2021 CANDIDATES FOR ARCS STEERING COMMITTEE OFFICES

Listed below are the biographies and statements from candidates for this year's open ARCS offices: Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect and Member-at-Large. Candidate photographs can be viewed under Attachments.

Thank you to all of our excellent candidates for standing in the 2021 Archivists of Religious Collections Section election. Please take some time to review their candidate statements and get to know them so you can make an informed choice.

You will be voting for:

• One Vice Chair/Chair-Elect
• One Member-at-Large

Ballots will be managed by SAA staff through Survey Monkey; keep an eye on your inbox for when the ballot opens! 

The office of Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect is a three-year commitment in which the incumbent will serve as Vice-Chair (2021-2022), Chair (2022-2023), and Past-Chair (2023-2024) in successive terms.

CANDIDATE FOR VICE-CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT:

Jill Botticelli
Archivist, B. H. Carroll Center for Baptist Heritage & Mission, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Bio and Candidate Statement: "I currently serve as the archivist at the B. H. Carroll Center for Baptist Heritage and Mission at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I have been in this role since 2015 after a lengthy tenure as Library Director and faculty member at Arlington Baptist College. In my role at Southwestern, I am responsible for the stewardship of over 4,000 linear feet of manuscript collections, a rare book collection, and an increasing digital repository. In addition, a personal area of interest is the preservation of institutional history and sharing this history with students and alumni through lectures, social media, and writing. My career has been significantly influenced by the development of relationships within professional organizations. I believe these relations to be of utmost value, and I strive to serve my constituents and the greater professional community through collaboration, contribution, and collegiality. Having served in leadership roles within the Association of Christian Librarians, I would appreciate the opportunity to contribute more substantially in the area of archives. I hold an MLS from the University at Buffalo and am certified with the Academy of Certified Archivists."

The following candidates are running for the office of Member-at-Large, a two-year commitment, in which the incumbent will serve in successive terms (2021-22 and 2022-23).

CANDIDATE FOR MEMBER-AT-LARGE:

Beaudry Rae Allen
Preservation and Digital Archivist, Villanova University

Candidate Statement: "For several years I have worked with religious collections and currently working for an Augustinian academic university has afforded me the position to understand the process and implications of working with and for a religious institution, which I hope my insight and experience will help the section. As a Member-At-Large I want to support Archivists of Religious Collections Section’s dedication to archival practice surrounding records of the faith experience. I would like to help support building community among the section through expanding resource sharing and highlighting work of archivists and their institutions. As well as support initiatives to broaden discourse of archiving with religious papers and institutions."
Bio and Credentials: Beaudry Rae Allen (she/her) is currently the Preservation and Digital Archivist for Villanova University and is responsible for the collection management and born-digital preservation of the University since 2018. Previously, she was an archivist responsible for processing collections from the American Religions Collection at University of California, Santa Barbara. In addition, she serves on the organizing group of A4BLiP (Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia) and DVAG (Delaware Valley Archivist Group), as well as the DEI committee of PACSCL (Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries). She has a Masters in Archival and Records Management from San Jose State University (2015) and Masters in European History from Villanova University (2013).

CANDIDATE FOR MEMBER-AT-LARGE:

Mac Ice
Director of Special Collections and Archivist & Assistant Professor of Library Science, Abilene Christian University

Candidate Statement: "Great challenges like the ones we faced in the past year forcefully remind us what we already know. That is, solid preparation and collaboration with our colleagues serves us well. There is really no substitute for strong grounding in the basic skills, attitudes and dispositions, and canons of our discipline. And there is great value in remaining connected with our peers and colleagues in similar or affiliated institutions. The networking that ARCS affords supply us with wells we should draw from. The deeper we dig the better and more reliable the supply will be, especially when challenges arise. Our shared commitment to the very best standards for our work (both at the theoretical and practical levels) and our experience working in religious collections is a powerful resource. And our willingness to collaborate, share ideas and brainstorm solutions, will serve us well. I look forward to serving in this position to facilitate the kinds of connections that will help us creatively engagement the collections we serve and embody the values we cherish."
Bio and Credentials: Director of Special Collections and Archives; Abilene Christian University: 2018-present; Special Collections Librarian and Archivist, Abilene Christian University, 2016-2018; Archives Specialist, Abilene Christian University, 2013-2016. Director of Research and Public Services, Disciples of Christ Historical Society, 2006-2010; Doctor of Philosophy, Church History, University of Divinity, Melbourne, Australia: in process. Master of Science in Library Science, concentration in Archival Studies, University of North Texas: 2016. Master of Divinity, Lipscomb University: 2007. Master of Arts, David Lipscomb University: 2001. Bachelor of Arts, David Lipscomb University: 1998; Academy of Certified Archivists: Member, 2017-present. Society of American Archivists: Mentoring Program, 2017-present; Archivists of Religious Collections and College and University Archivists interest groups, 2016-present. Restoration Quarterly: Associate Editor, 2016-present.