Mandy Bernard Lignelli, Candidate for the Nominating Committee

What is your experience with the ACA , and how would you find members to run for office?   

As I approach the one-year anniversary of passing my Certified Archivist exam, I am interested
in getting more involved with the Academy of Certified Archivists (ACA) as a whole. Passing the
exam and becoming a Certified Archivist has been a nice feather in my cap, but, based on my
recent experience of serving in the volunteer leadership of the Society of American Archivists
(SAA), I have found professional engagement to be a more effective bulwark against feelings of
imposter syndrome, which so many early-career archives professionals struggle with.

In the case of SAA, I was approached directly about serving on the Steering Committee of the
Congressional Papers Section by a colleague from another institution with whom I was
collaborating on a processing project. If it had not been for this colleague’s initiative and
encouragement, I doubt whether I would have mustered the confidence on my own to step into
SAA leadership.

As a member of the ACA Nominating Committee, I would seek to pay it forward. I believe
creating opportunities for others is part and parcel of the ethos of information professionals
everywhere: facilitating access to resources in the broadest possible terms.

Professional Experience:

• Archivist; History Associates Incorporated: 2021-Present. Graduate Library
• Preprofessional/Archives Assistant; The Catholic University of America: 2019-2021.

 

Education:

• MLIS, The Catholic University of America: 2021
• BA, English, St. Mary’s College of Maryland: 2016

 

Professional Activities:

• Academy of Certified Archivists: Member, 2022-Present. Society of American Archivists:
• Congressional Papers Section Steering Committee Member: 2022-Present.