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You will be voting for:
Ballots will be managed by SAA staff through SurveyMonkey - Please keep an eye on your inbox for when the ballots open!
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Kelley Hummingbird-KlorPhD Student, University of Alabama |
Biographical Statement: Kelley Hummingbird-Klor (she/her), a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, is a PhD student in the College of Communication and Information Sciences at the University of Alabama. She earned her Master’s in Library and Information Science with an emphasis in Archival Studies from the University of Missouri in December 2023. Kelley gained research experience as a Graduate Research Assistant while attending the University of Missouri, and served as a Student Evaluator with the Indigenizing Archival Training (IAT) project. She currently works at the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM).
Kelley is actively involved in the archival community, serving on the Steering Committee of the Society of American Archivists' Native American Archives Section (NAAS), the Repatriation Committee, and the Mentoring Subcommittee. Additionally, she is an adjunct professor at Louisiana State University, where she began teaching Information and Society during the Fall 2024 semester. Her research focuses on advocating for the inclusion of Indigenous ontologies in Western archival theory, particularly by exploring the sense of belonging that Tribal archivists experience through culturally sensitive professional development and training opportunities. In her free time, Kelley enjoys running, hiking, and engaging in professional networking, especially on LinkedIn.
Candidate Statement: As Vice Chair of the Native American Archives Section (NAAS), my vision is to cultivate a welcoming and inclusive environment where new and existing members can actively engage, learn, network, and find both camaraderie and the practical resources needed to strengthen their skills as archivists. My goal is to recruit Native archivists and allies across all stages of their careers—from students and emerging professionals to seasoned practitioners—while ensuring that NAAS remains a psychologically safe space to explore both theoretical and pragmatic archival ideas.
Central to my vision is advocating for Tribal sovereignty over our information, culture, and cultural expression. I aim to position NAAS as a hub for connection and collaboration, amplifying Tribal archival issues within the broader archival community. Through this collective work, we can identify and address gaps in archival theory, while developing solutions that genuinely serve Native communities. At the same time, I envision building meaningful partnerships with Western institutions that foster the reunification of Tribal records and collections with the communities to which they belong.
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Jerrid Lee MillerLanguage Archivist - Cherokee Nation Language Dept. |
Biographical Statement: Jerrid Lee Miller is a Cherokee Nation citizen, US Army veteran, and the current Language Archivist for the Cherokee Nation Language Department. Having been in the archival profession in various capacities since 2006, he takes joy in a profession that has foresight for future patrons while taking value in preserving the past. His current project is developing a digital repository that will provide direct access to all Cherokee language media and materials for 460,000+ Cherokee Nation citizens while helping to augment language preservation and revitalization efforts of the Cherokee language.
Candidate Statement: My vision as a potential Vice Chair is to assist and build upon already laid groundwork established by NAAS and continue that legacy through consensus of those participating within the section. My passion is indigenizing archival best practices and local repository ecosystems, both in analog and digital spaces. Outreach, recruitment, and continued Indigenous professional development for Indian Country are key tools needed to empower and decolonize the profession for Indigenous people. Working within the profession for change makes change for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous professionals creating a stronger field lives up to its strengths of integrity and transparency.
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Candy NavarretteRepatriation Coordinator & Native Archives Specialist - Autry Museum of the American West |
Biographical Statement: A recent graduate of UCLA’s Master of Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) program, Candy specialized in Native American archives, centering on cultural preservation and revitalization, archival repatriation, and community archives. During her time at UCLA, she was selected as a UCLA Community Archives Lab Mellon Intern, where she aided with the digital preservation of analog materials for the Skid Row History Museum and Archives and later aided with the digital preservation of the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) D’Lo paper collection—an advocate of Native American and Indigenous cultural protocols, relationship building, and policy in Western archives. In June 2024, the UCLA Information Sciences faculty awarded Candy the MLIS Award for Advancement of the Profession. After graduation, Candy continued as the Repatriation Coordinator (since August 2022) for the Autry Museum of the American West within the Native American Collection and Engagement department. Starting in January 2025, she will step into an additional role as a Native Archives Specialist at the Autry Museum.
Additional educational credits include a B.A. in English Literature from California State, San Bernardino (CSUSB). While at CSUSB, she was an active participant in the First Peoples Center (Indigenous community organization), an exhibit design assistant on the virtual exhibit Brave Hearts: A Visual History of Sherman Indian Boarding School, a student assistant and fiction editor on the Pacific Review (CSUSB’s student-run literary magazine), and co-host and facilitator of an Indigenous book club. Other organizations collaborated and interned with include the Texas After Violence Project (TAVP), Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, and the Prison Education Project.
Candidate Statement: As an urban Native (member of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone) and Mexican American, I am eager to continue my role in memory work, improving, advocating, and uplifting underrepresented communities in museums, libraries, and archives. As a Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, I look forward to being in community and working alongside fellow archivists committed to improving archives for Native American and Indigenous peoples. As a Native American archivist working and learning in Western academic and memory institutions and organizations, I have seen first-hand how much work still needs to be done to improve memory spaces for historically underrepresented communities, and I want to continue the momentum that other NAAS leaders and committee members have put into motion. Ultimately, I see NAAS as an excellent opportunity to engage, mentor, and inspire the next generations of Native American and Indigenous memory workers (and allies) to create a sustainable future for current initiatives such as the Indigenous Archival Training (IAT) and PNAAM while also encouraging the contributions of new ideas and initiatives to this section.
Secretary / Recorder Candidates
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Jack SchmittProcessing Archivist - The Henry Ford |
Biographical Statement: Jack Schmitt is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan School of Information, obtaining an MSI in library science and archives with a focus on managing and sustaining collections. For his efforts towards this degree, Jack received the prestigious Margeret Mann Award, the first and oldest student award at UMSI, for demonstrating exceptional academic ability and professional promise in the field. As a biracial man, Jack believes strongly in the value and impact of representation and aims to uplift stories of underrepresented communities and marginalized voices. He is a 2022–2023 American Library Association (ALA) Spectrum Scholar, a 2023 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Kaleidoscope Program Scholar, and recently served as an early career member of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Archival Repatriation Committee and the SAA Foundation Board. He holds a BA in government and theater from Georgetown University and his professional interests include social memory and inclusive history.
Candidate Statement: In my role as an Early Career Member/Volunteer for the last 1.5 years, I have supported the Society of American Archivists’ Archival Repatriation Committee with strong administrative skills. These tasks ranged from scheduling meetings, drafting agendas, recording meeting minutes, to creating promotional graphics for events, managing our Google Drive and SAA microsite, and coordinating logistics such as domestic travel and lodging reimbursements for workshops. I would be thrilled to serve in a similar capacity for the Native American Archives Section, contributing in these ways in others toward the section's goals for 2024-2026.
Steering Committee Member Candidates
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Nataani Hanley-MoragaGraduate Assistant - Labriola National American Indian Data Center |
Biographical Statement: Nataani Hanley-Moraga (Navajo/Húŋkpapȟa Lakota) is from Window Rock, Arizona. He has received an A.S. business degree from Mesa Community College (MCC) in 2020 and received his Bachelor of Science in American Indian Studies minoring in Economics from Arizona State University(ASU). He is currently a Graduate Assistant at the Labriola National American Indian Data Center. He is pursuing a master’s in library and information science at the University of Arizona as of Fall 2024. After his program, he plans to pursue a Juris Doctorate in Indian Law at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. He hopes to empower tribal communities and assist them in preserving and protecting their traditional knowledge and intellectual property.
Candidate Statement: My intentions for the section are to support any efforts that serve to educate archivists about the complexities and importance of Native American Archives. Even though Protocols for Native American Archives (PNAAM) have been endorsed by several notable archival associations like Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums, Society of American Archivists, and Society of Southwest Archivists, there is still many in the field that don't understand the importance of PNAAM or tribal archives. As a member of the steering committee, I will continue to bring awareness and educate people within and outside of our communities about PNAAM. As a aspiring professional in this field, I have seen that Native American representation in the archival field is still low and can be improved. I would like to assist in recruiting more people from our communities and educating them on Indigenous methodologies of archiving their knowledge rather than western systems that ignore the way we traditionally preserve our information. Being a part of the Native American Archival Section as a steering committee member, I envision myself reaching these goals and learning more ways in which I can support our tribal archives and our communities. I believe this opportunity is perfect to get a "lay of the land" and plan my next few steps in being able to contribute to this field in an academic and professional capacity.
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Eric HungExecutive Director - Music of Asian American Research CenterAdjunct Lecturer - University Of Maryland |
Biographical Statement: Eric Hung (he/they) is Executive Director of the Music of Asian America Research Center, and Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Maryland’s College of Information. At UMD, he teaches courses on archives, digital curation, accessibility and inclusive pedagogy. Recent projects include curating the learning pathway "Hear Us Out! Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Their Music" for Smithsonian Folkways, and writing the text for Wing Luke Museum’s "Sound Check! The Music We Make" exhibit on AA+NH/PI music-making. Prior to joining the nonprofit world full-time, he was a tenured professor of music history at Rider University. Hung is an active pianist and conductor. For the 2024-25 season, he is Co-Director of the Swarthmore Chinese Music Ensemble. Eric identifies as Asian American/Canadian and Chinese American/Canadian.
Candidate Statement: I have been a volunteer for NAAS for the past four years, and have helped to plan several of the section's initiatives, including the Indigenizing Archival Training program. Over these four years, I have been impressed by NAAS' assertive attitude, which has led to many accomplishments, including several awards and recognitions from SAA. As a Steering Committee member, I want to help extend NAAS' recent achievements. In particular, I want to expand the Indigenizing Archival Training program, and to forward the work of the Repatriation and Diversity committees. Furthermore, I will work to normalize appraisal, description, access, activation and repatriation practices that are more friendly to Indigenous and other minoritized groups across the profession through education, publication and consulting initiatives.
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Mattie LewisArchives Technician - National Museum of the American IndianMember Chickasaw Nation |
Biographical Statement: Mattie Lewis (she/her) is a member of the Chickasaw Nation and the Archive Tech at the National Museum of the American Indian. She completed her MLIS degree from the University of Maryland in 2023 with a focus on archives and academic librarianship. While in graduate school, she worked in the campus archive doing reference, teaching critical information and primary source literacy, and creating outreach opportunities for students, faculty, and the community. Prior to her work in archives, Mattie completed her BA in International Development and worked with a variety of non-profits and state organizations in Texas.
Candidate Statement: As a new indigenous archivist, joining the NAAS Steering Committee represents a significant opportunity for professional growth and a chance to actively contribute to advancing our field’s approach to Native materials. I have witnessed firsthand the profound impact archives can have in connecting individuals to their heritage. I am committed to the ethical stewardship of archival materials and ensuring that indigenous perspectives are authentically represented. As a committee member, I would enthusiastically promote community collaboration, enhance research practices, and support reparative efforts. Additionally, I am eager to work with the committee to increase the involvement of indigenous professionals in the archive field.
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Janine SmithUniversity Archivist & Special Collections Registrar |
Biographical Statement: Janine Smith is Cheyenne River Lakota descendant and an enrolled citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation. She is responsible for developing and maintaining collections in the University Archives at Loyola University New Orleans, providing instruction in the Loyola First Year Seminar program and is actively involved in furthering the Monroe Library’s teaching with primary sources initiative.
Janine is a Certified Archivist and holds a M.L.I.S. from University of Southern Mississippi and a B.A. in Education from Southeastern Louisiana University. Her professional interests in cultural preservation, oral histories, social justice, information literacy, and her recent scholarship has involved educating about important issues in Native communities to non-Native groups and how to make land acknowledgements actionable over performative. She has previously worked as a supervising archivist, community college librarian, and secondary English teacher.
Candidate Statement: As a newcomer to SAA and NAAS, I recognize the need and value of outreach as a means to increase Indigenous representation in SAA as a whole and within the archival profession. The hard work of NAAS has been observed in the inclusivity of Indigenous archives and archivists and presentations on PNAAM and repatriation at the Annual Meeting. Keeping that momentum should be a priority of the section. I envision the NAAS serving as a valuable support system for its own members as well as other sections and committees, such as the Archives and Archivists of Color section and the Archival Repatriation Committee.
Leadership should be reflective of the needs of its stakeholders. As mentioned, I am new to the section so I am not well-versed in the needs of the group yet, but a key component of effective leadership is actively listening to its community. My vision for the committee is to assess the needs of its members while providing support and guidance to SAA where needed, but especially as it relates to important issues that Tribal archives, Indigenous archivists, and archivists working with Indigenous materials are faced with.
Ballots Close: October 25th