Conor Casey, Candidate for Vice President/President-Elect

Equity, justice, and the SAA Code of Ethics must guide our work. SAA should champion archivists' values, safeguard members from attacks on DEI, academic freedom, and respect, and mobilize resources, alliances, and mutual aid to protect members, collections, and the communities we serve.

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

I've worked in archives since 2000, starting as an archival assistant at the Labor Archives & Research Center at San Francisco State University and later becoming an archivist and curator (2001–2008). I hold BAs in anthropology and history, an MA in US history, an MLIS in archives and reference, and am a certified archivist. My research focuses on social, labor, immigration, and ethnic history; oral history curation; and EDI-centered archival administration. After working at Pixar Animation Studios (2008–2010), I became the founding archivist of the Labor Archives of Washington (LAW) at the University of Washington, where I curate collections and direct activities (2010–present). At LAW, I developed "corrective collecting," a holistic, EDI-centered strategy for community documentation and archival administration. I also created and taught a for-credit class, Lessons in Leadership and Courage: Labor, Social Justice, and Civil Rights Activist History through the Lens of Primary Sources. I've served five terms as co-chair of the Society of American Archivists' Labor Archives Section (2012–2025), on SAA's Council (2023–2024), as vice president of the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association (2017–2020), and as president of the Northwest Historians Guild (2014–2016). As LAS co-chair, I led the adoption of new bylaws, migrated the labor repository directory online, and organized EDI-centered sessions at LAWCHA and SAA conferences. I also wrote a regular column for LAWCHA's Labor Online e-newsletter to raise the section's profile. Currently, I co-host SAA's podcast, Archives in Context, and continue my work at LAW. Outside of archives, I helped unionize libraries and press employees at UW (2019–2023), releasing my first album with my band, and navigating the Seattle rental market.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

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

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mean actively dismantling systemic barriers, centering marginalized voices, and fostering environments where everyone can thrive. My approach embraces antiracism, cultural humility, and proactive allyship to counter white supremacy, sexism, and classism. As a white cisgender male-presenting archivist and supervisor in special collections, I recognize my privilege and strive to use it to amplify historically marginalized voices. My personal, academic, and professional experiences have shaped my commitment to DEI. Growing up in a diverse, working-class community and identifying as nonbinary, queer, and working class with invisible disabilities has given me an intersectional perspective on systemic oppression. My academic background in anthropology and history deepened my understanding of these systems and my resolve to dismantle them.

Professionally, I have directed a labor and social justice archives since 2010, serving a diverse labor movement and promoting economic, social, gender, and racial justice. I helped unionize my workplace (2019–2023), serving on organizing, bargaining, and action committees, and currently serve as a shop steward. I believe unionization and paid internships are vital for increasing diversity and democratizing the profession, aligning with SAA's DEIA Work Plan. I am acutely aware of my implicit biases and continually work to counter them through self-reflection, education, and engagement with marginalized communities. I model trauma-informed and inclusive practices by prioritizing cultural humility, ethical stewardship, and community collaboration. For example, I developed "corrective collecting," an EDI-centered archival strategy, and taught courses on labor and social justice history through primary sources.

If selected for this role, I will advance DEI within SAA by advocating for policies that support unionization, equitable hiring, and paid internships, while defending members from marginalized communities and stewards of their stories. I use my positoin to help promote trauma-informed practices, collaborate with marginalized communities to ensure their voices shape archival work, and commit to listening and learning from colleagues already leading in these areas. Within SAA, I will promote these values through public engagement, organizing, and partnerships with allied professional, labor, social justice organizations, and existing initiatives by archivists from these communities, who have much to teach us about mutual aid and rapid response networks.

QUESTION POSED BY NOMINATING COMMITTEE

How would you manage competing priorities for financial stability and meeting membership needs? What specific measures do you plan to pursue to guide the Society in alignment with its mission and strategic goals? What qualities and values would you bring to this role to ensure equitable and responsive governance of the Society?

CANDIDATE'S RESPONSE

Equity, justice, and the SAA Code of Ethics must guide our work. SAA should champion archivists' values, safeguard members from attacks on DEI, academic freedom, and respect, and mobilize resources, alliances, and mutual aid to protect members, collections, and the communities we serve. To balance financial stability with membership needs, I will prioritize sustainable operations while remaining flexible to shift resources in response to emergent challenges. As a labor organizer once taught me, "Budgets are policy documents," and we must adapt them to reflect our values and commitments. This means exploring ways to make membership more accessible to more in our profession, such as revising the dues structure and expanding student memberships, while leveraging the abundance of member volunteer service to advance initiatives.

Clarify & Communicate Vision: Leadership and membership will work together to refine messaging around shared SAA values like the ethics of care, justice, accountability, and community, emphasizing ethical advocacy over passive neutrality. A concise, accessible plan will outline actionable goals, such as DEI audits for committees and mutual aid funds for marginalized or members experiencing employment precarity. Storytelling, publicity, and outreach will humanize member issues, advocating for the value of our members, our profession, and our collections.

Build Coalitions Strategically: I will lift up the voices of SAA sections to co-create initiatives, empowering their work in shared initiatives. External collaborations with groups like ALA, ACLU, and unions will amplify our impact, such as joint amicus briefs on intellectual freedom, DEI, and other areas where members or archival collections themselves are under attack. A "Member Action Network" will enable rapid response advocacy and mutual aid.

Institutionalize Change: Structural reforms, such as bylaws amendments mandating DEI metrics for leadership and creating a permanent "Advocacy & Solidarity Fund," will embed equity into SAA's operations. Listening sessions will identify member pain points, while training leaders in advocacy and organizing will empower decentralized action. Annual transparency reports will track progress and challenges.

Mitigate Risks & Resistance: We will prepare for pushback with FAQs addressing concerns and precedents like SAA's past statements on EDI and the value of archives in society. Legal safeguards will assess risks, starting with low-risk, high-impact actions. Moderated forums will center the voices of historically marginalized members while addressing dissenting voices constructively.
Empower Members & Sustain Momentum: Skill-building workshops on advocacy and organizing will equip members an SAA leaders for action. Quick wins, like launching a "Mutual Aid Fund," will build trust and momentum. Celebrating member-led successes will inspire continued engagement.

Sustain Leadership: We will empower and coordinate with SAA Council and section leaders to share more responsibilities, rotate leadership roles, and avoid burnout. Feedback loops through surveys, town halls, and office hours will ensure strategies adapt to member input without compromising core principles. In this role, I will champion tangible commitments to defend our profession, and ensure SAA remains a resilient, member-driven organization. Together, we can uphold our values, protect our members and the collections they steward, and serve our communities.

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