Meet the SAA President, Dr. Meredith Evans

September 4, 2018—Meredith Evans, Ph.D., Director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, began her term as SAA’s 74th President on August 17, 2018. Dr. Evans brings significant expertise and many accomplishments to her one-year term leading the Society of American Archivists.

As Dr. Evans noted in her candidate statement, “As president I will bring my experience in leadership and management to promote the value and diversity of archives and archivists through relationship building, support, and empowerment in the following areas: recruitment/retention, diversifying the record, and community engagement. I'm excited to bring my passion and care for the profession and for people to this leadership role in SAA.”

At a recent talk for National Archives employees, held on August 14, 2018, in College Park, Maryland, Dr. Evans discussed her goals and vision for her presidency, noting that “part of this presidency is to make sure people know the importance of our work, that we are champions of this work, and we are the experts.” David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, also noted that Dr. Evans is the 13th NARA staff member to serve as SAA President. Read NARA's news release about the talk.  

Prior to her appointment as Director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in 2015, Dr. Evans served as Associate University Librarian at Washington University in St. Louis (2014–2015), Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and Digital Programs at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2012–2014), and Director of the Special Collections Research Center at George Washington University (2008–2012). She holds a doctorate in library science (archive concentration) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as master’s degrees in public history from North Carolina State University and library science from Clark Atlanta University. Learn more about Dr. Evans’s background and accomplishments by visiting her candidate statement page.

Keep up with Dr. Evans’s activities via the Off the Record blog and her column in each issue of Archival Outlook. You can reach her with questions, concerns, and suggestions at any time during her term at president@archivists.org.

Correction: In the August 30, 2018, issue of In the Loop, Dr. Meredith Evans’s title was listed incorrectly. The item “Meet SAA’s New President…” has been corrected in the issue archives.