Regents Appoint New State Archivist


ALBANY - The Board of Regents of the University of the State of New
York has appointed Christine W. Ward Assistant Commissioner for the
State Archives (State Archivist). The Regents made the appointment at
their November 13 meeting in Albany.
Ms. Ward will lead one of the premier state archives in the nation. The
New York State Archives has received virtually every major national and
regional award given by the archival profession. It operates programs
that offer services to New York's 4300 local governments and 3000
community organizations and cares for more than 140 million records that
are among the oldest in the country.
Since 2002, Ms. Ward had been serving as Acting State Archivist. In
nominating her for the permanent position, Carole F. Huxley, Deputy
Commissioner for Cultural Education, said, "Chris took the "Acting" in
her title as a mandate to act. She has kept the Archives' operations and
its national leadership moving forward with undiminished energy. Within
the past year alone, the State Archives and the Archives Partnership
Trust have won eight major awards for excellence."
(more)

Ms. Ward received a BA in history from Russell Sage College in Troy,
New York in 1971 and a Masters in Library Science from the State
University of New York at Albany in 1975. She began her professional
career as a Manuscripts Librarian with the Albany Institute of History
and Art, joining the New York State Archives as a Senior Archivist in
1981. There, she has held several positions of increasing
responsibility.
Throughout her career, Ms. Ward has published and lectured extensively
on topics concerning the archives profession. She has long provided
expert advice to national organizations in conservation and preservation
- the Council on Library and Information Resources, the Commission on
Preservation and Access, the Northeast Document Conservation Center, and
the Research Library Group.
As a member of the Society of American Archivists since 1981, she has
chaired several national committees and was selected for the
organization's Fellow Award, an honor given to individuals who exemplify
the best of the profession. Ms. Ward has taught at the graduate level
and as part of several continuing education programs.
Ms. Ward  is currently a member of the board of the Brunswick Community
Library. Until recently she was the Vice President of the Board of
Education for the Brittonkill School District in Brunswick. She resides
in Brunswick with her husband John W. Ward, an architect. Their son
Brendan, who recently received a masters degree from Syracuse University
in software engineering, resides in New York City.
#


Judy P. Hohmann
Director of Public Programs and Outreach
New York State Archives
9B70 Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230
Phone: (518) 473-9098
Fax: (518) 473-9987