Josephine Forman Scholarship: Kimberly Springer

Kimberly Springer is the 2013 recipient of the Josephine Forman Scholarship. The $10,000 scholarship provides financial support to minority students pursuing graduate education in archival science, encourages students to pursue careers as archivists, and promotes the diversification of the American archives profession.

Springer, who is now pursuing a master of science in information degree at the University of Michigan’s School of Information, previously spent seven years as a senior lecturer in American studies at King’s College London, teaching intersections of U.S. and U.K. culture in the media. While there, Springer also served on the advisory board for the Black Cultural Archives Black Women’s Oral History Project.

One recommender noted that Springer will take the skills she’s learning at the School of Information and “translate them in new organizational contexts. She’s been thoughtful about how to bring technology to work in nonprofit organizations, and she’s set to be a leader in the area.” Springer expressed her gratitude after learning that she received the award.

The Josephine Forman Scholarship was established in 2010 by the General Commission on Archives and History of the United Methodist Church and is named for Josephine Forman, who served as archivist for eighteen years at the Southwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.