is a difficult question to address. Achieving this core value comes down to striking a tenable balance between the inherent tension of finite financial resources and escalating demand for their use.

SAA exists to encourage, support, and enable its membership to pursue career development and to flourish in the profession. Another significant objective would ensure that prohibitive costs do not exclude current and prospective members from professional development and participation. Therein lies the tension. SAA’s solid financial integrity comes literally at the expense of its members. Annual dues are steep, even within the current tiered system. Conference, workshop, and certificate funding is out of pocket and out of reach for too many of our colleagues. Leadership roles in SAA often require financial backing and support that our employers do not provide. The handful of scholarships and awards available through SAA can scarcely bridge the financial chasms that impede participation. As an organization, we need to pursue more equitable paths in order to overcome funding obstacles for our members.

To me, the role of the SAA Treasurer is to ensure that this organization has the fiscal strength and stability to support both its goals and its responsibilities—to sustain a setting in which members have the resources to be effective and creative in their pathways to success. My goal is to maintain a strong fiscal base so my colleagues have the freedom to pursue creativity and experimentation in their professional lives. As Treasurer, I would act as a steward, preserving SAA’s stable financial standing, maximizing its assets, accounting for its liabilities, and increasing its financial transparency in order to support the broader archival profession. I would work with the entire leadership to reach a balance between creatively meeting members’ needs and extending and ensuring SAA’s financial ability to sustain and improve its services going forward.

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