It is time to cast your vote in the 2019 ASI Board of Directors election.
ASI is pleased to announce this year’s slate of candidates for positions on the Board of Directors. The Nominations Committee had several goals when working to put together the slate of candidates, all of which focus on securing a strong future for ASI. These goals include the development of a strong Board of Directors that will function well as a whole while also representing the diversity of ASI members and their views; broadening the number of people who are included in ASI leadership at all levels; and ensuring that ASI will continue to have active members with board experience who are willing to take on future leadership roles at the highest levels. We believe the candidates presented here will help achieve all of these goals, and that they will work diligently to further the mission of ASI.
The following candidates have agreed to serve and, if elected, will take office at the ASI Annual Conference on April 27, 2019.
Note: In order to rectify the imbalance in board rotation, one director on this ballot (Nan Badgett) has a term of only one year. Currently the directors-at-large do not rotate off evenly; three leave in one year, two in another, and only one in the third year. This adjustment will allow for better continuity of leadership by switching the rotation to two directors every year. This is a one-time adjustment developed by the board to correct the imbalance. After this, director-at-large terms will be for the usual three years.
Biographies and vision statements appear below. Click on the individual names for more information.
President Elect
Meghan Miller Brawley
Treasurer
Anne Fifer
Director at Large (Three positions are open in 2019):
Nan Badgett
Candidate Biographies and Vision Statements
Meghan Miller Brawley (Candidate for President Elect)
Biography
Meghan came to indexing in 2012, after an initial career in public libraries and university archives, which gave her an understanding of both authors’ and readers’ needs, as well as a commitment to service and education. She’s currently pursuing her school librarian licensure, and is interested in teaching critical thinking skills and information analysis, as well as research skills. She is currently serving on ASI's board of directors, is the administrator for the ASI Training in Indexing course, and served as Chair for ASI's Mid- and South-Atlantic Chapter. She is also a volunteer proofreader for Key Words, and lives (for now) in central North Carolina.
Vision Statement
I support ASI’s core mission of education, advocacy, and communication about indexing. As an educator, I believe ASI has an important role to play in the indexing community, both through our strong professional development offerings and by providing excellent training of new indexers, in order to ensure the quality of indexing as a whole.
Working with ASI’s Training in Indexing for many years, both as a student and as course administrator, has given me the belief that communicating best practices and investing in high-quality training at all stages of an indexing career not only has a positive impact on individual indexers' work but is an important piece of advocacy for the profession, and builds community. I hope to continue the work ASI has already begun, and strengthen ties both within our organization and with others.
Anne Fifer (Candidate for Treasurer)
Biography
I am a freelance indexer, and member of ASI since 2008. My education is in psychology and medicine, with additional interests and expertise in cooking, food science, apiculture, art, and gardening/farming.
Vision Statement
The American Society of Indexing has played an important role in my choosing to become an indexer, and in my continuing education and development. I was pleased to serve on the Indexing Standards Committee in preparation of the Best Practices document. I currently serve as ASI's treasurer.
Nan Badgett (Candidate for Director—one-year term)
Biography
Nan started her indexing career in 1992 when indexers still used paper proofs delivered via courier and contracted jobs on the telephone. During that time, she has indexed trade books, textbooks, technical manuals, and periodicals. Prior to indexing, she worked as a litigation assistant, counseling office manager, and a corporate writer. Nan has a Bachelor of Arts in French, and learned to index through the USDA distance learning courses. She has continued her professional development through ASI and has served the organization on both the local and national levels. She has participated in the Excellence for Indexing committee (formerly the Wilson Award) and served as chair of that committee in 2014. She is also the author of The Accidental Indexer. Nan lives in Catalina, Arizona, on the outskirts of Tucson. When she’s not indexing, she enjoys biking and hiking.
Vision Statement
While a lot has changed during my indexing career, the one constant has been my ASI membership. ASI helped me launch my career, continue professional development, and stay abreast of changes in the publishing industry. I see giving service to ASI as a way to give back to the organization that has given much to me.
For the past 50 years, ASI has promoted the indexing profession, offering its members education and networking opportunities. My vision is to see ASI continue as a viable professional organization for many years to come. Only through the work of its members can it continue to thrive. I hope to play a part in engaging ASI members through service, while working to increase inclusivity and transparency.
Shannon Li (Candidate for Director—three-year term)
Biography
I started indexing professionally in January 2018, after taking the UC Berkeley indexing course in fall 2017. I have been making back-of-the-book indexes for primarily scholarly texts in a broad range of history, religious, and literary subjects. I have a PhD in history from Ohio State University, specializing in medieval history, religion, and manuscript studies. I live in Cleveland, OH, and in my spare time I enjoy reading, cooking, yoga, hiking, and playing tabletop and video games - all in the company of my husband Jimmy and our two dogs Yoshi and Teddy.
Vision Statement
While I haven’t been involved with ASI for very long, the impression I have been given of the Society in this short time has been nothing but positive. I attended the 2018 annual conference in Cleveland and was delighted with the array of presentations and friendly conversations with fellow indexers. As a newbie, I felt very much welcome, and I would like to continue to foster this welcoming environment for new indexers joining the society. As a younger indexer, I hope to bring a fresh perspective that can potentially enhance what ASI has to offer. Continuing education and professional development are passions of mine, and I believe that ASI is a valuable platform for providing such support for both new and experienced indexers.
Rachel Shaw (Candidate for Director—three-year term)
Biography
Rachel has been indexing professionally since 2005, making use of her doctorate in environmental and cultural history to support her focus on scholarly books. Her subject areas include history, the social sciences, and the humanities, with a special interest in works dealing with indigenous, Latin American/borderland, Western, and environmental topics. She appreciates indexing for the way it introduces her to a wide range of subjects and perspectives.
Vision Statement
As a working mother, I appreciate the way freelancing enables me to balance my professional work with my work as the parent of a young child. As a member of the Board I would like to encourage ASI to support self-employed indexers by providing education on running a successful business, by encouraging discussion of how to maintain work-life balance while still paying the bills, and by helping ASI members navigate tricky issues like finding health insurance and dealing with challenging clients.