While I write this, I am still reflecting on how great the Detroit conference was. Most of all, I enjoyed seeing people in person again. There’s a certain positive energy that happens when we get together. Our gala event was terrific and so were the research paper and panel sessions. That feeling of “too many great sessions and not enough time to be at them all” was back. There were COVID concerns, but we were masked and together again. That was the best part – being together.

As I begin my year as chair of the History Division, I have been thinking about my personal experiences with this division. And the one thing I keep coming back to is its people. The past chairs have been terrific, and I have big shoes to fill. The executive team puts in countless hours behind the scenes, working for everyone’s benefit. The general membership steps up to help when needed. That is especially evident when we do the call for reviewers each year. 

I value each and every one of you. To me, being a chair is not about me; as far as I am concerned, we are a team. This division would not be able to function without you and all the division volunteers. I’d like to highlight a couple of people and changes for 2022-23.

First off, a big thank you to Dr. Cayce Myers (Virginia Tech) for his solid leadership this past year. I also want to thank Dr. Rachel Grant (Florida) who managed our paper competition for the Detroit conference and now steps into the role as vice chair. And I welcome Dr. Brian Creech (Temple) who takes on the role as second vice chair/research chair after having served as a membership co-chair.

Several people stay in their roles for 2022-23, but here are some updates:

• Membership co-chairs – Dr. Kathryn McGarr (Wisconsin) decided to step down from the membership committee after doing an excellent job with Clio and Dr. Caitlin Cieslik-Miskimen (Idaho) now oversees our newsletter. We have two new co-chairs – Dr. Ashley Walter (Utah) and Dr. Flora Khoo (Regent).
• Graduate student co-liaisons – Dr. Brandon Storlie (Wisconsin) is no longer a graduate student co-liaison. Ava Francesca Battocchio (Michigan State), Carolina Velloso (Maryland), and Tara Mesyn (Michigan State) stay on.
• Joint Journalism & Communication History Conference – Dr. Matthew Pressman (Seton Hall) left this position and Dr. Raymond Begovich (Indianapolis) and Dr. Manuel C. Flores (Texas A&M, Kingsville) have become our new representatives. They will work together with their AJHA counterparts to put together this popular one-day New York conference.
• Website administrator – This is a vital role for the division. Dr. Keith Greenwood (Missouri) is stepping down. He was our web administrator for years, recently helped us launch our new site, and has been a rock star in his role. I’m very grateful for his support of this division throughout the years. He will continue working on transitioning everything from our old site to our new site and is still our listserve administrator. Dana Dabek (Temple) is taking over the website administrator role.
• Mentoring program coordinator – Dr. Erika Pribanic-Smith (Texas-Arlington) who instigated our wonderful mentorship program has decided to step down. The new mentorship coordinator is Dr. Lisa Burns (Quinnipiac). 

I would love to highlight everyone, but in the interest of space, I won’t. The updated 2022-23 executive committee list can be found here.

There are some AEJMC initiatives and division adjustments that I would like to mention. AEJMC is working on reviewing its overall direction, a process that will take some time. One of the upcoming initiatives is to look at bylaws across divisions to ensure consistency. Our division’s representatives are all past chairs – Dr. Will Mari, Dr. Teri Finneman, and Dr. Erika Pribanic-Smith.

After discussions with our membership committee and others, we’re adjusting Clio’s publication schedule. In the past we’ve tried to publish an issue about every six weeks but filling the newsletter has been challenging. We’re therefore moving to every other month. Since we now communicate via many different channels the information flow to the membership shouldn’t be impacted. 

As we continue the transition toward post-COVID normalcy, my goals are to continue many of our efforts.

• Actively support our members in teaching, scholarship, and service activities 
• Continue the division’s efforts with recruiting and nurturing new scholars 
• Continue work to reinforce the division’s membership base, with active outreach and an emphasis on scholars who may have let memberships lapse during the pandemic
• Explore possible virtual membership sessions, with an emphasis on new scholars
• Continue the division’s support and presence at regional AEJMC conferences
• Continue outreach and engagement efforts beyond our own division.

Lastly, I want to reiterate that the best part of our division is people. Please know that I welcome any suggestions, questions, or comments. My email is Madeleine.Liseblad@csulb.edu. Thank you for being an important part of the History Division.

– Maddie Liseblad