Co-Chair Candidates

Ying-Ying Han

Bio

Yingying recently earned her Ph.D. from the School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Starting from August, she will be a faculty member at the School of Information Sciences, University of Tennessee. Her research and teaching interests focus on critical archival studies, digital preservation, and community engagement with marginalized groups. 

By integrating critical theories such as feminist ethics of care, her work examines how marginalized voices are silenced and misrepresented in archives and digital preservation infrastructures. She employs a community-based participatory approach to collaborate with marginalized communities, using community archives to build equitable, reciprocal, and trustworthy relationships. Through these partnerships, her research bridges community engagement with digital archives, empowering communities to document and curate their experiences and identities as counternarratives, transforming these stories into tools of agency. Additionally, her work also informs preservation practices, such as information organization systems, in memory institutions by incorporating grassroots perspectives and insights.

Statement

As a candidate for co-chair, I am committed to enhancing the visibility and impact of the Archival Educators Section (AES) within SAA and the broader archival field. I plan to foster dynamic conversations by initiating more discussions, panels, and events focused on archival education, in collaboration with other sections. I am especially interested in incorporating creative storytelling methods, such as podcasts and short videos using archival materials, to share our work and engage wider audiences. Additionally, given the uncertain climate in U.S. higher education, I want to make AES a supportive and safe platform for archival educators from diverse backgrounds to pause, share concerns and experiences of insecurity, and connect with others and with resources that address their educational needs.

Cecilia L. Salvatore 

Bio

Cecilia L. Salvatore (she/her) is Professor at the School of Information Studies, Dominican University (River Forest). She came to the university in 2009 and has grown the Archives and Cultural Heritage program significantly since. Prior to coming to Dominican University, she was on the faculty at Emporia State University, where she developed their Archives Studies Program. She once served as Chair of the Archival Educators Roundtable and the Oral History Section.

Cecilia's research and teaching interests focus on ways to ensure that the archival records of our diverse communities are maintained and preserved, and their cultural heritage documented.  She currently leads a project in which Dominican University students work in community archives towards this. The  project is funded by the Mellon foundation.

Statement 

In the last year, I have heard from members of our community who would like to work with our school towards ensuring that data from their records and collections are not ignored in AI discourse, literature, and initiatives. Higher education work and curriculum are certainly changing because of new technology. Archives and museums have much to offer in the excitement about AI data. I look forward to serving in a space where we develop ways to advocate for our important role in the changes that are happening. 

Steering Committee Member Candidates

Mollie Metevier 

Bio

Mollie Metevier is currently an Assistant Professor of Practice at Simmons University, where she is also the Field Experience Manager.  She has taught both introductory and advanced archival courses with a special interest in experiential and project based learning.   Mollie is a passionate educator, whose interests include educational pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and inclusive teaching. Mollie’s teaching career includes a decade teaching archival courses at St. Catherine University in St, Paul, Minn; as well as five years as an elementary/middle school librarian.  Her career in archives spans two decades, and includes managing two multi-million dollar grant-funded projects - one large scale digitization project and one oral history project.  Mollie holds a Certification in School Librarianship from St. Catherine University, an MLIS from Simmons University and a BA (Major: Sociology; Minor: Classical Studies) from Mount Holyoke College. 

Statement

As an archival practitioner and trained educator, I believe that I bring a unique perspective to the AES steering committee; and it would be an honor to serve SAA in this capacity.  Archival education is an essential underpinning of the profession, and it is important to continue to further develop and refine our educational practices to continue the growth and sustainability of the archival profession. 

One of my core values as an educator is to create a space in which everyone feels that they belong - both in my classroom but also in the archival field. As such, I bring a true spirit of openness and collaboration to the work that I do - one my favorite parts of being an educator is learning from my colleagues and sharing ideas and information to improve our professional training. If elected to the steering committee, I hope to work with my colleagues to continue to explore ways in which we can continue to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for current and future archivists. 

Itza A. Carbajal

Bio

Itza A. Carbajal is a US settler born in New Orleans and raised in Texas currently pursuing a PhD in Information Science at the University of Washington Information School focusing on children and their records. She will begin her career as teaching faculty at the University of Washington in the autumn of 2025 working with both graduate students in Library and Information Science and undergraduates in the Informatics program. Her philosophy as an educator centers on facilitating self-determination and emotional and cognitive development through teaching ancestral and contemporary self-documentation strategies, critical information skills, and by emphasizing the importance of storytelling in human history and society. Through a social-historical lens, Carbajal stresses the role of historic and contemporary records in shaping personal and collective memories through K-16 learning with a special focus on disaster education.

Statement

As an incoming Steering Committee member, I am committed to strengthening and bringing to the forefront of future SAA agendas the importance of promoting core archival teaching standards and principles at universities, colleges, and through certification programs. As the national organization for the United States archival field, SAA must address longstanding discrepancies and contradictions in US archival education curricula for new and emerging professionals. While continuing education plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the field, the implementation of educational standards for training newer practitioners has gained less traction due to many complex structures and legacy practices. Yet with growing financial instability and government dismantling of archival institutions and workplaces, students deserve a reliable education that not only equips them to navigate today’s volatile cultural heritage job market, but to also position their skills and expertise as archivists throughout various sectors.