Vice President Candidates

Professional Biographies and Statements

Arthur L. Carlson

Office for which you are running:
Vice President/President-Elect

Education:
I received my BA in History and Classical Studies from East Carolina University before earning an MA in American History also from ECU followed by a MLS with concentration in Special Libraries and Archives from North Carolina Central University.

Employment:
I was first employed as an Assistant Archivist at East Carolina University where I focused on collections processing and records management. I was later named University Archivist and Records Manager. In that capacity I oversaw all aspects of the university’s institutional memory and government records management program. I am currently employed as the University Archivist and Assistant Director of Gordon Library at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. In this capacity, I oversee the entire scope of Archives and Special Collections including the WPI Archives, Rare Book and Manuscript Collections, institutional art, and help oversee the digital repository.

Service to New England Archivists:
As a fairly recent transplant to New England, I have not had the opportunities to fully participate with NEA but look forward to lending my time and energy to supporting the organization.

Service to Archives Profession:
I have served as an active member of other professional organizations including the North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Conference, the Society of North Carolina Archivists (SNCA), the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Cultural Heritage Commission, and the Society of American Archivists (SAA). In those roles, I have participated in conference planning, providing professional development opportunities, and promoting professional networking.

Candidate Question: How can we make NEA sustainable as a volunteer run organization?
In my experience, finding opportunities to serve and directly engage with professional organizations has been a barrier to newer professionals. A variety of factors are involved, including ever increasing processing and cataloging backlogs in our institutions and changes in the way performance reviews and promotion decisions are rated. I propose NEA should more proactively reach out and engage with newer members, especially those new to the profession. Injecting these new perspectives and voices into the profession can help spark meaningful partnerships and true collaboration between institutions. This would help set a tone of direct communication and engagement from the beginning of a member's time with NEA. As part of this initial contact, new members can also indicate what they are seeking from joining a professional society, helping ensure continuous feedback from our new voices.

Brett Freiburger

Office for which you are running:
Vice President/President Elect

Education:
Simmons College – Boston, MA
M.S. Cultural Heritage
Central Connecticut State University - New Britain, CT
B.A., M.A. History, 19th Century Culture

Employment:
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution – Woods Hole, MA October 2019 – January 2022
Institution Archivist
Congregational Library and Archives – Boston, MA March 2018-October 2019
Contract Archivist
Boston Public Library – Boston, MA June 2015-January 2017, November 2017-October 2019
Metadata Project Manager
Schlesinger Library, Harvard University – Cambridge, MA June 2015- April 2016
Manuscript Assistant
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center – Hartford, CT
Collections Assistant October 2008- June 2014

Service to New England Archivists:
No previous office held. Member, and meeting panelist (Fall 2021)

Service to Archives Profession:
Volunteer with local history organizations (depending on where I am living at that time), offer mentorship to students and consultation for private citizens, co-author of "Historic New England: Building a Complex Infrastructure," in Library, Archives, and Museums Today: Insights from the Field.

Candidate Question: How can we make NEA sustainable as a volunteer run organization?
In my opinion, a growth in outreach using social media and a traditional "boots on the ground" approach (pandemic pending) will help expand volunteer interest. While NEA is active on social media, a more expansive representation of the field may help bring new folks in. The outreach, digital or physical, should highlight NEA, but also activities in the field - we all know COVID has botched our in-person capabilities, and the last 3 months of Twitter have been mostly NEA meeting and position adverts. While it reflects what NEA needs, it may not reflect what those in the field need to see. To create a more sustainable model, this outreach should also have a target towards an audience that is on the decision-making path, whether first or second or third career. With this will be showing the value of involvement in NEA, both what new members benefit from and what positives can result from long-term involvement. There also needs to be a willingness to explore ideas or opportunities outside of the traditional framework that may allow NEA and the work of archivists to be more visible. There are many other volunteer run organizations that we can reach out to for advice on how to ensure another 50 years of New England Archivists.

Treasurer-Elect Candidates

Joy Rodowicz

Office for which you are running:
Treasurer Elect

Education:
BA in Communications & Visual Arts from Gordon College, a MA in Media Arts from Emerson College, and a MS in Library Science with a concentration in archives from Simmons University.

Employment:
Digital Asset & Records Manager for the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) since 2015. Providing oversight and management of the NFPA’s records and archival collections.

Service to New England Archivists:
An active member of NEA since 2013 and regular participant in the annual Day of Service. Currently a member of the Preservica Roundtable.

Service to Archives Profession:
Regularly mentoring students and new archivists. Consulting on local community and private projects. National History Day judge in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Currently a member of the Society of American Archivists (Business Archives Section).

Candidate Question: How can we make NEA sustainable as a volunteer run organization?
When it comes to sustainability, it is important to know exactly what that means… Is it social? Is it governance? Is it financial? There needs to be a central place to start. If it is a matter of increasing membership growth participation, then we need to figure out what is holding us back in that area. If we wish to have a more engaged membership, we need to know what is hindering engagement and determine methods for overcoming those obstacles. One of the best ways to ensure that an organization is heading in the right direction is to continually ask for and receive feedback. We should take advantage of every opportunity to learn what is working and how it might be improved.

Sean Parke

Office for which you are running:
Treasurer-Elect

Education:
Gettysburg College, Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, History; Simmons College, Master of Science in Library and Information Science - Archives Management.

Employment (Relevant to Archives):
University of Hartford, University Archivist, 2015 – Present.

Service to New England Archivists:
News/Notes Editor, Newsletter Committee, Oct. 2015 – Oct. 2018; Co-Chair of Newsletter Committee, Jan. 2017 – Oct. 2018.

Service to Archives Profession:
Volunteer, Missouri State Archives, St. Louis, MO, Spring 2012; Volunteer, Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, CT, Spring 2015.

Candidate Question: How can we make NEA sustainable as a volunteer run organization?
At the moment, my primary concern about the sustainability of NEA is a shortage of volunteers. I believe this is due to barriers to participation, ranging from a lack of awareness of these opportunities, uncertainty about the responsibilities of positions, concerns about one’s ability to contribute, or the perception that in order to be a volunteer you must have long-established experience within the organization. From my own experience, I initially hesitated to apply for a board position because I was concerned that I had not been part of NEA for long enough. In the times we live in, I would not be surprised to hear that members feel burnt-out and overwhelmed with their work and their personal lives and thus feel discouraged from taking on any further responsibilities.

In order to learn more about the obstacles keeping members from volunteering, we should survey NEA members to find out exactly why they are not applying for these roles. With this information, we could consider changing how we promote volunteer opportunities, altering the term lengths and/or amount of responsibilities assigned to certain positions (as was started last year with the position of Treasurer-Elect), or providing small incentives for volunteers.

Representative-at-Large Candidates

Thera Webb

Office for which you are running:
Representative at Large

Education:
MLIS - Cultural Heritage and Archives, Simmons University (2018). MFA - Poetry, University of Greensboro, 2009. BA - Gender Studies, New School University, 2006.

Employment: (Relevant to Archives):
Consultant, Mount Auburn Cemetery Historical Collections and Archives (2021-current), Digitization Assistant, Harvard College Observatory Plate Stacks (2021-current), Project Archivist, Center for Advanced Visual Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2019-current), Archives Board Member at Maximum RocknRoll Magazine (2018-2020), Visual Collections Assistant, Harvard Law School Historical and Special Collections (20180-2019), Metadata Specialist, Boston Public Library Print Stacks (2017-2018), Intern, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts Archives (2017)

Service to New England Archivists:
Program Committee, New England Archivists, Fall 2021 Meeting

Service to Archives Profession:
I regularly host MLIS interns at my archive, and value creating relationships with these students and working with them after the end of their internship. This can involve talking to them about their job searches, consulting with them on subject areas I know they are particularly interested in, or advocating for them professionally.

Candidate Question: How can we make NEA sustainable as a volunteer run organization?
During a time of such great uncertainty and changing daily life, it's really important to provide as much support as we can to the volunteers who are stepping up to maintain the life of the NEA. The past years have been overwhelming, even for people who were not directly impacted by Covid-19, and it's important to reflect that in our programming and management.

One way to ensure the volunteers in leadership positions do not feel overwhelmed by their duties is to scale back our programming for the time being. We can work to identify programming that is not offered by the SAA, and focus on those subjects for future meetings rather than duplicating some of the same programming. In order to ensure our members are still able to benefit from the rich training and programming that the NEA has historically offered, I think reaching out to the SAA to negotiate a lower cost for NEA members to attend SAA meetings and trainings, and vice versa, is a reasonable step to take which will benefit all members, and the volunteers planning and carrying out meetings and other programming.

We are all doing a lot right now, while coping with the pressures of existing during a global pandemic and it's important to recognize the impact that has on ourselves, our colleagues, and our profession. I'd love to see the NEA continue with robust programming and activities, but realistically we face community burn out if we expect the same kind of output as usual during this highly stressful time. For the moment, having a more focused scope regarding what we can provide, will allow us to continue to serve our membership while also remaining mindful of the extra work volunteers do to keep the organization running.

Peter Carini

Office for which you are running:
Representative at Large

Education:
                    Simmons University, GSLIS, Boston, Massachusetts, MS, 1992
                    Marlboro College, Marlboro, Vermont BA, 1984

Employment: (Relevant to Archives)

• College Archivist and Record Manager, Dartmouth College, 2020 – present
• College Archivist, Dartmouth College, 2004 – 2019
• Lecturer in Archival Methods, Simmons University, GSLIS, 2003
• Director of Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, 1995 - 2003
• College Archivist, Simmons University, 1994 - 1995
• Assistant Archivist, Simmons University, 1992-1994
• Archives Assistant, Simmons University, 1988 - 1992
  
  

Service to New England Archivists:

• Chair, Local Arrangements Committee, Fall 2011
• Past President, 2010
• President, 2009
• Vice President/President Elect, 2008
• Facilitator, Discussion Group, Annual Meeting, Fall 2007
• Facilitator, Discussion Group, Annual Meeting, Fall 2005
• Co-Chair, Program Committee, Spring 2005
• Member, Program Committee, Fall 2000
• Session Chair, Annual Meeting, Spring 1998
• Member, Nominating Committee, 1997
• Member, Program Committee, Fall 1995
• Member, Local Arrangements, Spring 1993
• Member, Program Committee, Fall 1992
  
  

Service to Archives Profession:

• ArchivesSpace Governance Board, 2017-2020
• NEDCC Advisory Board, 2014-2017
• National Forum in Crowdsourcing for Libraries and Archives, 2015-2016
• Member of the Archivists Toolkit Working Group, 2001-2003
• Ivy Plus: Case Studies and The Effective Management of University Digital Records, Bentley Library, University of Michigan, September 27-28, 2007
  
  

Candidate Question: How can we make NEA sustainable as a volunteer run organization?
It is clear from the recent dire warnings put out by the Board that NEA is at a crossroads. Some of the issues facing the organization are pandemic related, but some are not. NEA is almost 50 years old. I have been a member of NEA for 34 of those 50 years. In that time NEA has evolved and expanded, but its core activities have remained essentially the same. Over the years, round tables and programs have been added, but the activities and purpose of the organization has not changed much. In fact, the organizations activities mirror those of other regional and national archival organizations. In this time period a plethora of new organizations have cropped up to serve specific states, metro areas, or niche roles. Based on flagging participation, it appears that the needs of the membership are no longer being fully represented or served by NEA. As we approach the 50-year mark, this is a good time to stop and take some time for self-reflection and self-examination as an organization. I have some specific thoughts on how NEA might change. For instance, more advocacy for its members is one possible direction for the organization to take, something more akin to a guild or a union that focuses both on professional development of its members, but also serves as a clearing house for information relevant to employment equity and supports those working in the profession or seeking work in the profession. But the future of NEA should not about my specific vision, it should be about NEA’s members and their needs and wishes. Because of this I advocate for opening conversations with the membership about what they want to see from NEA and how they want the organization to move into the future. These conversations could occur at annual meetings, over Zoom calls with specific groups, and/or through surveys. Any way we look at it, after 50 years, it is time for NEA to take stock of itself and carefully consider its role in the archival profession and the region for the coming 50 years.

Abigail Malangone

Office for which you are running:
Representative-at-Large

Education:
Stonehill College, BA; Long Island University, MSLIS

Employment:
National Archives and Records Administration: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum (2013-present), Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library (2009-2013); The Winthrop Group (2007-2009)

Service to New England Archivists:
Community Engagement Coordinator (2018-2020); Facilitator, NEA Fall 2017 Meeting

Service to Archives Profession:
Peer Reviewer for SAA’s The American Archivist (2018-present); National History Day judge (ongoing)

Candidate Question: How can we make NEA sustainable as a volunteer run organization?
While there are many definitions of organizational sustainability, my immediate interpretation of this question centered on the sustainability of our leadership and organizational culture. As board members/volunteers rotate in and out, the task of keeping the momentum going is challenging. A shortage of volunteers threatens non-profit sustainability. Many organizations are seeing this play out right now in which real world issues monopolize individuals’ time, resources, and bandwidth. How can we ensure that NEA makes it through this period? How can it thrive and not just survive?

Non-profits are designed to offer value to a community. Programs and initiatives should be designed to create a measurable impact on the professional lives of members. I strongly believe this is something at which NEA excels. NEA has a meaningful mission and vision and past and current leadership have proved themselves to be adaptable to the needs of the membership. How then can we encourage and empower members to take part in driving the mission and vision forward, to help NEA provide the offerings they themselves depend on and utilize?

With membership across New England, NEA leadership must ensure that all members feel included, that they can participate, and that they will be welcome when they do so. What are some barriers to participation? Let’s ask them! One of the best ways to ensure you are the right track is to seek continuous feedback. When volunteers do step up, leadership needs to ensure that they understand the organization. Time is needed to develop or support volunteer talent adequately to avoid a poor experience. A poor experience due to any number of factors -- including a lack of tools, knowledge, or resources or even an unsupportive board – can lead an unmotivated or frustrated volunteer with little reason to return.

As I mentioned earlier, sustainability can have many different definitions. I think we first need to decide what sustainability means to us. Something archivists are well-trained in is assessment -- a sustainability assessment seems like a good place to start!

Stephanie Crawford

Office for which you are running:
Representative at Large

Education:
MI degree, with specialty in Archives and Preservation from Rutgers University (2020)

Employment:
Archivist at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, CT since April 2020. Previously worked part time and then as a project archivist at Rutgers Special Collections and University Archives from 2014-2020.

Service to New England Archivists:
Current member.

Service to Archives Profession:
I previously served as SNAP’s (Students and New Archives Professionals through SAA) Social Media Editor from 2018-2019 where I and one other individual chose monthly topics for Twitter chats. Chats included internships, archives in pop culture, elevator speeches, and certification. Additionally, in 2021 I worked with the archivist at the Cheshire Historical Society to teach her archives fundamentals and consulted on her collection management strategies.

Candidate Question: How can we make NEA sustainable as a volunteer run organization?
Archivists and librarians are expected to do more and more with less and less. During the pandemic we have all had an opportunity to reflect on our work-life balance and to try to create boundaries as best as we can. Asking people to contribute their unpaid labor to a volunteer organization is daunting. I would advocate for two ideas to create a more sustainable organization.

1. Having a clear strategic plan, an analysis of past programming, and an analysis of membership. In order to address sustainability in membership, programming, and other opportunities there should be a base line and clear goals that are agreed upon by the board and others serving. The Mattatuck Museum, where I currently work, just finished our own strategic plan. We had to evaluate ourselves- what was working and what wasn’t. It led to some interesting and honest conversations about change that needs to happen in the museum. I think paired with an understanding of who is a member, and who is attending programming, a strategic plan could help target goals and strategies.
2. As a lone arranger starting in 2020 in my new position at the Mattatuck Museum, I was struggling to find resources that would help my small museum and very small archive. Through research, I found that there are many historical societies in Connecticut (I am from Rochester, NY) and often they are staffed with volunteers or lone arrangers who may or may not have training. I would be interested in working to connect with and speak to lone arrangers in New England about the NEA as a resource.

I’m positive that while these unprecedented times has made everything challenging, that the NEA can continue to “connect and support the diverse individuals and organizations in New England responsible for the care of cultural heritage and the documentary record, through advocacy, education, communication, and the forging of a strong, inclusive professional network”.

Secretary Candidates

Michelle Farias

Office for which you are running:
Secretary

Education:

MSLIS with a concentration in Archives Management & MA in History, Simmons University, 2019; BA in the College of Letters, Wesleyan University, 2015

Employment (Relevant to Archives):
Head Librarian, Archivist & Special Collections Librarian, Redwood Library & Athenaeum (Newport, RI), 2019-Present; Archivist & Special Collections Librarian, Redwood Library, 2018-2019; Special Collections Assistant, Redwood Library, 2016-2018

Service to New England Archivists:
Member of NEA since 2018

Service to Archives Profession:
Rhode Island Historical Records Advisory Board (RIHRAB), Board Member, 2020-Present; Consortium of Rhode Island Academic and Research Libraries (CRIARL), Redwood Representative to the Board, 2019-Present; Rhode Island Archival and Manuscript Collections Online (RIAMCO), Executive Committee Member, 2017-Present; RIAMCO Website Redesign Committee, 2017-2019

Candidate Question: How can we make NEA sustainable as a volunteer run organization?
This is my first time volunteering to serve NEA in any capacity, which means I have only witnessed any of the difficulties in sustaining this organization from a distance. I know that the last few years have presented countless new challenges and I imagine that the strain of an ongoing pandemic has made it more difficult to find people with the time and energy left to volunteer. Despite feeling this way myself many times, I am choosing to volunteer to run now because the past few years have also made me more aware of the benefits of having a professional community. As many of our departments shrink at our individual institutions, having people that we can reach out to for assistance or advice is invaluable and NEA has connected me with people beyond my immediate professional community. My short-term solution to help keep NEA running is to volunteer to serve myself, but that does not answer the question of sustainability. I am hoping to learn more about the needs of the organization by becoming involved this year so I can better answer this question, but I believe that reaching out to members like me, who have benefited from NEA, but not volunteered, is necessary.

Ashley Lamoretti

Office for which you are running:
Secretary

Education:
MLIS with a concentration in Archives Management

Employment:
I am currently looking for an Archivist position, but I am working for Social Security in the meantime.

Service to New England Archivists:
I have been a member of NEA since 2020. Additionally, I have been a member of the Membership Committee since 2021 and was previously a part of this year’s Nominating Committee.

Service to Archives Profession:
I graduated in May 2021 with my MLIS from Simmons University. Before then, I completed internships in archives where I processed, rehoused, arranged, and described collections. During my time at Simmons, I continued to progress as an archivist and expanded my knowledge and theories of archival practices. I learned about preservation and conservation methods, metadata and cataloging standards, and DEI initiatives in archives. Hopefully, I can apply everything I learned to an archivist position one day.

Candidate Question: How can we make NEA sustainable as a volunteer run organization?
NEA is a valuable organization for archivists. It is a way for archivists and pre-professionals to network, make connections, professionally develop, and see what other organizations, archives, and institutions are up to in the archival world. To make NEA sustainable as a volunteer-run organization, we need to find out how to get NEA’s student members more involved. As this year has shown, many professionals have found it challenging to volunteer or provide time for organizations as many have been swamped with responsibilities, duties, and change. Student members are more likely to have the capability and time to volunteer. Suppose we can find ways to get student members to be more involved with committees, planning, conferences, and other NEA events. In that case, they will be more likely to participate within the organization. However, going back on my time as a student, there is one big step that we have to overcome. This one big step is allowing students to have the courage to participate within the organization. If we overcome this obstacle, we can make NEA sustainable as a volunteer organization.