Election 2008: 14 Members Stand for Office

Fynnette Eaton and Peter Gottlieb Vie for Presidency

The Nominating Committee for the Society of American Archivists has slated the following SAA members as candidates for office in the 2008 election:

Vice President/President-Elect

Fynnette Eaton, Eaton Consulting
Peter Gottlieb, Wisconsin Historical Society

Council Members

Pam Hackbart-Dean, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Sara (Sue) Hodson, Huntington Library
Thomas Hyry, Yale University
Rosalye Settles, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Diana Shenk, Smithsonian Institution Archives
Robert Spindler, Arizona State University

Nominating Committee

Sharmila Bhatia, National Archives and Records Administration
Julie Herrada, University of Michigan
Tara Laver, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
Christopher Prom, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Arlene Schmuland, University of Alaska, Anchorage
Helen Wong Smith, University of Hawaii, Hilo

The candidate elected vice president will serve a one-year term beginning in August 2008 and will then become SAA’s 65th president in 2009–2010. There are three available spots on the Council. Those elected will serve three-year terms beginning in August and running through the SAA Annual Meeting in August 2011. In addition, the three candidates elected to the 2008 Nominating Committee will serve one-year terms beginning immediately.

Any eligible member of SAA can be placed on the ballot by submitting a petition signed by 50 individual members. Petitions must be received at SAA headquarters in Chicago by February 10, 2008. Voters may also write-in candidates on the ballot.

All candidates are asked to respond to a question regarding their potential position. Candidates’ responses to the questions will be posted online, along with their biographical information. This year those questions are:

Vice President/President-Elect: What is your vision for the Society of American Archivists and what steps would you take towards promoting your goals? Discuss how you would work with the national and international archival community to promote that vision.

Council Member: As a member of Council how would you identify and advocate for member needs?

Nominating Committee: What qualities are necessary for leadership in SAA? How could the nominating committee put together a representatively diverse slate of potential leaders with those qualities?

These questions were developed by this year’s Nominating Committee —Theresa Salazar (chair), Anne Ostendarp, Megan Phillips, Ben Primer, and Sheryl Williams.

Ballot Mailing and Deadline
Similar to last year, the candidate statements will be posted at www.archivists.org/election2008 by February. The ballot will be mailed via first class to all individual members in late February. If you have not received a ballot by mid-March, please contact Lee Gonzalez at 312/922-0140 or email lgonzalez [@] archivists.org. The deadline for returning ballots is April 14, 2008.