2022 Election: Candidate Statements

Thank you to all of our excellent candidates for standing in the 2022 Issues & Advocacy 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 (1) Vice Chair/Chair-Elect (two-year term); and

• Three (3) Steering Committee members (two-year terms). 

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 Candidates

The following candidates are running for the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect (or Co-chair) position (choose one): 

Elizabeth Call

University Archivist, Rochester Institute of Technology 

Biographical Information: 

Hello! I have been working in libraries and archives for 18 years and have worked in all types of settings, from large to small, business to public to college libraries. I am currently the university archivist at the Rochester Institute of Technology where I lead an amazing team of archivists in stewarding not only RIT's historic records but also collections around Deaf history and culture, entrepreneurship, and a pretty sizable collection of art in all mediums.  

Statement of Interest:

I am fiercely committed to the mission of archives being the fuel necessary for advocacy. For me the importance of archives and why they need to be preserved and made accessible to all is that they provide testimony to the "why" and "how" of things. Archives and advocacy are intimately interconnected. Archives enable people to read, interrogate, and interpret for themselves why and how things are the way they are. They are the memory of institutions, communities, and individuals. Advocacy is asking why and critically interrogating why things are the way they are, to hopefully bring about positive change and further growth, which is essential in every facet of life. I would be extremely privileged to be able to lead this committee in its work to provide inclusive and relevant programming and tools around advocacy in all of its different realms -- whether that be to advocate for the existence of archives or to advocate for the existence of, and very real need for, professional archivists. 

Steering Committee Member Candidates

The following candidates are running for the section steering committee (listed in alpha order – choose three):

Claire Gordon

Soon to be Processing Archivist for the Sara Chitjian Collection, California State University Northridge Special Collections

Biographical Information: 

I am an early career archivist and recent graduate (2020) of the UCLA MLIS program. I most recently worked as the processing archivist for a grant funded project focusing on the Farmworker Movement Collection at the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center (T&EBC) at California State University Northridge, organizing and processing photojournalist photography collections. Additionally at T&EBC, I was a transcribing archivist for the LA Black Power Oral History Collection and a co-curator and processing archivist for their Black Lives Matter Protest Photography Collection.

Statement of Interest:

I am eager to connect with fellow archival professionals on how to move forward and think creatively about many of the issues in archival work that are most important to me, namely, reparative processing and redescription, analyzing the presence and effects of institutional racism in archives, and advocating for greater job stability and institutional value supporting the work of archivists. I am interested in learning more about the successful strategies of more experienced archivists and discovering ways to build up networks of support for one another. I am consistently drawn to working on collections that amplify the narratives of marginalized or under-represented communities and would like to explore strategies that advocate for prioritizing this work and emotionally bolstering the archivists who do it. 

Holly Rose McGee

Cataloger, Archives Planning & Operations, Warner Bros. Discovery 

Biographical Information: 

I have been archiving professionally for 13 years, and have worked in libraries on and off for the past 32 years. Through these years, I have worked at public libraries, college libraries, as a researcher in private and special archives and libraries, art galleries, book stores, in museums, academic institutions, at a radio station archive, and inside the entertainment industry. Along with these varied contexts, I have performed a variety of information profession duties, including cataloging, reference, shelving, conservation, digitization, archiving, policy formation, public outreach, and collaboration to create connections within institutions. I’ve worked with just about every format imaginable, from writing .xml instructions for an ingest package of .dpx files to a piece of cheese taped to an index card. Libraries and archives are my passion, and I feel compelled to constantly do the best work I can in order to honor the past as well as the future of our cultural heritages and records. Though I pride myself on a strong work ethic, my experience has also taught me that besides respect du fonds, to also respect the individuals and cultures who have created or will use and access the collections for which I am a custodian. I feel strongly about collaboration within the field, which is why I have and continue to aspire to mentor, publish, and present at a wide variety of professional and informal conferences.

Statement of Interest:

I grew up in a house of artists and collectors and thus was taught from an early age that all material is information and can hold meaning, from a group of rocks in a specific formation to a doctoral treatise on the Dada art movement. I also grew up with strong ethics in social justice and critical thought, so I’ve always been interested in raising up questions, issues, and especially voices and viewpoints that have been purposely or mistakenly silenced, particularly those of cultural minorities in the United States, such as Native Americans, African-Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx and Chicanos/Chicanas, women, and the LGBTQ+ community. Our histories can be nourishment for our future, and archives and archivists are an integral part of keeping our histories preserved and accessible for all who seek information. I have seen the deep value of communication, collaboration, and sharing amongst different workers in the profession as well as the public, and I feel like more involvement is always helpful. I hope I can be a help to both the profession and the public by being on the Steering Committee of the Issues & Advocacy Section of the Society of American Archivists. 

Danielle Russano-Simpkins

MLIS student, University of Southern Mississippi. 

Intern and volunteer, Lycoming County Historical Society; Volunteer, Library of Congress Veterans History Project. 

Biographical Information: 

I am a current graduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi obtaining my MLIS degree and I am strong, dedicated, and I'm willing to do what it takes to do the best for the organization and committee at all times. 

Statement of Interest:

I'm interested in the position because I feel as a new member of the organization I can bring a fresh perspective and new innovative ideas to the committee.