37 Earn Digital Archivist Specialist Certificate from the Society of American Archivists

CHICAGO — Congratulations to the 37 new Digital Archives Specialists (DAS)! These archivists, who represent a variety of repositories around the country, earned their DAS Certificate from the Society of American Archivists (SAA) after completing the required coursework within twenty-four months and passing a comprehensive examination in January 2025.

The innovative DAS curriculum, developed by experts in the field of digital archives, is structured around seven core competencies: understanding the nature of records in electronic form; defining for a variety of audiences the requirements, roles, and responsibilities related to digital archives; formulating strategies and tactics for appraisal, description, management, organization, and preservation; integrating technology to provide access to digital collections; planning for the integration of new tools for successive generations of technology; curating, storing, and retrieving original masters and access copies of digital archives; and providing dependable organization and service to designated communities across networks. Participants complete nine required courses from four tiers addressing these competencies.

The new Digital Archives Specialists are:

Aadeh Tajpour; Aimai Reporter; Alexis Austin; Alexis Jimenez; Ashley Anna Chaney; Ashley Crosby Miller; Ashley Tooke; Bonnie Pinkston; Brittany Alleman Ayers; Carol Ng-He; Christine Zielinski; Cindy Zak; Dana Angell; Dustin Frohlich; Ella Milliken Detro; Gerard Collins; Irene Gates; Joanna Steusloff; Katherine DeFonzo; Kathryn Gentilello; Laura Froelke; Laura Stein; Lauren Baker; Lauren K. Radkiewicz; Lindsey Memory; Mahala Ruddell; Maurice Dayao; Melissa Frederick; Richard Perez; River Freemont; Robert A. LaRose; Ryan Blake; Sarah Lueders; Shana Scott; Shane MacDonald; YinXia Ng; Yogita Sharma

A total of 971 people have earned Digital Archives Specialist certificates since the program began in 2011. For more information, visit www2.archivists.org/prof-education/das or contact SAA Education (education@archivists.org).