AC25

General Session Overview and Recordings

This year's Opening General Session & Keynote with Breakfast was proudly sponsored by NAGARA Strategic Partner, Preservica.

NAGARA President Holly Cox and others officially kicked off the Annual Conference, welcomed attendees, set the tone for the week ahead, and built excitement for what was in store.

The highlight of the morning was a dynamic keynote session titled "Leadership, Legacy, and the Future of Government Archives & Records Administration." This fireside chat featured Dr. Colleen Shogan, 11th Archivist of the United States, along with a distinguished panel of professionals, in a candid conversation exploring the evolving landscape of our field. Together, they discussed the critical challenges and promising opportunities facing government archives and records administration at the federal, state, and local levels.

Dr. Shogan was joined by three panelists representing the Local, State, and Federal levels of government. Our Local Government Panelist was Julie Torres, Deputy City Clerk for the City of Sparks, Nevada. Our State Government Panelist was Joy Banks, Executive Director of the Council of State Archivists (CoSA). Our Federal Representative was Kathleen Williams, Retired Chief of Archives at the National Gallery of Art.

This year's Annual Awards Luncheon & Keynote was proudly sponsored by NAGARA Strategic Partner, CivicPlus.

 This luncheon was a special moment in the conference where we came together as a community to recognize excellence and honor the outstanding recipients of NAGARA's Annual Awards Program. We celebrated their achievements while enjoying a delicious American Grill-inspired buffet lunch.

 Following the awards ceremony, we continued a beloved NAGARA tradition of welcoming a keynote speaker from the region hosting our conference. This year, we were thrilled to welcome Dr. Kelli Mosteller, Executive Director and CEO of the First Americans Museum, where our Opening Welcome Reception had been held the night prior.

 Dr. Mosteller brought over 15 years of leadership experience in cultural institutions, tribal community work, and academia. She previously served as Executive Director of Harvard University's Native American Program and as Executive Director of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center in Shawnee, Oklahoma. A citizen of the Potawatomi Nation, Dr. Mosteller holds a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Texas at Austin, with a focus on Indigenous studies. Her work earned wide recognition, including being named one of Oklahoma's "50 Women Making a Difference" by The Journal Record.

 Her keynote address, titled "What the Archives Didn't Say: Centering Tribal Knowledge in Archival Practice," offered powerful insight into the importance of inclusive, Indigenous-centered approaches to archives and records work.

We began the Second Day General Session & Breakfast with a meaningful and reflective general session titled "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye: Managing the Grieving Process."

 This panel discussion explored the many ways grief intersects with the work of archivists and records managers, from navigating personal and professional loss to supporting others through trauma, memory, and healing. Panelists shared their experiences managing grief in institutional settings, working with bereaved donors and communities, and leading teams through difficult transitions.

 Moderated by Dennis Riley (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum), the session featured: Cheryl Stadel-Bevans (HUD OIG) on leading a team after the sudden loss of a colleague; Deirdre A. Scaggs (University of Kentucky) on shared grief and collective care in archives; Aaron Purcell, Ph.D. (Virginia Tech) on managing a condolence collection and its emotional legacy; and Hanna Cox (Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum) on helping staff and visitors navigate the ongoing emotional impact of the Oklahoma City Bombing and fostering resilience in a space rooted in remembrance.

 Together, these voices offered insight into how professionals in our field can honor memory, support one another, and continue their work with care and compassion, even in the face of grief.

This year's Closing General Session & Breakfast was proudly sponsored by NAGARA Thought Leader, Feith Systems and Software.

 New to the conference this year, this final gathering was designed to bring our time together to a thoughtful and inspiring close, tying everything up with a bow before we headed home.

 Attendees enjoyed a full breakfast buffet while connecting with one another and reflecting on the week's insights. Our final keynote speaker, Tori Miller Liu, President & CEO of the Association for Intelligent Information Management (AIIM), delivered a forward-looking address titled "Information Leaders Rising: Your Evolving Practice in the AI Era." With a background as Chief Information Officer at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and nearly two decades in association management, Tori brought a wealth of experience to this timely discussion on the growing intersection of artificial intelligence and government information management.