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2024-2025 Continuing Leadership
Laura Uglean Jackson
Vice Chair/Chair-Elect
Kelly Burton
Media Archivist
National Gallery of Art
My name is Kelly Burton, and I received my MA in Archives and Records Management from Western Washington University. As the first Media Archivist at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, my primary role has been to spearhead the development and implementation of various policies pertaining to long-term care of time-based archival media at the museum. Prior to the National Gallery, I designed and implemented an audiovisual archives program for the Montana Historical Society – a hybrid museum/research institution – while engaging in outreach efforts such as film screenings, media interviews, journal articles, and social media posts. I have a deep interest in the intersection of history and art and have greatly enjoyed learning how museums use film, video and audio to further their educational mandates.
I have served for two years as the Recording Secretary of the Museum Archives Section of SAA, and I look forward to gaining a greater understanding of the unique issues which pertain to both museums and SAA through further involvement with the section. I believe the section provides excellent opportunities for dialogue among museum professionals, and I hope to contribute to these efforts in the role of Vice-Chair/Chair Elect.
Celia Emmelhainz
Program Manager
National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Celia Emmelhainz is the manager of the National Anthropological Archives and Human Studies Film Archives in the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian; she holds an MLIS and an MA in anthropology, and has previously worked as an academic librarian in the US and Kazakhstan. Emmelhainz has served as vice-chair of the Smithsonian archives and special collections council and has presented and published on museum archives. She is interested in questions of career development for archivists and librarians, in competing ethics for museum archives, and in how archivists can work most effectively in museum contexts.
Thank you for considering me for the position of Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect in the Museum Archives Section. As manager of the National Anthropological Archives at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, I oversee all aspects of physical and digital archival collections in our museum archive, as well as provide guidance on archives to other research departments in our natural history museum. I have a dual background in libraries and archives, and have been working on projects around digital archiving of field research records since 2013. If elected as Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, my goals are to connect section members with each other, spark discussion about current issues in museum archives, and continue to advocate for museum archivists in our dual roles as museum and archive professionals.
Recording Secretary
Kim Bradshaw
Archivist
Art Museum of the University of Memphis
My name is Kim Bradshaw, and I am the solo archivist at the Art Museum of the University of Memphis (AMUM). It’s a “full circle” position for me: I earned my BA in Art History here back in 2011 and was halfway through graduate school when an internship at the National Ornamental Metal Museum turned into a job offer. I worked on their collections management staff until 2017, when I stepped down to part-time/contract work so I could finish my thesis and pivot to library sciences. I completed my MLIS through the University of Tennessee’s distance education program at the height of the pandemic. They mailed every graduate a mortarboard, tassel, and graduation program as a gesture of goodwill. I remember peering suspiciously at the bright orange package when it appeared, unsolicited, on my front porch.
My interest in the role of Recording Secretary stems not only from a natural inclination towards diligent notetaking (even my to-do lists have footnotes) but from a desire to play a more active role in the Society of American Archivists as I approach my first membership anniversary. The resources I found here - particularly publications like Museum Archives: Practice, Issues, Advocacy - helped me make a case for establishing a proper digital repository for AMUM’s exhibit archives, which are currently languishing in file cabinets down the hall from our office. To be a better steward of our institution’s records, I’ll begin SAA’s Digital Archives Specialist coursework later this summer. I look forward to becoming more involved with this organization, and I appreciate your consideration for this position.
Lauren Conrad
Assistant Archivist
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Lauren Conrad is the Assistant Archivist at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. She holds an MLIS from San Jose State University and a BA in English Literature from the University of Colorado Boulder. In her role at DMNS Archives, she helps manage institutional records and special collections, provides thorough reference and research services, and supports outreach initiatives.
Thank you for considering my nomination for the Recording Secretary position. With my strong attention to detail and effective communication skills, I am eager to contribute to the sustainability and value of the Museum Archives Section of SAA. As Recording Secretary, I will diligently record the proceedings of the section's annual meetings and actively engage in other steering committee meetings. My goal is to ensure accurate and accessible records that support informed decision-making and transparency. Additionally, I look forward to fostering connections within the MAS community, collaborating with fellow archivists, and contributing to initiatives that enhance our collective impact. I am committed to supporting the professional development of museum archivists and promoting best practices in our field.
Web Liaison
Lena Hansen
MLIS candidate and Archives Assistant, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh
I am a curator and archivist currently completing my MLIS at the University of Pittsburgh (graduating August 2024). For the past year, I have worked at the University of Pittsburgh’s Archives and Special Collections processing physical and digital medical collections. My work has straddled museums, archives, and the arts. I was the 2023/2024 curatorial fellow at Brew House Arts, Pittsburgh, where I curated an exhibition titled Blank Tape. The exhibition explored the prevalence of surveillance in society. I have also completed a photograph digitization project at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art. Prior to taking on an MLIS, I was the Associate Director of Aicon Contemporary, New York, a gallery focused on modern and contemporary South Asian Art. There, I prioritized cultivating a roster of artists typically underrepresented in the New York art scene. In 2019, I received my MA in Anthropology from the New School for Social Research where my thesis explored the history and labor of museum guards in New York City museums. During my time at the New School, I also worked as an archives assistant at the Archives and Special Collections and as a curatorial assistant at the University Art Collection. I was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
My professional and academic career has combined my passion for art, archives, and museums, focusing on people and narratives which have been historically overlooked in our institutions. I am particularly invested in the repatriation efforts museums have undertaken in recent years and am eager to contribute to this movement. I am submitting myself for the web liaison role because I want to contribute to the efforts to better museums. As an early career archivist, the web liaison position interests me, because I will be able to contribute to the section through administrative work. I understand the importance of clear and accurate communication, particularly when most interactions are virtual. I look forward to joining this section and to connecting with others in the community. Thank you for your consideration.
Past Elections