Category Archives: SOA Leadership

Open Call for Volunteers: SOA Mentorship Task Force

During the Spring 2025 SOA Annual Meeting, members voiced interest in an SOA mentorship program during the final Crucial Conversations session. In response, SOA Leadership requests volunteers to serve on the SOA Mentorship Task Force.

SOA Mentorship Task Force charge:

  • Survey SOA membership to understand mentorship needs, preferences, and interests
  • Develop recommendations for SOA member mentorship options
  • Assist SOA Leadership in implementing mentorship options into SOA member opportunities

Time commitment: approximately 2 years

If you are interested in serving on the SOA Mentorship Task Force, please contact SOA President Jennifer Long Morehart at [email protected] with the following information by Monday, September 22, 2025:

  • Name
  • Contact information
  • Brief description of how you can help the Mentorship Task Force accomplish its charge (e.g. perspective, experience, network, position, etc.)

Questions? Feel free to contact Jennifer Long Morehart at [email protected].

Council Meeting Minutes from July 2, 2025

The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes from July 2, 2025, can now be found on the Council Meeting Minutes page.

Interested in SOA over time? Also on that page are minutes dating back to 1997. In addition to documenting actions from the leadership meeting, minutes include reports from the treasurer as well as from committees and task forces.

Questions about minutes? Contact SOA Secretary Shelby Beatty.

Council Meeting Minutes from April 25 and May 16, 2025

The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes from April 25, 2025, and the Annual Business meeting minutes from May 16, 2025, can now be found on the Council Meeting Minutes page.

Interested in SOA over time? Also on that page are minutes dating back to 1997. In addition to documenting actions from the leadership meeting, minutes include reports from the treasurer as well as from committees and task forces.

Questions about minutes? Contact SOA Secretary Shelby Beatty.

SOA Election Results 2025

During the recent Annual Meeting at the University of Toledo, new council members were elected.

SOA would like to welcome the following new leaders:

  • Jennifer Long Morehart, Bowling Green State University, President (2025-2026)
  • Kristen Newby, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Vice President/President-Elect (2025-2026)
  • Shelby Beatty, Sinclair Community College, re-elected Secretary (2025-2027)
  • Darrell Blevins Jr., recent Public History graduate, Wright State University, Council Member (2025-2027)
  • Michelle Ganz, Dominican Sisters of Peace, Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (JEDAI) Committee Co-Chair with voting rights (2025-2027)
  • Hannah Kemp-Severence, University of Akron Archives and Special Collections, Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (JEDAI) Committee Co-Chair with voting rights (2025-2026)

A big thanks to the Nominating Committee. Also, thank you to everyone who participated!

Officer Transitions:

  • Jennifer Long Morehart, Bowling Green State University, transitions from Vice President to President. Thanks to Jennifer for her commitment to SOA.
  • Matt Francis, Ohio Northern University, transitions from President to Past-President. Thanks to Matt for his continued leadership.
  • Melissa Dalton, Preserve It, LLC, completed her term as Past-President. Thanks to Melissa for her work on Council.
  • Kristen Newby completed her term as Council Member. Thanks to Kristen for her continued service to SOA as she moves to Vice President/President-Elect.

For more information see the Officer and Council Member roster, Committees & Task Forces page, and the Nominating Committee page.

Spring 2025 Election of Council and Officers

SOA’s 2025 elections are now open!

Voting is open from May 1 through noon on May 16, 2025. Voting has now closed. Please click here to access the ballot for the spring election. Candidate statements are included in the spring issue of the Ohio Archivist (starting on page 12) and online.

In order to verify that you are an eligible voter, we are asking that you provide the email address associated with your SOA membership. If you would like to change your email preference, please send an email to [email protected]. Please include the original email address and the one you’d like to change to.

Questions? Contact the Nominating Committee chair, Melissa Dalton.

Council Meeting Minutes from March 28, 2025

The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes from March 28, 2025, can now be found on the Council Meeting Minutes page.

Interested in SOA over time? Also on that page are minutes dating back to 1997. In addition to documenting actions from the leadership meeting, minutes include reports from the treasurer as well as from committees and task forces.

Questions about minutes? Contact SOA Secretary Shelby Beatty.

SOA Constitutional Amendment – Revision Proposal

Revision Proposal

Edit (April 25, 2025): Thanks to member feedback, proposed language changes linked below to the SOA Constitution will be modified and presented at the annual meeting before voting takes place.

After reviewing our governing documents, SOA Council recently approved an amendment to the SOA Constitution to align the Constitution with current SOA Council meeting practices and Ohio’s Revised Code. The proposed language change, rationale, and information from the Ohio Revised Code can be found here. The amendment will be voted on by members during the business meeting at the SOA Conference (Friday, May 16th, 2025), with a majority vote in the affirmative being required for approval. If desired there will be time for discussion of the proposed amendment during the business meeting. I also welcome all thoughts and questions by email prior to the meeting.

Thank you everyone, and I look forward to seeing many of you at our annual meeting in just a few weeks.

Matt Francis
SOA President

Council Meeting Minutes from Feb. 28, 2025

The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes from February 28, 2025, can now be found on the Council Meeting Minutes page.

Interested in SOA over time? Also on that page are minutes dating back to 1997. In addition to documenting actions from the leadership meeting, minutes include reports from the treasurer as well as from committees and task forces.

Questions about minutes? Contact SOA Secretary Shelby Beatty.

Join us for Coffee Chat on April 8, 2025

Grab a hot beverage and join us for the next Society of Ohio Archivists (SOA) Coffee Chat on Tuesday, April 8th 2025, from 10-11am on Zoom! These casual gatherings are an opportunity for SOA members to network, share challenges and successes in their work, and bounce ideas off colleagues outside of the Annual Conference.Graphic of coffee cup with the words SOA virtual coffee chat April 8 10-11am around the cup.

This quarter we will be sharing how we’re handling the challenges of recent federal legislation and the tumultuous political climate, from how this has directly affected your work to how you’re supporting your staff. Please register here to join the conversation! We will send a Zoom link to all registrants the day before the meeting. We hope to see you there!

Questions?  Contact Kristen Newby and Jim DaMico, SOA Council Members.

Council Meeting Minutes from Jan. 24, 2025

The Society of Ohio Archivists most recent leadership meeting minutes from January 24, 2025, can now be found on the Council Meeting Minutes page.

Interested in SOA over time? Also on that page are minutes dating back to 1997. In addition to documenting actions from the leadership meeting, minutes include reports from the treasurer as well as from committees and task forces.

Questions about minutes? Contact SOA Secretary Shelby Beatty.