LGRS 2020 Elections

Thank you to all of our excellent candidates for standing in the 2020 Local Government Records 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 (or Co-chair), for a two-year term; and
• 2 Steering Committee members (three-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 Candidate

Andrea Gietzen

Local Government Records Archivist, Archives of Michigan, Lansing, MI

Biography:

My name is Andrea and I am the Local Government Records Archivist for the Archives of Michigan.   I’d like to nominate myself for the Local Government Records Vice Chair/Chair elect position.   I look forward to connecting and networking with other SAA archivists who work with local government records while deepening my professional involvement with SAA.

Statement:

As Local Government records archivist, I interact and collect records from all 83 counties, 1240 townships and other major municipalities throughout the state of Michigan.   Currently the main focus of my job is systematically coordinating the transfer of probate and circuit court records that have met retention at the county level, but really I am here to assist with the management of all local government records.  This means reaching out to local government officials and educating them on the benefits of records management and helping them manage their overcrowded storage spaces preferably before a flood or other disaster strikes.   I have been in this position for nearly 3 years and have traveled more than 29,000 miles throughout the state.   Once back in the office, I do everything from accessioning, processing the records, assisting with reference to the materials, space management, working with interns and my fellow archive team members on whatever project needs extra help.

Steering Committee Member Candidates

Samuel Alexander

Librarian-Archivist, Charlotte County Archives, Port Charlotte, FL

Biography:

Samuel Alexander is a Librarian-Archivist with Charlotte County in southwest Florida. Since entering this position at the end of 2019, he has worked to introduce new standards to his institution through implementing policies, managing collections, and strategizing with administration to carry out improvements such as preserving the county’s response to COVID-19. Despite being in the early stages of his career, Samuel Alexander hopes to contribute both to the Charlotte County archives and the archives field.

Statement: 

I’ve been working as the Librarian-Archivist in Charlotte County for close to a year. I have been a member of SAA since 2018, when I graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Master of Library and Information Science degree, and since joining, I’ve been looking for ways to become more involved with the archival field. Now that I’m working in a local government position, I want to work to improve both the Charlotte County archives and the archives profession as a whole. This includes advocating for the importance of local records, pushing for collaborations, and promoting sharing knowledge.

Bennett Chapman

Archivist, Johnston County Heritage Center, Smithfield, NC

Biography:

My name is Bennett Chapman and I am the Archivist for Johnston County. I work specifically at the Johnston County Heritage Center and recently I have been hired full-time. Johnston County is a mostly rural county adjacent to Wake county, in which the capital of our North Carolina (Raleigh) sits. The collection focus has been on genealogy records as well as artifacts, photographs, records, scrapbooks and collections from residents of Johnston County. 

Statement: 

I am a young professional interested in getting experience in SAA. I would like to be considered for one of the LGRS Steering Committee positions. I am a grateful recipient of a grant from the Archival Workers Emergency Fund and I would be honored to be able to repay my debt to SAA through service in this position.

Dennis Riley

Regional Advisor, New York State Archives, Albany, NY

Biography and Statement:

Dennis Riley is a regional adviser at the New York State Archives providing records management and archives services to local governments and repositories in 11 counties throughout the Hudson Valley-Catskill region. Prior to this, he was an appraisal archivist at the NY State Archives working with agencies to identify and transfer records of enduring historical value. Before this he managed both corporate records and historical collections at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation and worked at the National Archives at New York City as part of its reference services staff, where among other projects he focused on promoting holdings related to Puerto Rico. For over 13 years, he worked for the U.S Department of State, most of that time in the research library and archives at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, managing this office for his last three years there. Non-governmental work has included brief stints in academic and non-profit repositories. As a member of the Society of American Archivists, he has served on a number of bodies including the Government Records Section steering committee, Committee on Public Policy, Publications Board, and most recently the Finance Committee.

John Slate

City Archivist, Dallas Municipal Archives, Dallas, TX

Biography:

John H. Slate earned his master’s degree in library and information science with a concentration in archival enterprise at the University of Texas at Austin. He has served as city archivist for the City of Dallas since 2000. Slate is a Fellow of SAA and has served as chair of the Government Records, Local Government Records, and Visual Materials Sections.  He's a past president of the Society of Southwest Archivists and alum of the Archives Leadership Institute.

Statement: 

My interest in government archives, particularly in local governments, is bottomless. There is currently more activity in SAA from government archivists than in past years, and I'd like to help archivists in local settings do their best in a new era of tight resources and budgets.