Hunter to Lead The American Archivist

CHICAGO—The Society of American Archivists is pleased to announce that Gregory S. Hunter, PhD, CA, CRM, has been appointed Editor of The American Archivist and will serve a three-year term beginning January 2012. Established in 1938 and published semi-annually, The American Archivist is the premier professional journal for archivists. With more than 6,600 readers, it enjoys the largest circulation of any English-language archives periodical. Hunter will succeed Mary Jo Pugh, who is stepping down after six years in the post.

“Greg Hunter possesses the skills and talents that we were looking for in the next editor of The American Archivist,” said SAA President and Search Committee Chair Helen Tibbo. “His vision for the journal, together with his demonstrated ability to collaborate and motivate teams, will be critically important as we build on Mary Jo Pugh’s many accomplishments.”

Hunter is Director of the Doctor of Philosophy in Information Studies program at Long Island University’s Palmer School of Library and Information Science, where he also serves as Professor and Director of the Certificate in Archives and Records Management program.

Hunter has earned distinction as an educator, consultant, editor, and author. Named a Fellow of SAA in 2004, he has published widely in the professional literature. He received the SAA Preservation Publication Award in 2001 for Preserving Digital Information and the 2004 Waldo Gifford Leland Award for writing of superior excellence for Developing and Maintaining Practical Archives, Second Edition. His professional background includes stints with the Chase Manhattan Archives, the United Negro College Fund archival programs, and the ITT Corporation. From 2004 to 2009, he served as principal archivist and records manager on the team that designed and built the Electronic Records Archives for the National Archives and Records Administration.

“I am honored that the SAA Council selected me as the next editor of The American Archivist,” Hunter said. “Mary Jo Pugh is leaving the journal in excellent shape. I look forward to building upon her success and working with SAA members to explore additional ways that the journal can advance the archival profession.”

Hunter has served in a variety of leadership capacities. He was the founding president of the Academy of Certified Archivists in 1989, received two fellowships from the Bentley Historical Library to work with teams trying to define the relationship between archivists and historians, and served as editor of the book series The Archivist’s and Records Manager’s Bookshelf for Neal-Schumann Publishers. He holds a MA and PhD in American history from New York University and a BA in history from St. John's University.

Hunter’s selection as Editor of The American Archivist by the SAA Council at its May 24–26, 2011, meeting in Chicago completes a five-month process that included broad distribution of a call for applicants.