Reverend Jesse Jackson's march for jobs -- around the White House (1975). Thomas J O'Halloran, photographer. Library of Congress.
Elections and Nominations Committee
The Elections Committee submits this final slate of Candidates for the 2021 Board Election for the consideration of AMIA Members. All candidates are running for two-year terms.
Your ballot will include voting for three Board members and a President of the Board.
The 2021 AMIA Board and Officers Election opens Friday, August 27 and closes on September 27. Ballot information, including your voting password will be emailed to all eligible members by August 27, 2021. If you wish to request a paper ballot, please contact the AMIA Office and one will be sent. Paper ballots must be received no later than September 27, 2021 at 5:00pm (PDT).
All votes are anonymous and only the final election results are tallied. The ballot will require a 25% quorum to be valid, or 206 of 824 eligible votes.
The Ballot will close September 27, 2021 at 5:00pm (PDT)
Guillaume BoureRelevant experience. I established and co-chaired the only non English-taught AMIA Student Chapter at the French National Audiovisual Institute (Paris), and successfully revived the inter-chapter mentorship program in collaboration with the UCLA Chapter and the Education Committee. The following year, I joined the Oral History Committee and became a core member of the International Subcommittee of the Continuing Education Advisory Task Force. Through these rewarding experiences, I met dynamic volunteers and mentors who inspired me to co-chair the first International Student Chapter Summit during the AMIA Spring Conference, and to run for the Board.
I am an Audiovisual Archivist and Post Production Contractor for documentary films, series and oral history projects. I have provided footage research, media translation and sub-/soft-titling services for professional film organizations, production companies and repertory cinemas in the US, the UK, France and Italy. I graduated from INAsup with a Master’s in Audiovisual Heritage Management in 2020.
Goals as a member of the AMIA Board. If AMIA had not aptly responded to the global pandemic or if its exceptional community had not inspired so much resilience, I would not be writing these lines and doing my best to give back for all the association has given me at such an early stage in my career. The ways in which AMIA continues on developing hybrid modes of communication while fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion are important steps to accurately reflect its membership, to promote the association’s values and shape the future of our field in these unprecedented times.
My active involvement at AMIA has so much to do with the organization’s ongoing efforts toward international inclusion. So before stating any individual goals as a running candidate, I want to use the opportunity of this election campaign as a platform for advocacy. I encourage voters to acknowledge the other emerging professionals and non-native English speakers located outside of the US who are part of this season’s slate of nominees. This is the right time to keep broadening the perspectives of the AMIA Board and adequately serve our membership!
As a new member of the AMIA Board, I would be mindful of the Dunning-Kruger effect and learn from more experienced fellow Board members to make well-informed and strategic decisions in advancing AMIA’s core missions. My main focus would be on supporting continuing education programs, developing access policies, and improving outreach to international colleagues and the educational community, beyond the leading training programs located in North America and Europe.
Daniela CurròRelevant Experience. I have been working in moving image archiving, preservation, and presentation for nearly 20 years. A graduate of The L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation and an AMIA member since 2006, I have held positions at Haghefilm laboratories in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin, Italy, George Eastman Museum in Rochester, NY, and most recently as Director of the Italian national film archive, Cineteca Nazionale at Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, in Rome, Italy. I am currently teaching Visual Culture at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, and working as an archival consultant.
Goals as a member of the AMIA Board. Since I first joined AMIA in 2006 as one of the relatively few members coming from outside the U.S., the AMIA community has been incredibly welcoming and resourceful. The annual AMIA conferences have represented for me a special place to discuss and share experiences, learn from peers, meet old and new friends and colleagues. In 2015-16 I served as co-chair of the AMIA Preservation Committee, and now I would be honored to contribute to the AMIA community as a member of the Board, furthering the mission of the organization and supporting its members. I would encourage new initiatives to diversify AMIA’s membership and further develop it at an international level, where there is still considerable growth potential. I would promote actions supporting members continued education and professional development. Also, I strongly believe in the need to stimulate an ongoing conversation on the ways our field is evolving and on how we want to shape our future. Therefore, as a member of the AMIA Board, I would support initiatives encouraging awareness and promoting institutional change in relation to issues of environmental sustainability and equity. I am convinced that by working together we can find and pursue new ways to better ourselves as moving image professionals, our institutions, and the world around us, and I would love to give a meaningful contribution towards this goal.
Valeria Dávila GronrosRelevant Experience. I’m a second-year MLIS graduate student at the University of Alabama, pursuing an Archives concentration with an Audiovisual Archiving focus. Being an AMIA member and conference attendee/presenter since 2019, in my first year, I founded the AMIA Student Chapter (AMIA@UA) to introduce students in the AV Archiving focus to AMIA and served as the SAA Student Chapter’s President, spearheading the creation of the podcast “Archives and Communities.”
In Argentina, my home country, I earned a BA in Film at the Universidad del Cine and digitally restored Latin American film heritage. Moving to the US in mid-2016, I helped preserve and provide access to films and oral histories at the Oregon State University Libraries (2017-2018; 2019-2021) and the Yale University Film Archive (2019).
Besides my studies, I’m currently a member of the Organizing Committee of No Time To Wait, a conference on the intersection of open media, standardization, and audiovisual preservation.
Goals as a member of the AMIA Board. AMIA is a wonderful, welcoming and supporting community. It’s the first association I joined when I moved to the US, when I was figuring out how to make my way into the field, and where I’ve found mentors and friends, so this is a community I want to keep contributing to.
As a foreigner student and young professional, diversity and internationalism are key values to me personally and professionally, where my own experience intersects with my vocation. As such, I quickly noticed the lack of diversity and internationalism in the classroom and the field, directing my efforts to preserve and provide access to diverse collections and stories, often by means of translating materials from English to Spanish.
As a 2020-22 Diversity Scholar in the ARL Kaleidoscope Program, and an audiovisual archivist who completed a great deal of my work as a 2019-21 Diversity Scholar at the Oregon State University Libraries, I’ve collaborated with staff but specially with students from diverse backgrounds who, like me, chose this difficult yet wonderful profession and seek to grow in this field while facing all kinds of challenges. Students are the future of our field, and the future is diverse. For this reason, as an AMIA Board Director, I would continue working to increase diversity and international integration with a special focus on students.
Thanks for your consideration! And special thanks to those who nominated me for this position, for your vote of confidence was a great inspiration for me.
Adam FosterRelevant Experience. I’ve had the great pleasure these last two years participating on the AMIA Conference Programming Committee to help select, coordinate, and host presentations and workshops during our online conferences. As a relatively recent graduate, who presented at the conference while still a student, I became more involved with the committee to help support students and new professionals navigate the process of submitting their own material for the annual conference. I currently work as the Film Traffic Specialist at the Academy Film Archive where I facilitate the inspection, preparation, and distribution of archival print loans. I also work as the Head Archivist at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater where I managed the physical relocation of their library and archives to their new location in Highland Park. When I’m not working in media archives and puppet theaters, I’m usually biking around town with friends and giving my cat lots of pets.
Goals as a member of the AMIA Board. I have been involved with the AMIA community since 2016 in a variety of ways—as a conference presenter, committee member, peer-reviewer, and UCLA AMIA Student Chapter Treasurer and Co-President. These roles, and the folks who I met doing this work, have informed my understanding of AMIA’s organizational infrastructure and instilled a deep appreciation for the hard work of our volunteer members and AMIA staff. As a Board member I aim to work towards the following:
I very much appreciate your consideration and I look forward to serving if elected.
Brian MeachamRelevant Experience. As Managing Archivist at the Yale Film Archive, I oversee acquisition, inspection, cataloging, preservation, and access for the archive’s film collection. I began my work in the field at the Harvard Film Archive, received my training at the Selznick School of Film Preservation at the George Eastman Museum, and worked for seven years as Public Access Coordinator and Short Film Preservationist at the Academy Film Archive. I have been a member of the Executive Committee of the International Federation of Film Archives since 2015. I teach a graduate course on film archiving in the Yale Film & Media Studies program. I have also helped run New Haven’s Home Movie Day since moving here in 2013, and have worked with the Center For Home Movies, and as part of AMIA’s Small Gauge and Amateur Film Task Force, on various projects over the years.
Goals as a member of the AMIA Board. I attended my first AMIA conference in Boston in 2002, just as I was beginning my career in the field. Surrounded by interesting people talking passionately about film, history, and preservation, I knew I had found my world. I have counted on AMIA, the people I’ve met there, and the ideas I’ve encountered, as an incredibly relevant, practical, and helpful resource.
The guidance and assistance I received from fellow AMIA members when I was starting out was invaluable to me. The more recent experiences I’ve had mentoring students attending the conference, as well as the students I work with in Yale’s summer archive intern program, have been equally worthwhile. As more and more new archivists enter the field, AMIA’s role in facilitating mentorships, providing support through scholarship funds, and creating opportunities for all through the Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship Program are key priorities I would look to strengthen.
AMIA’s role in the global moving image archiving community is also an important priority. Through my position on the FIAF Executive Committee, I’ve gained exposure to issues facing archives outside AMIA’s more North American-focused membership, and I would foster increased cooperation and coordination between these complementary moving image archiving organizations.
AMIA has grown and changed so much in the years I’ve been a part of it, keeping pace with rapidly evolving technology and changing to meet the needs of a growing community. I would be honored to contribute my experience and energy in the service of AMIA and its members.
Ujwal N. NirgudkarRelevant Experience.
Goals as a member of the AMIA Board. AMIA is an international NGO dedicated to the preservation and use of moving image media. If selected as a Director of this Prestigious organization, I will be interested in designing & executing following expansion plans for AMIA under the guidance of AMIA President & with the help of fellow AMIA Directors.
I want to make AMIA a truly Global organization by increasing its presence in India & many other countries. This will be done by increasing more members across the Globe. AMIA has already created a Brand “The Reel Thing”, which is Not used to its full potential. I will promote this Brand to many countries (including India) by organizing shows of Restored Films & arranging informative & technical discussions about the restored films.
Currently AMIA conferences are mostly held in USA, I would like to promote conference at many prominent locations, popular for film making. (e.g., Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram in India)
Currently there is a need of trained professionals for Archival activities. I wish to create online training sessions (During the Pandemic) for training various subjects related to Film Archival Technology. These training programs can also be affiliated to various universities in the world after the Pandemic.
Currently most of the information about Film Archiving (e.g., Books, Websites, Webinars) are available Only in English Language. I will promote translations of this information in various worldwide languages, so that more young archivists can get involved with Archival activities. This can also result in getting more Membership for AMIA.
Wendy ShayRelevant Experience. Wendy Shay, one of AMIA’s founders, spent 35 years as an audiovisual archivist at the Smithsonian Institution’s Human Studies Film Archives and the National Museum of American History Archives Center. She retired in 2017, but continues to be active in the field as an independent researcher, a screener for the AFI Docs Festival, a grant reviewer for the DC Humanities Council and, until Covid, a volunteer at the Human Studies Film Archives and the National Archives’ Film Lab. Wendy was selected for AMIA’s William O’Farrell Volunteer Award in 2020. Over the years. she has served as president, member of the board, newsletter editor, and a member of the elections committee.
Wendy Shay is an ardent supporter of the Association of Moving Image Archivists and is eager to work as a member of the Board of Directors to ensure that AMIA continues to be a thriving organization that represents the interests of the community of moving image archivists.
Goals as a member of the AMIA Board. As demonstrated by the challenges of 2020, first and foremost, is guaranteeing the financial health and long-term viability of the organization. Without adequate, sustainable funding the association can’t survive. We need to continue the work of previous boards and obtain funding through sponsorships, collaborative relationships, grants, and growing and maintaining membership. Engaging in and completing the efforts they launched creating a working strategic plan is an important element in this process. The board also should analyze current resources and how they are being used.
Recent boards deserve recognition for developing programs and acquiring monies to increase and enhance diversity, equity and inclusion, in the field and among the membership. The commitment to these values needs to result in actionable projects that further this goal. Additionally, the Code of Conduct and the Diversity and Inclusion Statement must serve as the basis of AMIA’s principles and behaviors.
Members are the secret to AMIA’s success. It is critical that we encourage wide participation through volunteer opportunities. The association must use resources like the Community Fund to provide members equal access without financial barriers.
I promise to dedicate myself to representing the members to make certain that AMIA belongs to and represents all of us.
Paolo TosiniRelevant Experience. I have been working in film preservation for more than 15 years. I started my career as a cultural manager for film festivals (particularly Le Giornate del Cinema Muto) while studying film preservation in Gorizia, Udine. I was the founder and director of the film restoration lab in the Mexican National Film Archive while living in Mexico City. In addition, over the years, I have been helping to promote film preservation projects as well as teaching film restoration and conservation in Latin America (including Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Colombia). I have been representing the Cineteca Del Friuli in AMIA for more than five years. I am currently coordinating the new school of film preservation of the National Italian School of Cinema while teaching courses on film restoration and conservation. In addition, I am also teaching a film history course at Salento University.
Goals as a member of the AMIA Board. I would love AMIA to continue being a space for research, resources and knowledge sharing for all kinds of archivists, especially those who live outside of the United States. I think it is fundamental to continue expanding the AMIA community, providing grants, resources, and education to a diverse group of members. I believe it is fundamental to promote conversation on preservation as well as access to diverse content (not only digital, but also original formats). Access to film and video material should be open to a wider community and members and communities with limited economic resources should benefit from the possibility of preserving their film heritage.
I believe that AMIA should continue to be a powerful reference to push the local, national, and international cultural agendas in the promotion of moving image culture. It should also continue advocating for more accessible analog and digital tools, such as keeping alive the production of film stock and photochemical labs. AMIA should also promote discussion on the future of the digital artifact, as a media and as a form of conservation.
Finally, I believe that AMIA should continue promoting a more sustainable culture and planning a more sustainable future for archives and conservation, considering our environmental impact on communities.
Patricia KennyRelevant Experience. AMIA has been an integral and a special part of my career and I would like to continue my journey with AMIA as its President. As we head toward the future I want to lead by making DEI part of the culture for AMIA. At the core of AMIA what makes it special is the people and the long term friendships.
I have been actively involved in the archive community for almost 21 years and I have been active in different committees within AMIA. As part of the Development Committee, I have helped to expand our relationships and partnerships with new companies and members. My current job in business development keeps me very aware that developing a larger network of resources for our organization to use is critical in our ability to initiate new projects, to continue our work towards diversity and inclusion, to support outreach, and to provide more educational opportunities
Goals as a member of the AMIA Board. AMIA plays a critical role in the archival community but I would like us to reach outside our core to attract new members whose focus is emerging technologies. It’s said that “innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Our greatest asset within AMIA is all the knowledge and experience of our members, I would love to expand on this by creating more partnerships and synergy amongst the industry groups and create more free flowing idea exchanges within it. I would like to build on what we can provide for our students and new professionals, by providing more opportunities for them to network with each other, and with those of us who have been working in the field. Finding ways to share our knowledge, as well as creating an in-depth mentoring program is an investment in their future and the future of AMIA.
AMIA is made up of passionate people with unparalleled experience and expertise
My goal as a candidate is to continue building on what AMIA has created, by increasing and developing our resources, relationships, and to work towards strengthening our presence and partnerships within the community. This will allow us to continue to lead and bring that passion and knowledge to current and new members.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Rachael StoeltjeRelevant Experience. I attended my first AMIA conference in 1996 and have benefitted enormously from my gracious AMIA colleagues who have supported and advised me and from the vast knowledge that I have gained through this organization over the last 25 years. I would be greatly honored to serve as AMIA’s next President in order to give back to the organization that has given me so much.
Career highlights that position me to serve include: Founding and serving as Director of the Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive; Serving on the FIAF Executive Committee and co-founding the FIAF Training and Outreach Program; Chairing the CCAAA (Co-ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archival Associations), Creating an international archival summer school (BAVASS) and Teaching and mentoring in the field.
Through this work, I am aware of the core issues and challenges in the field today and am prepared to led AMIA through the next few years.
Goals as a member of the AMIA Board. Many of my goals are in line with many projects that are underway at AMIA today, from preservation and digitization to mentorship and education. However, my overarching goal would be to support the AMIA office, the overall membership and the many committees and task forces that are operating smoothly already.
I would plan on continuing to form partnerships in our field with other professional organizations and networks as I have done over the past decade while also further developing relationships with our corporate partners and foundations to strengthen our programs and events while also securing the position of AMIA financially for the future. Having spent years working to support advancement efforts for my own archive, other organizations and most recently serving on AMIA’s Advancement Task Force, I have the experience and knowledge to work on ensuring that our organization is healthy and sustainable for the future.
I will also strongly support the training, education and mentorship programs that are already in place and thriving. From the new Pathways fellows to workshops for filmmakers on preserving and archiving their material, training is crucial as we move forward with the next generation of professionals.
Lastly, I would take an open approach and listen to our membership and our hard-working staff to determine the priorities and additional goals that most need attention.
I would be delighted to serve in this role which would allow me to continue to preserve and make accessible our world cultural heritage on film, video, audio and digital formats.