2025 Election: Meet the Candidates!

You will be voting for:  
• The Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect (one candidate, 2025-2028)
• One Staring Committee Member (one candidate, full three-year term)
• One Steering Committee Member (seven candidates, interm one-year term)
• Updates to the ERS Section Standing Rules

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

Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect Candidate (one open seat)

Lara Friedman-Shedlov
Digital Records Archivist, University of Minnesota

As the digital records archivist for the Archives and Special Collections Department of the University of Minnesota Libraries, I coordinate and manage the ingest, processing, and access for born digital archival records in the collections. In addition to my five and half years of experience since that position was established in my institution, I provided leadership to the department over the course of the preceding decade as part of various task forces and groups as we developed our initial electronic records program.  I was in one of the first cohorts to earn SAA’s Digital Archives Specialist certification 2014 and served on SAA’s DAS subcommittee from 2020 to 2022.  My SAA service also includes three years as co-chair and past chair of the Metadata and Digital Objects Section. In addition, I co-developed and co-instruct SAA’s course “Accessioning and Ingest of Digital Records.”

Some of my areas of interest within the field of electronic archives are digital records processing workflows and description. I’ve worked recently as part of DANNNG (the Digital Archival traNsfer, iNgest, and packagiNg Group) on developing factors for when to consider disk imaging and for selecting tools.  I’ve also explored strategies for efficiently generating descriptive metadata.  I’m interested in fostering further information-sharing, discussion and investigation of tools and methods for these tasks, including scripts and code, ethical use of AI, and equitable approaches to our work. I hope to continue the legacy of previous leadership to build on the past successes and strengths of the Section.

Steering Committee Member Candidate (One open seat)

Doreen Dixon
Electronic Records Archivist, Drake University

I am an early-career archivist with over three years of professional experience. I currently serve as the Electronic Records Archivist at Drake University’s Cowles Library. I hold an M.S.L.I.S. and an Advanced Certificate in Archives and Records Management from Long Island University. In addition, I am a Certified Archivist (CA), Certified Records Analyst (CRA), and Digital Archives Specialist (DAS). In my role, I lead the development of the university’s digital preservation infrastructure. This includes designing workflows, drafting policy, and implementing procedures that support long-term access to digital content. I also provide records management guidance to university offices. I actively pursue professional development to stay current and build expertise. One recent opportunity was the 2024 Digital POWRR Peer Assessment Program, which enhanced my understanding of digital preservation and its application within the context of my institution.

I am deeply committed to professional service and community engagement. I am a member of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), Midwest Archives Conference (MAC), Academy of Certified Archivists (ACA), and the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM). Within SAA, I serve as Team Leader of the bloggERS Editorial Board. In this role, I coordinate content development, lead editorial meetings, and support the publication of timely, relevant articles for the electronic records community. Before joining the Editorial Board, I learned a great deal from the resources shared by the ERS Section. These materials helped me develop practical skills and professional confidence. Now, I hope to give back to the group that has contributed to my growth by serving on the Steering Committee.

Steering Committee Member (Interim term) (One open seat)

Taylor Johnson
Digital Archivist, Dust Data Management (contract with University of Arizona)

Hi, I’m Taylor Johnson (she/her), digital archivist and owner of Dust Data Management. Currently, I contract with the University of Arizona's NASA missions, OSIRIS-REx and OSIRIS-APEX. As part of the OSIRIS-REx mission, I co-developed digital archival standards for a novel sample analysis archiving system. During development, I coordinated with sample analysis teams to understand over 60 unique analytical techniques, instruments, and data products. Following the 2023 sample capsule return, I continue to advise and support international scientists with their archival efforts. At APEX, my work involves creating and refining digital curation protocols and supporting the development of a Data Management Plan in preparation for digital archiving within the Planetary Data System. Before establishing DDM, I spent a decade working in various libraries, discovering my interest for metadata while working in technical services and acquisitions. I am particularly passionate about open-access, remediation, and the development of equitable description. As I often work independently, I am eager to connect with others in the digital archives field and contribute to the community in a meaningful way. Outside of my professional life, I enjoy film photography, sewing, native plants, and Stardew Valley.

Beaudry Allen
Digital and Preservation Archivist, Villanova University

I am the Digital and Preservation Archivist at Villanova University. The position entails building out a born-digital preservation program, digitization, and digital preservation support to the University. My professional work is dedicated to ethical archiving practices, digital preservation, and user-centric access. I have a Masters in Archives and Records Administration from San Jose State University and a Masters in European history from Villanova University. In addition, I served as chair of the Archivists of Religious Collections section of SAA (2024-2025), chair of Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries DEI committee, and member of the Archives Leadership Institute 2024 cohort. The interest in joining as steering committee member is to support the efforts of the section continuing to make a space for resource sharing and skill development. I would like to work more collaboratively with the section to evaluate and promote sustainable and ethical strategies for the stewardship of electronic records.

Roberto Nañes
Archivist (Archives Librarian), University of Houston–Clear Lake, Archives and Special Collections

My name is Roberto E. Nañes, and I am an Archivist at the University of Houston–Clear Lake Archives and Special Collections. I’m a Certified Archivist with an M.L.S. from the University of North Texas and a Certificate in Archival Management, with over a decade of experience in education, records coordination, and archival work. My interests include AI integration in archives, access equity, and the evolving role of institutional repositories.

I believe the Steering Committee is more than a service opportunity—it’s a space to advocate, collaborate with ethically grounded colleagues, and shape the direction of our profession. As a public university archivist, I see how our work is shifting—and how much we can gain by sharing practical tools and approaches that make space for those underrepresented in the historical record. I look forward to the opportunity to help our section remain responsive, innovative, and grounded in the shared realities of our work.

Ashton Wingate
Manager of Digital Archives, NAACP Legal and Educational Defense Fund

I am the Manager of Digital Archives at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and have been in a digital archives role at the org since my hiring in 2019. I graduated in May 2018 with an MLIS from Catholic Univ. in Washington D.C. Along with my team, I am responsible for responsibly stewarding LDF's records which contain invaluable information about the legal arm of the civil rights movement spanning 85 years of institutional history. We have recently undergone a 4 year effort to digitize and make available a significant subset of our records (8,000 physical boxes and 5tb of born digital records) and they are now available via our website ldfrecollection.org I would love to become more involved in the electronic records community so that we may share best practices and learn from one another.

DiAndra Reyes
Freelance Archivist

I am excited to apply for the Electronic Records Section Steering Committee of SAA and be a part of fostering a collaborative team for digital preservation professionals. My name is DiAndra Reyes, and I’m an early career archivist who graduated in 2024 with an MLIS from San José State University. I am eager to network, collaborate, and learn from fellow digital archivists while contributing my skills and perspectives. I have experience at nonprofit arts organizations, a research institute, and academic institutions. Most of my experiences have been in traditional processing, but I have also developed a strong foundation in metadata creation and cleaning and digital asset organization. I am passionate in focusing my career on digital archives and advancing the accessibility and stewardship of born-digital materials, and believe being a part of this committee would allow me to stay on the forefront of evolving best practices in the field. Thank you for considering my application.

Rebecca Hastings
Digital Archivist, University of Idaho

I am relatively new to digital archiving, but I have a long-standing interest in history and am interested in contributing to my professional community. Born and raised in western Washington state, I received my BA (2009) and MA (2013) in History from Central Washington University and my PhD (2020) in History from the University of Oregon. While earning my MLIS (2023) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I developed an interest in digital archiving - its challenges, its new developments, and the ways in which it complements "traditional" archiving. Since joining the University of Idaho Library's Special Collections and Archives department in August 2024 as the Digital Archivist, I have had the opportunity to work with a variety of forms of born-digital materials (including web material) and digitized materials, working through the limits and possibilities of digital preservation at a mid-sized academic library. I enjoy the never-ending opportunities to learn, to solve problems creatively, and to collaborate with others. My experience in this field is, I admit, not yet very extensive, but I believe have a lot to contribute to this committee based on my existing knowledge and my interest in being of service to the SAA.

Robert Manley
Digital Curation Librarian, Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis

I have worked in Digital Archives and Preservation since 2015 at Washington University in St. Louis and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. I would like to serve on the committee because this group has benefitted me throughout my career, and I see it as an opportunity to contribute to digital archives community.

Update to ERS Section Standing Rules (to add the following section):

4. D. Vacancies.
i. Should a Chair resign their position, the Vice-Chair shall immediately become Chair, serving out the remainder of the Chair’s term of service. The position of Vice-Chair shall then be filled by a steering committee member in their second year of service, to be appointed by a simple majority of the steering committee.
ii. Should a Vice-Chair resign their position, the vacancy shall be filled by a steering committee member in their second year of service, to be appointed by a simple majority of the steering committee. The selected Vice-Chair shall then serve out the term of the resigning Vice-Chair.
iii. Should a steering committee member resign their position or fill in for the Chair or Vice Chair role, an interim steering committee member will be elected during annual section elections by the Section members to serve out the remainder of the term.