Committees

The AAO depends on its committees to carry out its mandate. The committees deliver services and resources and contribute to the operations of the AAO in various ways. Below is a list of the committees and their chairs, and on each committee page is you will find the rest of the committee's members as well as a description of the committee.

Volunteer!

Volunteering with an AAO committee is a great way to gain experience and network with other archivists. No experience is required to join an AAO committee! If you're interested in joining a committee, please contact the AAO Office at aao@aao-archivists.ca.

Current Committee Liaisons

Advancement Committee

The Advancement Committee advises the Board on matters relating to fundraising opportunities, membership recruitment and support, opportunities for collaboration and resource-sharing among like organizations, research sustainable resources, and identify Association-based projects that may be used for fundraising initiatives. For further details, please see the committee’s Terms of Reference.

Members: 

• Sarah McDougall – Chair and Board Liaison (2019-2023)
• Dominique Rivera – Member (2019-2022)
• Alesha Grummett-Roesch – Member (2021-2023)
• Christopher Hogendoorn – Member (2022-2024)

Awards Committee

The Awards Committee is responsible for overseeing the advertising, promotion, adjudication, and presentation of the AAO awards. 

• Advertise, promote, adjudicate and present recognition awards supported by the AAO. These awards include: Alexander Fraser, James J. Talman, Emerging Leader, Institutional and Corporate.

• Advise the AAO Board on new award categories, modifications to existing awards, and opportunities for special recognition.

• Establish eligibility and procedural criteria for AAO awards. 

Members: 

The Committee shall be comprised of a minimum of four individuals who are members in good standing of the AAO (either individual or institutional). One member shall act as Chair. At least two members must be a past recipient of an AAO award. Membership shall generally be for a two-year term and terms may be renewed.

• Rodney Carter – Chair
• Charlotte Chaffey - Board Liaison

• Jean Dryden – Member
  

• David Sharron – Member 
• Matt Szybalski – Member

Communications and Advocacy Committee

The Communications and Advocacy Committee (CAC) advises the Board on matters relating to communication with the membership, the operation of a program of public awareness and outreach, as well as providing leadership in the event that emergency advocacy is required on behalf of the membership. The Committee will provide liaison with the related committee on the Association of Canadian Archivists (ACA) and other archival institutions, as well as pursuing partnerships with other related bodies.For further details, please see the committee’s Terms of Reference.

Visit the Advocacy page for more information about the Committee's work.

Members:

• Leslie Thomas - Chair and Board Liaison
• Tys Klumpenhouwer – Member
• Daniel German – Member
• MacKenzie Gott – Member
• Laura Hallman – Member
• Tiffany Ribeiro – Web Administrator, Member

Digital Access and Preservation Committee

The Digital Access and Preservation Committee (DAPC) advises the AAO Board and membership at large on matters relating to preserving and accessing digital archival collections in Ontario. For further details, please see the committee’s Terms of Reference.

Members:

• Samantha Shields – Library and Archives Canada, Chair (2019-2022)
• Tiffany Ribeiro – Web Administrator, Member and Board Liaison (2021-2023)
• Rachel E. Beattie – AAO President (2021-2023)
• Kelli Babcock – Archeion Coordinator (2022-)
• Tara Cleveland - Rise Up Feminist Digital Archive (2021-2021)
• Olivia Wong - Toronto Metropolitan University Library (2021-2023)
• Mitchell Parker - Trent University (2020-2023)
• Aliza Elkin - Archives of Ontario (2022-2023)

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

The DEI Committee advises the AAO Board of Directors, standing committees and membership on issues relating to diversity, equity and inclusion within the AAO itself and in the archival profession at large.

Members:

• Krista McCracken - Chair and Board Liaison (2022-2023)
• Dez Nacario - Member (2022-2024)
• Melissa Nelson - Member (2022-2024)
• Vanessa Lio - Member (2022-2024)

Institutional Development Committee

The Institutional Development Committee (IDC) advises the Board on all matters pertaining to the interests of institutions in Ontario and the development of a provincial archives system. The Committee shall advise the Board on matters relating to the allocation and adjudication of grants to Institutional Members, and the establishment of criteria to determine such allocations.

For more information about the Provincial Acquisition Strategy (PAS) and the role the IDC has played in supporting its development, please visit the Provincial Acquisition Strategy page.  

Members:

The Program and Local Arrangements Committees are responsible for overseeing the organization, promotion, and execution of the AAO's annual conference.

Program Committee

Members:

• Rachel E. Beattie – Board Liaison 
• David Sharron, Chair – Brock University Archives
• Liz Dommasch – Oxford County Archives
• Angela Fornelli – City of Kawartha Lakes, Corporate Records and Archival Services
• Bridgette Somers – City of London, Corporate Records
• Michelle Vosburgh – Port Colborne Historical & Marine Museum / Archives

Professional Development Committee

The Professional Development Committee (PDC) of the Archives Association of Ontario supports the archival community by providing basic and continuing education pertaining to information management. The committee seeks to:

• Determine educational needs within the archival community and in conjunction
• Engage in active communication with the AAO chapters and committees in order to support them in the development of workshops.
• Provide educational workshops at the annual AAO conference.
• Develop and deliver educational curricula, in the form of both in-person workshops and through the use of new technologies.

For further details, please see the committee’s Terms of Reference.

Members:

• John Yolkowski – Humber Archives – Chair and Board Liaison (2021-2023)

• Melissa Caza – McMaster University (2022-2024)
• Sarah Glassford – University of Windsor (2022-2024)
• Christine Schindler – Stratford Festival (2022-2024)
• Steve Kim – University of Toronto iSchool (2020-2022)
• Amanda Humber – University of Toronto (2021-2023)
• Jacob Keszei – Region of Peel (2021-2023)
• Mitchell Parker – Trent University (2021-2023)
• Teresa Wong – John M. Kelly Library, University of St. Michael's College, University of Toronto (2021-2023)