2024-2025 MARS Election Candidate Statements

Thank you to all who considered participating as a candidate for standing in the 2024 Military Archives Section election. Please take some time to review the candidate statements and get to know them so you can make an informed choice.

You will be voting for:

• One Vice Chair/Chair-Elect, for a two-year term

The new Chair of the MARS Section will be Andrew Harman, who was elected as the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect in 2023. Jennifer Milani will continue to serve as the MARS Secretary and Amy Mondt as the Communications Liaison for the 2024-2025 year.

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

This year's candidate(s) are:

Vice Chair/Chair-Elect Candidate(s)

The following candidate is running for the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect position:

Name:
Jason Fung

Job Title and Institution: 
Archivist
Buffalo Soldiers National Museum

Short Bio:
I have been immersed in the study of history all my life. From dinosaurs to battleships, I love to read and acquire knowledge. However, as I advance my understanding of military history, I realized its not a very popular field of study.

Political, social, economic, and cultural history seem to be the focus of modern historical scholars. Yet, the study of military history is old and often shapes cultural, economic, social, and political history.

Brief Candidate Statement:
As Vice Chair of the Military History Leadership team of Society of American Archivists, my goal is the help better network military historians together, to share their knowledge and perspectives with one another to help grow and expanse the understanding of military history and its importance to SAA.

https://buffalosoldiersmuseum.org/2023/04/meet-our-archivist-jason-fung/

Name: 
Jane Bartley

Job Title and Institution:
Archivist & User Experience Librarian
Virginia Military Institute (VMI) 

Short Bio:
Jane Bartley is an early career Archivist & User Experience Librarian at Virginia Military Institute (VMI). She is also an information science doctoral student at the University at Buffalo where she explores information use in the military context. She holds a B.S in mechanical engineering from Florida State University (2015), an M.S in technical communications from Northeastern University (2019), and an M.L.I.S. from the University of Missouri (2023). In her free time, Jane enjoys hiking in the Virginia mountains, reading, and exploring nearby historical sites.

Brief Candidate Statement:
As the prospective Vice Chair/Chair Elect, I am excited about the potential to work closer with the MARS section, connecting with other archivists who are dedicated to preserving military history and ensuring accessibility to these materials. Though I am an early career archivist, I am enthusiastic about the military, having grown up in a military family, dedicating my engineering career to naval ship building, and now working full-time at a military institution. If elected, I would like to further the current MARS coffee chats and educational programing. Furthermore, I would aim to prioritize user experience as a professional development topic, recognizing the importance of ensuring that archival materials are both accessible and useful to all users.

Name: 
Jeff Kozak

Job Title and Institution:
Head of Archives and Records Management
Virginia Military Institute (VMI) 

Short Bio:
Jeff Kozak is the Head of Archives and Records Management at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He is responsible for preserving the records from VMI’s 184-year history and making these records accessible both physically and through the VMI Archives’ robust digital collections. Since coming to VMI Jeff has made a concerted effort to increase the visibility and use of the archives by cadets, faculty, and the public through various initiatives, programs, and partnerships. Prior to coming to VMI, Jeff spent 10 years as the archivist, and later library director, of the George C. Marshall Research Library. He holds a B.A. in History and English from the University of Virginia and an M.L.I.S from the University of California, Los Angeles with a specialization in archives management.

Brief Candidate Statement:
The Military Archives Section is an active and dynamic group that is a wonderful resource for a y archivist or institution that holds military records. From the engaging and topical discussions that take place on the email list, to the section events that offer opportunities for members to

listen to experienced professionals and in-depth discussions, the Military Archives Section has always served as a resource for archivists with an interest in military records. I see the role of the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect as continuing to build upon the section’s strong foundation by continuing to offer the email discussions and programs that are of value to the section members while also considering other initiatives that would align with their needs and interests. As members of the Military Archives section already know, military records are incredibly versatile and can be utilized in many kinds of research activities. I believe that the Military Archives Section can serve as a resource to facilitate greater collaboration among section members and their institutions to elevate the value of their records as well as highlight the ways that military records are being utilized in other areas of research.