2026 Election: Candidate Statements

Co-Chair (Three Year Committment, One Vacancy):

Ashten Vassar-Cain, Project Archivist, Pennhurst Memorial & Preservation Alliance

Bio:

I am a community archivist focusing on Disability History and Culture. I am a current MLIS student at Simmons University School of Library and Information Science. I hold a previous Master's degree in Human Rights from the University of Connecticut, where I focused on atrocity crimes, state violence, and disability institutionalization. This perspective informs the work I do in my current role as a community archivist with the Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance, where I am overseeing a 2 year digitization initiative focused on depictions of the self-determination movement in digital archives. My work is guided by the principles of Disability Justice, and years of grassroots advocacy with survivors of institutional abuse.

Candidate Statement:

After joining the ADS section as an early career member for the 2025-2026 year, I quickly became passionate about the section and its place within SAA. I am running for the co-chair of the Accessibility and Disability Section because of my commitment to representation of Disability in archival holdings. I am equally committed to advocating for Disabled professionals and users who have been historically denied equal access to archives as places of employment, learning, and patronage. My work challenges epistemic injustice and prioritizes lived experience alongside academic and professional forms of knowledge.

Steering Committee (Two Year Committment, Two Vacancies):

Maisie Jones, Ph.D. Candidate in Information, University of Maryland, College Park

Bio:

Maisie Jones is a Ph.D. candidate in Information at the University of Maryland with a research focus in digital accessibility for archives and special collections. She holds an MLIS with a concentration in archives from The University of Alabama and has worked in a variety of archival spaces and contexts. Her research touches on the work of archival practitioners and its impacts on the experiences of people with disabilities. She is also currently teaching Archives and Manuscripts courses at the University of North Texas and is passionate about educating students about accessibility in the archives profession.

Candidate Statement:

I am very passionate about the work of the Accessibility and Disability Section and advocating for accessibility and disability in the archives profession broadly. As an active member of SAA and a disability-focused scholar in the archives field, I bring a unique perspective to my current work as an early-career member of ADS. As a steering committee member for ADS, I will continue to advocate for disability access, representation in archival work, and impactful programming and professional development related to accessibility and disability.

Marcella Lees, Digital Archivist, Art Institute of Chicago Archives

Bio:

Marcella Lees is the Digital Archivist at the Art Institute of Chicago where she works to manage and preserve digital records for the museum and school. She additionally serves as the Administrator for the Western Archives Institute, a continuing education program focused on providing essential archives education to practicing archivists who have not had the opportunity for a formal education in archives. She served previously at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as the Digital Archivist and Interim Director of Archives, where she worked to run the department, develop a digitization program, and  integrate archives material into undergraduate courses. She received her MLIS from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her Bachelors in History from Carleton College. Marcella is an active member of the Society of American Archivists, the Chicago Area Archivists, and the Chicago Collections Consortium. Her research and outreach focuses on digital preservation, archives accessibility, disability advocacy, archives education, and historic data reuse.

Candidate Statement: 

Expanding access to archival resources and advocating for archivists with disabilities are key areas of focus in all of the work that I do, and I am interested to serve on this committee so that I could work with like-minded colleagues and do this work at a broader level than just my own organization. 

I decided to pursue a career in archives after an undergraduate internship with the Minnesota School for the Blind at their small museum and archive. One of the things I worked on in this internship was to create inclusive metadata for a collection of class photo collages that did not assume vision and to create an inclusive exhibit for their museum that was designed to be enjoyed by those with vision impairment. This opened my eyes very early in my career to how non-inclusive most museums and archives are by default, and I decided I wanted to pursue a career in archives with the hope that I could help to expand access to archival resources and promote disability representation within the archives. I became a digital archivist in large part because I see the digital realm as the best way to accomplish these goals, and I make sure that accessibility is at the core of all of the work that I do preserving and providing access to digital records.

My other interest in this committee comes from my own lived experience as someone with an invisible disability. While I am a few years out from my MLIS and have been working as a full-time archivist since I graduated, I experienced a lot of challenges getting experience and breaking into the archival profession because of my disability. Now that I have established myself within the profession, my goal has been to work toward removing as many of these barriers as possible for those that come after me. I’ve focused a lot of my advocacy efforts on designing accessible student positions and finding ways to make archives educational opportunities accessible and inclusive. I’ve presented on this work previously at both the Midwest Archives Conference and at the Society of American Archivists Conference. I would love to be able to work with this group on finding ways to increase accessibility across the archival profession and to develop resources to help others in doing this accessibility work. Thank you for considering my candidacy.

Ruohua Han, Assistant Professor, Department of Research Methods & Information Science, Morgridge College of Education, University of Denver

Bio:

Ruohua Han is an Assistant Professor at the University of Denver, where she teaches courses in archives and preservation and conducts research on improving the discoverability of the experiences of marginalized communities in institutional archival collections. Since 2022, she has been teaching about accessibility in graduate-level LIS courses and volunteering for the ADS, primarily working on the section’s blog and developing the Conversations in Accessibility interview series. She has been an ADS Steering Committee Member since 2024. She holds an MS in Management Science (majoring in Archival Science) from Renmin University of China and a Ph.D. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Candidate Statement:

As a faculty member in an MLIS program, I believe it is my responsibility as an educator to center accessibility in LIS education. Serving on the Steering Committee has given me a meaningful opportunity to act as a bridge between the ADS and LIS students. Working alongside my fellow committee members over the past two years, I have learned so much about accessibility and disability in archives, and I am proud of how much I have been able to incorporate that learning into my instructional design and course content. I believe that MLIS education can and should do more to equip emerging LIS professionals with the knowledge and skills to identify and address accessibility issues in their future work. I would be honored to serve another term and continue using my role as an educator to contribute to that vision. 

Reflecting on my past term, one of my proudest accomplishments was organizing a discussion panel on accessibility and disability in archives for my Advanced Archives class. I invited current and former Steering Committee members to visit, and it was a wonderful experience for my students that helped build valuable professional connections. I would love to brainstorm more ways to engage current LIS students in the coming year. I am also eager to contribute more to the ADS blog, such as conducting additional interviews for the Conversations in Accessibility series and posting roundups of accessibility news and resources. My position at the intersection of LIS education and accessibility advocacy gives me a unique opportunity to empower emerging LIS professionals to center accessibility as a key value of our field. I would be grateful for the chance to continue that work as an ADS Steering Committee Member. Thank you very much for your consideration!

April Griess, Digital Archivist, Assistant Professor, Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library, University of Nebraska Omaha

Bio:

April Griess (they/them) is the Digital Archivist for Archives and Special Collections at the Dr. C. C. & Mabel L. Criss Library. They joined the University of Nebraska at Omaha in July 2025. Their professional responsibilities include a focus on digital accessibility, and they serve on the library’s ADA Title II Web Accessibility Committee. Prior to joining UNO, Griess spent nearly three years working in the archives at Sesame Workshop. They earned an MA in Moving Image Archiving and Preservation from New York University in 2021.

Candidate Statement:

Since joining University of Nebraska at Omaha in July 2025, I have been an active member of the Criss Library ADA Title II Digital Accessibility Task Force (CAT2). As the Digital Archivist, I am responsible for making our digital collections accessible, including creating workflows for remediation and right first (while processing materials). I feel like I would make a meaningful contribution to the ADS Steering Committee. I am passionate and firm believer in making information and archives available to all. I love to connect and learn from others who feel the same way.