Christina Zamon, Candidate for Council Member

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Christina Zamon serves as Head of Special Collections & Archives at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. With over twenty years of experience in the field, she is an active member of the Archives Management Section and College and University Archives Section of SAA and the immediate past president of the Society of Georgia Archivists. She has been a member of SAA since 2001 and has served as chair of the Lone Arrangers Roundtable (now Solo Archivists Section) and College and University Section. She has also served on the nominating committee of ACA and in various leadership roles in New England Archivists and Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference. In addition to her experience as Head of Special Collections & Archives, Zamon previously worked as Head of Archives and Special Collections at Emerson College, Archivist at the National Press Club, rare books acquisitionist at the Folger Shakespeare Library and a clean-up cataloger for the Frick Art Reference Library. Her other leadership experience includes participating in the 2015 Archives Leadership Institute and Georgia State University's Leadership Academy for Women Faculty (2023-2024). She is also the author of SAA's The Lone Arranger: Succeeding in a Small Repository and the upcoming, latest version, Alone in the Stacks: Succeeding as a Solo Archivist.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT (Each candidate prepared a diversity statement according to SAA guidelines.)

Diversity, equity, and inclusion means that anyone, from any race, ethnicity, religion, or ability should be part of the organization, governing body, spaces, etc. and feel welcome as part of that organization. As a white, cisgender female, I recognize that I have privilege that is not afforded to many of my peers and colleagues. I am also aware of my own implicit bias and try to check that bias whenever possible. I use my societal position to help others who may need a leg up whenever possible. Throughout my career I have worked towards both diversity in hiring as well as diversifying the archival record. I took the position of the Head of Special Collections & Archives at Georgia State University, a minority serving institution, so that I would have the opportunity to work with students with diverse backgrounds to introduce them to the archival profession and provide them with opportunities that they may not have otherwise known about. During my time at GSU we have assisted students from a variety of backgrounds with experience and mentorship that has led to several of them joining the archives or allied professions. I have also worked diligently with all of my faculty and staff to collect the voices and documentation of people and events that are from a variety of backgrounds. Working with our development team I established the Dr. David B. Gracy II Graduate Research Assistantship for Special Collections & Archives to support GSU students considering the archives profession. In my role on council I look forward to continuing my work to diversify the profession by supporting and encouraging people of all backgrounds to engage with the profession.

QUESTION POSED BY NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Council members’ most important responsibility is to govern the Society thoughtfully and with an eye to the future of the profession, including supporting SAA’s financial stability and growth and developing and implementing the Society’s strategic priorities. Can you outline specific goals or initiatives you would prioritize during your term to address current and emerging needs and challenges facing the archival profession?

CANDIDATE'S RESPONSE 

As part of Council I look forward to supporting SAA's strategic priorities while focusing on SAA's financial stability and growth. I look forward to working with my colleagues to support SAA's goals of advocating for the profession, enhancing professional development of the membership, advancing the field and meeting members needs. In order to work towards these goals I plan to work with the membership and sections to foster ideas and promote programs, publications, and professional development opportunities that will increase diversity while advancing the field by updating standards and meeting the professional needs of the membership. By working with the sections, I can move forward SAA's goal and my personal goal to diversity the profession, an area that needs significant work in order for the profession to survive and thrive in the future. I feel that diversity is integral to the advancement of the profession. There needs to be a focus on updating the standards and practices in our profession that suppress diverse voices. There are many obstacles in this profession that keep people from diverse backgrounds from entering the field or staying in the field. These are self-inflicted in many cases by putting up barriers to entry or advancement. By removing these barriers and making fundamental changes in how people advance in this profession will make us a stronger, more diverse, and equitable profession.

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