Jordan Meyerl, Candidate for Nominating Committee

"My motivation for joining the Nominating Committee is to identify candidates that represent the diverse sectors where archivists are employed to ensure SAA leadership represents the varied aspects of its membership and can effectively meet their needs."

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

I am currently the Senior Archives Cataloguer at Historic New England, the oldest and largest regional heritage organization in the United States. In this position, I oversee the cataloging and processing of archival collections via appraisal, arrangement, and description; rehouse collections; assist in the digitization workflow; and participate in institutional outreach efforts. Prior to this role, I served in a number of part-time and contingent positions, including as the Project Archivist for a grant-funded collaboration between the Wyoming State Archives and the University of Wyoming aimed at establishing a state-wide Roving Archivist Program, as a Business Systems with Harvard Business School's Baker Library, and as a Clinical Document Management Specialist with Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Over the last seven years, the bulk of my professional service focused on promoting innovative research and continuing education within the archival field. I previously served as the Assistant Team Leader and Team Leader of bloggERS, the blog of SAA's Electronic Records Section. Since 2022, I've served on SAA's Committee on Research, Data, and Assessment, primarily serving as a coordinator for the annual Research Forum. I also previously served on the New England Archivists (NEA) Education Committee from 2018-2022 and served as an NEA Mentor. From 2019-2022, I also served on the Planning Committee and Public Relations Committee for the Massachusetts History Alliance. My other professional interests include reparative archival description, the development and promotion of community-based archives to center historically marginalized voices, and issues faced by archival professionals such as contingent employment. In my time as an archival professional, I have primarily held contingent positions, a fact which is not uncommon for many in the field. I am passionate about supporting contingent workers and identifying steps the field can take to mitigate the ongoing struggles faced by contingent workers.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

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

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a series of complex frameworks through which we strive to create a more inclusive and diverse society to promote the full participation of all individuals, especially those who have been historically marginalized. Within an archival context, this is seen in efforts to identify gaps within the historic narrative, engage in reparative description for previously described collections, collaborate with communities to assist them in preserving their own history, and more. As a white, cisgender, middle-class person, I am aware I have a great deal of privilege. However, as a disabled, queer woman, I have faced structural barriers in both my professional and personal life. As such, DEI is of extreme importance to me, and I recognize the importance of centering the financially disadvantaged, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ community, the disabled, and others who have historically been marginalized. Furthermore, we must continue to identify ways DEI can be applied to the archival labor. It is only by nominating individuals who center DEI in all aspects of their practice and in their leadership style that SAA can continue to make progress in building both a safer profession and ensuring equitable access to opportunities for archivists of all identities. I am passionate about the potential to apply DEI strategies to address the lack of institutional diversity in SAA's leadership. My time working at Historic New England has highlighted the disparity of resources available to archivists working in non-academic institutions. This coincides with a noticeable disparity in the representation of non-academic archivists holding office in SAA. In the A*CENSUS II All Archivists Survey Report, 38% of respondents indicated their current employer was an academic institution. Yet, when looking at the slates of SAA candidates from 2020-2024, 69.3% of candidates were affiliated with academic institutions. While several factors could influence this, such as time, resources, and institutional support, it is still imperative that SAA endeavors to nominate individuals indicative of the diverse organizations its membership represents. My motivation for joining the Nominating Committee is to identify candidates that represent the diverse sectors where archivists are employed to ensure SAA leadership represents the various facets of its membership and can effectively meet their needs.

QUESTION POSED BY NOMINATING COMMITTEE

The Nominating Committee plays a crucial role in shaping the elected leadership of SAA. Share your strategies for inspiring members to participate in running for leadership positions and engaging in the election process. How will you ensure a slate of candidates that support an awareness of the role of power, positionality, inclusion, and belonging in our Society? 

CANDIDATE'S RESPONSE

As the Nominating Committee plays a crucial role in shaping the Society's leadership, it is imperative the Committee identifies and remediates potential barriers to candidacy. This would be an ongoing process as it would adjust to the changing nature of the archival profession and have to address new barriers that emerge. When selecting candidates, the Committee must look for individuals who actively engage in the principles of DEI. These include flexibility, cultural humility, accountability, self-reflection, and a commitment to pushing back against entrenched power. Furthermore, the nominating committee must consider the diverse range of institutions where archivists are employed when crafting the slate of candidates to foster leadership that understands the ever-changing needs of the Society's membership and the broader archival profession. One strategy that would be useful, if it has not already been implemented, would be a statistical analysis of different demographic features for previous candidates and elected officials. This information could be utilized to identify gaps that have historically existed within SAA leadership and then inform the work of the Nominating Committee in identifying candidates. The results of this analysis would not be intended to be prescriptive guidelines but a tool the Nominating Committee can utilize when identifying a slate of candidates. If SAA wants a diverse, inclusive pool of candidates, it is imperative the Nominating Committee takes actionable steps to verifiably identify the gaps within the Society's leadership. This opportunity will allow me to leverage my privilege and share my own experiences with structural barriers to ensure we continue to build a more equitable and diverse leadership and, ideally, a more equitable and diverse profession.

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