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ELECTIONS
Every November, the membership is given the opportunity to choose who will sit on the Executive Board, per NEA By-laws, Section 5. We encourage all current NEA members to participate, either as a voter or a candidate, to help shape and grow our organization.
A Nominating Committee is responsible for constructing a slate of candidates, through a mix of direct outreach and peer or self nominations. The committee is chaired by the Immediate-Past President and its members are voted in by the Executive Board.
The NEA election is typically held in early November via secure online ballot. The election is open to all members in good standing at the time the election opens. These members will receive a link to the online ballot system via email.
Election winners are announced shortly after voting ends by nea_announce@newenglandarchivists.org on the NEAdiscuss listserv. New candidates are ushered in during the Executive Board meeting in March and entered into the minutes at the annual business meeting held in Spring.
How do I vote?
To be eligible to vote in November, make sure your membership is current and that your contact information, including email address, is up to date in the NEA membership database. Contact the Membership Secretary membership@newenglandarchivists.org if you experience difficulty logging into the membership database.
How can I nominate myself or someone else for elected office?
Every summer the Nominating Committee calls for nominees via the NEAdiscuss listserv. If you miss this email, email the current Nominating Committee chair.
2017 Election candidates
Vice President/President-Elect
Secretary
Representatives-at-Large
Vice President/President-Elect
Jamie Kingman Rice
Candidate Question: How do you view the role of archives in our society and culture and how should NEA advance the work of archivists?
The role of an archivist is not only to preserve, arrange and describe collections for posterity, but to provide increased access to collections which document our past. By balancing accessibility with preservation, an archivist improves upon the likelihood of discovery, offers increased opportunity for critical thinking, as well as the expression of ideas and continued re-interpretation of history. It is the role of the archivist to remain as neutral as possible and allow for collections to speak for themselves. This task can be inherently difficult when managing contemporary collections, but we must also be mindful to avoid implementing modern concepts on past generations. As we navigate the archival process, archivists have a responsibility to represent a balanced collection, focus on the user (present and future), as well as to ensure collections are manageable and relevant. This indeed comes with responsibility.
New England Archivists as an organization can advance the work of today’s archival community by emphasizing the public service aspects of the discipline. Private and public collections alike play some role in the broader research community. By providing archivists with the tools to better serve and understand their audience, NEA can foster awareness for the discipline, and better inform future research.
Professional Biography and CV
Jamie Kingman Rice, Director of Library Services for the Maine Historical Society, holds an M.S. in Library Science and Archival Management from Simmons College and an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Southern Maine. She also studied history abroad at King Alfred’s College in Winchester, England. Jamie has worked at Maine Historical Society since 2004, starting as a project archivist for the John Marshall Brown Collection, the namesake collection for the Society’s library. She began her work in reference and research in 2005, promoted to Library Director in 2013.
Ms. Rice’s areas of expertise include collections management, archival consulting, information literacy, research and public services. She also oversees the Society’s archival services program, providing processing and consulting services to organizations and private collectors. With an emphasis on reference and public services, her focus is on the accessibility and promotion of collections through digitization initiatives and outreach, coupled with efforts to continually improve upon the preservation techniques of a nearly 200-year-old library collection.
A member of New England Archivists since 2008, her work with NEA includes conference presentations and panels, conference programing committee (Keene, NH 2010), NEA Constituency Task Force (2014), ‘Day of Service’ host (Portland, ME 2016), and work with the Local History Roundtable. Her commitment to the archival community includes mentoring emerging archivists, providing internships and opportunities for graduate students, and providing training and support to Maine’s local history community.
Eliot Wilczek
Candidate Question: How do you view the role of archives in our society and culture and how should NEA advance the work of archivists?
Archives do the hard work of enabling our society and culture to understand itself fully, honestly, and with rigor. This work mandates operating at tremendous scope and scale: archivists are collectively charged with managing, protecting, and providing appropriate access to records that defend the rights of all communities and people in this nation. This work requires remarkable deftness: we must appraise and preserve records that are built on a wide spectrum of technology platforms in the context of innumerable recordkeeping regimes and cultural contexts. This work demands careful thoughtfulness: we must be responsive to our users while always striving to being true to those that we document.
Archives strengthen communities by facilitating a depth of understanding among its members. The work of our profession allows people to tap into the richness of their communities that build over time. Archives not only empower people to strengthen their own communities but provide the threads that sow together a fabric of communities that constitute our nation. No individual can directly experience the countless array of communities that compose New England and the United States. It is through records and stories that people conceptualize our broader national society and their membership in it. This is a messy, imperfect process. But it is the role that archives play and it is our struggle to make this process more complete, more honest, and more equitable.
These are tall orders. No archives and archivist can—or should—do this on their own or feel that they are alone. The New England Archivists organization was formed in 1973 to support the work of preservation and access for records of enduring value in New England. NEA holds dual responsibility for fostering a strong and inclusive sense of archival community across our six states and for strengthening the standing and support for archives within the communities they serve.
New England Archivists should foster a sense of professional community for all archivists in this region and welcome anyone engaged with the recorded past. Through such projects as NEA’s mentoring initiative, efforts to strengthen the membership infrastructure and educational offerings, and the establishment and work of the Inclusion and Diversity Coordinator, NEA should ensure that it is a welcoming organization and that it is working for all members.
NEA should also continue ongoing and new outreach efforts through such activities as participation in National History Day, day-of-service events, and involvement with the Regional Archival Associations Consortium. This work provides the scaffolding for an infrastructure of advocacy that raises the support for the institutions that document, preserve, and provide access to the recorded past on behalf of the communities they serve.
By embracing the continued need to strengthen and improve the NEA community, as well as to foster and improve the place of archives within the communities that we serve, NEA can continue to support archivists and others who do the hard work of inclusively managing the recorded past.
The candidate’s affiliation with The MITRE Corporation is provided for identification purposes only, and is not intended to convey or imply MITRE’s concurrence with, or support for, the positions, opinions or viewpoints expressed by the candidate.
Professional Biography and CV
Office Running For: Vice President / President-Elect
Education
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AB, History, Kenyon College
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MA/MS, History & Library and Information Science (dual degree), Simmons College
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PhD, Library and Information Science, Simmons College
Employment
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Corporate Records and Archives Manager, The MITRE Corporation (current position)
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University Records Manager, Tufts University
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Associate Archivist, Brandeis University
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Processing Assistant, Bowdoin College
Service to NEA
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Member, Distinguished Service Award and Archival Advocacy Award Committee, 2017
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Member, Richard L. Haas Memorial Award Working Group, 2012
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Chair, Program Committee, Spring 2011 Meeting
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Member, Program Committee, Spring 2003 Meeting
Service to Archives Profession
Society of American Archivists
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Member, Communications Technology Working Group, 2011-2012
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Member, Steering Committee, Electronic Records Section, 2004-2007
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Chair, Archival History Roundtable, 2004-2006
Archival Education and Research Institute (AERI)
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Member, Local Arrangements Committee, 2011 Conference
ARMA–Boston Chapter
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Co-organizer, E-Discovery Forum: A Series of Four Seminars, 2008
Fedora Project
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Member, Fedora Preservation Services Working Group, 2005–2007
Peer Review
Archivaria, Archival Science, Information & Culture: A Journal of History
Grant Review
Institute of Library and Museum Services, National Historical Publications and Records Commission
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Secretary
Caitlin Birch
Candidate Question: What do you see as the most important attributes for a successful NEA Secretary and how are you best positioned to serve in this role?
I have been honored to serve as NEA Secretary since spring 2016, and have learned much about the role through my experience. To me, success hinges on four key attributes. The Secretary must be:
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a champion of member interests;
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committed to accountability and transparency;
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knowledgeable about NEA and its goals;
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and passionate about the work of archives and archivists.
As a voting member of the Executive Board, the Secretary has a responsibility to work in the interest of each NEA member. The issues that are important to you as members drive the work and focus of the Board. In my service as Secretary, I strive to keep member interests at the heart of my voting and contributions to the Board. Part of this commitment is getting to know you and what you care about. If we haven’t yet connected at a roundtable meeting, an NEA social, or one of the early-morning group runs I organize annually at the Spring Meeting, I hope we’ll have the opportunity soon.
In addition to championing member interests, the Secretary is the designated parliamentarian, minute-taker, and records manager for the Board. These roles require a great commitment to accountability and transparency; it’s the Secretary who ensures that Board proceedings are fair, that members have a clear picture of the Board’s activities, and that the historically significant work of today’s NEA is preserved for the organization’s future. I take these responsibilities seriously by keeping my knowledge of Sturgis's Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure current, taking detailed meeting minutes to be posted to NEA’s website, and adhering to the NEA Records Schedule.
Because the Secretary bears a great deal of responsibility for documenting the Board’s work, it’s important that she/he maintains a strong familiarity with NEA and its goals. A big-picture view of the organization — with its many committees, task forces, roundtables, and activities — helps the Secretary keep an accurate record of NEA proceedings. In my time as Secretary, I’ve assumed the added role of point person for the 2016-2020 Strategic Plan. On a quarterly basis, I check in with a wide variety of NEA volunteers and update the Board on our progress with the plan’s goals and objectives. This work helps me stay apprised of all that goes on in an organization as active and dynamic as NEA.
Finally, the Secretary must be passionate about the work of archives and archivists. This passion is what compels all of us to join NEA, and compels many of us to serve in volunteer and leadership roles. I’m fortunate to work a job I love as the digital archivist at Dartmouth College, a role that places me in the exciting, ever-changing world of born-digital materials, and constantly challenges me to expand my knowledge and professional horizons. I rarely experience a day at work that I don’t feel lucky to be a part of the archives profession. It’s this passion that brought me to service in NEA, and I would be honored to earn your vote and continue my service.
Professional Biography and CV
Office for which you are running: Secretary
Education: MSLIS in Archives Management, Simmons College, December 2013; MA in History, Simmons College, December 2013; BA in English and Journalism, University of Delaware, May 2009
Employment (Relevant to Archives): Digital Collections and Oral History Archivist, Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH), June 2014 - Present; FRONTLINE Records Manager, WGBH Educational Foundation (Boston, MA), January 2014 - May 2014; Archives Assistant, Northeastern University Libraries (Boston, MA), February 2013 - February 2014
Service to New England Archivists: Secretary, March 2016 - Present; Co-chair, Strategic Plan Task Force, November 2014 - Present; Co-chair, Mentoring Task Force, June 2014 - September 2015; Co-founder, NEA Mentoring Program; Co-founder and Co-chair, Roundtable for Early Professionals and Students (REPS), January 2013 - March 2014
Daniel McCormack, CA
Candidate Question: What do you see as the most important attributes for a successful NEA Secretary and how are you best positioned to serve in this role?
As a member of New England Archivists for over 20 years and a longtime volunteer, I am deeply committed to advancing the work of archivists throughout the region. I am running for Secretary to provide the best service possible to the board and the membership in this important role. My experience demonstrates vision and the ability to collaborate, communicate and work effectively with a variety of individuals and groups.
The secretary serves the membership and the board and bears great responsibility in facilitating the flow of information between the two. A secretary needs to be organized, service-oriented and committed to the mission of the organization. In keeping with the archivist’s vision, NEA’s secretary must serve the immediate needs of the board and the membership with an eye toward the long-term interests and success of archives and archivists throughout the region.
Having previously served as a non-voting board member and having attended numerous board meetings, I am familiar with the responsibilities of Secretary. I am able to keep business moving and enjoy working collaboratively to solve problems. At all times, I will perform the duties of Secretary with accuracy, promptness, and fairness and will help the board and the organization to run efficiently.
The Secretary must be knowledgeable about the Board’s procedures and activities and must accurately record the board’s business in the minutes and other official documents. I will ensure that the Board and the membership receive information in a complete and timely manner. Likewise I will respond quickly and completely to inquiries from committees and individual NEA members.
Minutes and reports will be prepared clearly, precisely, and without bias. I plan to work with the Board to make more of NEA’s records available online at our website. In addition, I will review existing reporting timelines and procedures with NEA’s roundtables and committees and recommend changes (where necessary) to better serve the needs of these groups and the organization.
Going forward, I would like to work with the Board and the Membership Committee to establish a talent bank. Such an instrument would be a place where we could compile the talents and interests of members. I would hope that it would serve as a resource in helping fill volunteer positions and developing NEA’s next generation of leaders.
On a daily basis I work with both recording and executive secretaries and I understand the important role the secretary plays. I believe my service to date shows that I possess the qualities required in this position. I respectfully ask for your vote for NEA Secretary.
Professional Biography and CV
Education: BA, Providence College, 1985. MA, UMass-Boston (History – concentration in Archival Methods), 1997. MS, Simmons College(Library Science – concentration in Archives Management), 2000.
Employment: (Relevant to Archives) Library Assistant, Massachusetts Historical Society, 1996-2000. Public Relations Coordinator, American Antiquarian Society, 1997-1998. Adult Service Reference Librarian, Brockton Public Library, 2000-2002. Archivist/Records Manager, Town of Burlington, 2002-present.
Service to New England Archivists (selected): Public Relations Coordinator, 1998-2008. Membership Retention and Recruitment Task Force, 2008. Membership Committee, 2008-2017. Constituencies Task Force, 2015-2016. Also, three Nominating Committees between 2004 and 2013.
Service to Archives Profession (selected): Member, Massachusetts State Historical Records Advisory Board, 2013-present. Grant Reviewer, Society of American Archivists Foundation, National Disaster Recovery Fund for Archives, 2014-present. Advisory Committee member, Northeast Document Conservation Center, 2014-present, Steering Committee member, Society of American Archivists Privacy and Confidentiality Roundtable, 2016-2017, Vice Chair/Chair-elect, Society of American Archivists Privacy and Confidentiality Section, 2017-present. Steering Committee member, Society of American Archivists Human Rights Section, 2017-present.
Emily Gonzalez
Candidate Question: What would be your highest priorities for NEA as a Representative-at-Large and what values do you see as essential for incumbents of this position?
As a Representative-at-Large, my highest priorities would be to:
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Encourage collaboration among archivists, information professionals and especially others in the heritage sector, holding more joint sessions and informal meetups, and increasing NEA’s presence on a wider scale
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Work with the membership as well as other board members to strengthen diversity within our organization
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Push for more workshops and professional development, advocating for free and accessible educational opportunities all over New England
I believe that some essential values for incumbents of this position are a collaborative spirit; creativity; ability to reach out to and gather feedback from people from varying jobs, regions and backgrounds; and an eagerness to create opportunities for not only the NEA membership but for others involved with the archives community. As a Representative-at-Large, I look forward to bringing these values and skills to NEA, building upon and expanding the organization’s commitment to innovative stewardship and inclusivity.
Professional Biography and CV
Emily Gonzalez is the archivist for the Cambridge Historical Commission in Cambridge, MA. Previously, Emily worked as a content database designer/metadata wrangler at EBSCO Industries. While in graduate school, Emily also worked several part-time positions at different libraries and archives.
Emily received her MS in Library Science, Archives Concentration, and MA in History from Simmons College in 2013. Emily has been an active member of New England Archivists since 2010 and most recently served on the program planning committee for the Fall 2017 meeting. Emily is also a member of the Society of American Archivists and served as an intern for MDOR as well as a contributor for Views, the publication of the Visual Materials Section.
Martha E. Meacham, MA, MLIS
Candidate Question: What would be your highest priorities for NEA as a Representative-at-Large and what values do you see as essential for incumbents of this position?
Innovation occurs at the crossroads. I like to position myself at these crossroads and would do the same for NEA. To support the continued growth and innovation of NEA, I would work to make connections with new, unique, and diverse individuals and communities. I want to help people look outside the familiar, and help them answer the questions, “How does this apply to me?”, “How does this apply to archives?” or, “How does this apply to those I serve?” Ultimately, in my time as Representative-at-large I would like to work with NEA to address the question, “What and where are the connections, and how can we position ourselves and the profession at these intersections to provide service to our patrons and grow as a community?”
To achieve these things, and something I think necessary of anyone in the Representative-at-Large position is a commitment to learning. A dedication to exploration, investigation, and learning is one of my core values, and I think benefits everything I do. Whether it is learning about a new topic, learning a new skill, or learning the story of anyone I meet, there is almost always something applicable to my work and life. It is important to nurture curiosity. I want to share what I learn with others, and inspire others to do the same. The position of Representative-at-large provides the perfect platform to help NEA and its members explore, learn, share, and grow.
I do not have the title of Archivist, but I take great pride in my archival training and maintaining my knowledge and connections in the field. I strongly believe that information professionals across the spectrum are much more similar than different. We can learn a lot from each other - often novel insights and ideas on issues we all face - if we just step outside the narrow definitions or the silos of specific titles/roles. I now work to be an advocate for all groups to the others. I point out connections, areas of similarity, and opportunities for collaboration. The more tools and resources we all have to draw upon the more successful and confident we all can be in our daily work, in serving patrons, and advancing the field. In doing so, I think I can make the members of NEA and the archival profession stronger.
Professional Biography and CV
Education:
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA – 2017
Certificate, Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians
Simmons College, Boston, MA – 2013
Master of Science, Library and Information Science – Archives Concentration
Master of Arts, History
Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH – 2006
Bachelor of Science, Psychology
Employment:
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Associate Director, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region
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Provide funding and project development support for archival and medical history projects.
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Chief Medical Librarian, Manchester, NH and Bedford, MA Veteran Affairs Medical Centers
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Oversaw collection and management of institutional history and archival materials.
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Library Fellow, Lamar Soutter Library, University of Massachusetts Medical School
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Consulted and collaborated on the acquisition, instillation, and implementation of an archival management software system.
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Wrote curriculum for archival component of training program.
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Archivist, MassBiologics
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Archivist & Librarian, Association of American Medical Colleges
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Privately Contracted Archivist, Marie Harris Archives
Service to New England Archivists:
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Active member of NEA since 2010
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Conference Planning and Programming Committee for 2016 conference (2014-2016)
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Session Reporter for 2014-2017 Spring Conferences
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Book Reviewer for NEA Newsletter
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Regular attendance and contribution of NEA Spring meetings
Service to Archives Profession
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Mentoring students and new professionals
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Member of the Society of American Archivists
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Currently serve on relevant committees of various other organizations including the Archives Committee of the North Atlantic Health Science Librarians and the History of Medicine Special Interest Group of the Medical Library Association.
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Writing and presenting about archives through NEA, other professional organizations, and on other platforms. A selected sample:
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Presentation: History of Medicine Collection from the National Library of Medicine. New England Archivists Annual Spring Meeting, Portland, ME, April 1, 2016.
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Poster: Paperclips and Pineapples: A look inside the NAHSL archive. North Atlantic Health Science Libraries Conference, New Haven, CT, October 24, 2016.
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Blog Post: Martha Meacham on Navigating Copyright Issues: When Should We Be Concerned? AEA365 Blog. April 24, 2015. http://goo.gl/9WEGRH
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Teaching: A Scan of Medical History: Digitization Awardee Project Highlights. July 8, 2014. https://goo.gl/mwp3oL
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Presentation: Collaborative Connection to the Past and Future: Introducing an Archival Program and Creating a History and Image Web Exhibit. Medical Library Association National Conference, Chicago, IL, May 20, 2014.
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Cristina Prochilo
Candidate Question: What would be your highest priorities for NEA as a Representative-at-Large and what values do you see as essential for incumbents of this position?
My highest priorities as a NEA Representative-at-large would be:
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Actively listening to the needs and desires of members, and being responsive to those needs.
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Ensuring there’s a strong special collections / GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) voice on the Executive Board.
I have, at times, searched to find my place in NEA as a special collections archivist working in the GLAM sector. New England is lucky to have the number of academic institutions it does, but there are also a large number of institutions and special collections that don’t always have the same resources available. I want to bring that perspective and ensure there’s a place for all of us in the NEA.
3. Advocating for an organization that represents members at all stages of their careers.
As a mid-career archivist and the mother of an elementary aged child, I am empathetic to the different kinds of work/life balancing acts we must all face as we progress in our careers and lives. There were years where I wanted to be more involved in NEA than I was able, and I looked to NEA to help me grow while limited in what I could do for professional development. Now that I’m able to give back to NEA, I want to use my experience to advocate for an organization that’s not only inclusive in terms of its membership, but also actively represents archivists at all stages of their careers through career-long learning and professional development opportunities.
I believe essential values for this position must include: integrity, honesty, compassion, hard work, and treating all with respect and dignity.
Professional Biography and CV
Office for which you are running: Representative-at-Large
Education: SAA Digital Archives Specialist Certificate (2016); Dual MA in Archives Management and History, Simmons College (2007/2008); MA in Historic Preservation Planning, Cornell University (2000); BA in History and Italian Language and Literature, Smith College (1995).
Employment (Relevant to Archives): Archives Manager, Historic New England (2017-present); Archivist, Congregational Library & Archives (2012-2017); Reference and Acquisitions Archivist, Harvard University’s Property Information Resource Center (2007-2012)
Service to New England Archivists: Presenter and coordinator, “Making ArchivesSpace Work for You: Customizing ArchivesSpace for Smaller Institutions” (2017), Presenter, “Getting Buy-in and Support From the Right People for an Electronic Records Management Program” (2007), member since 2007.
Service to Archives Profession: I've supervised Simmons and UMass graduate archives interns for ten years. I believe supervising and mentoring paraprofessionals is a way to give back to the profession. I benefitted greatly from the same opportunities at the beginning of my career and I feel strongly about providing the same real-world experiences to other new professionals.
We welcome your feedback and questions. If you are unsure whom to contact, any of our volunteers will be happy to help direct your question to the appropriate party.
Please visit NEA’s contact page for a full listing of NEA volunteers who are available to answer questions by subject. Contact information for specific Board members is also available by searching the membership directory. An organizational chart of the roles within NEA is also available.
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