2024 Preservation Secion Special Election

2024 Special Election: Candidate Statements

Thank you to all of our excellent candidates for standing in the 2024 Preservation Section special 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 Member-At-Large (Two-year term)

Ballots will be managed by SAA staff. Once the ballots have been prepared they will be foung here.

Steering Committee Member Candidates

The following candidates are running for the section steering committee Member-At-Large:

Jesse Keel

Associate Preservation Specialist, Northeast Document Conservation Center

Jesse Keel is an associate preservation specialist at the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, MA. She provides preservation consultations, training programs, assessments, and disaster advice to a variety of cultural heritage organizations nationwide. Prior to joining NEDCC in 2023, Jesse was the Exhibits and Collections Manager at Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home and she has pre-professional experience in a historical society and a university library. Jesse earned an MA in English from the University of Vermont and an MLIS with a concentration in Archives Management from Simmons University.

Statement of Interest: As an emerging archival professional, I am eager to share my specific insight into the needs and perspectives of other young professionals. Moreover, my work at NEDCC equips me with a unique view of the preservation problems that organizations are facing across the country. I would like the chance to harness my passion for education and community building to support as many preservation professionals as possible.

Heather Hamilton Paper Conservator, Harry Ransom Center

Heather Hamilton is a paper conservator at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

Statement of Interest: I’ve been a conservator for 17 years and have worked mostly in libraries and archives, including the Harvard Libraries and Texas State Library and Archives. I work closely with my archivist colleagues at the Ransom Center and I’m currently taking SAA classes to obtain the Arrangement and Description Certificate. I’ve trained many conservation interns and volunteers and I provide Harry Ransom Center staff with materials handling training. I would look forward to acting as Education Chair and helping to organize educational programs for members.