ACA Fellows

Who are the ACA Fellows?

The Association of Canadian Archivists Fellow is the highest recognition award granted to members of our community for distinguished service to the Canadian archival community and the ACA. Fellows are selected based on their longstanding membership and service to the ACA and demonstrated achievement in the archival profession, which may include leadership in the field, scholarship, and other outstanding contributions that have a cumulative impact.

Founding Fellows

From 1979 until 2008, the ACA recognized its most accomplished members by awarding them with honorary memberships. When the ACA instituted the Fellows award in 2009, all 21 existing honorary members became ACA Fellows. In recognition of their founding role in the Canadian archival profession, they are now known as “Founding Fellows”. Please note that the ACA has since established a new Honourary Archivist award which recognizes contributions of non-archivists to the profession; this is a separate award.

Want to nominate a member for this award?

More information below.

ACA Founding Fellows

ACA Fellows

Nominating a Member

Purpose

The purpose of this award is to honour ACA members who have contributed distinguished and long-standing service in the archival field. The Fellow Award is the highest recognition that can be bestowed by the ACA, and is a distinction retained for life.

Scope

Any ACA member in good standing who meets the eligibility criteria may be nominated.
No more than two Fellow awards will be made in any given year.
The total number of Fellows of the ACA should not exceed 5% of the membership.

Responsibility

The Nominations and Awards Committee (NAAC) shall annually solicit nominations from membership through normal ACA member channels (e.g., ACA email distribution list, ACA newsletter, and any other channels which may be current).
The NAAC shall receive and evaluate all nominations. Each year, the NAAC shall either recommend the recipient(s) of the Fellow distinction to the Board for approval, or recommend that no award shall be given.
The Board of Directors are responsible for approving the nomination(s) of the Fellows.
The NAAC will invite input from a standing Fellow to provide guidance during the evaluation process.

Eligibility

All ACA members are eligible for this award, except for current:

Members of the Board of Directors
NAAC members
ACA employees

Selection Criteria

Nominees for the ACA Fellow award will be evaluated based on the evidence submitted by the nominator(s) according to the following criteria:

Demonstrated commitment to the ACA, including a minimum of 10 years membership.
Distinguished service that has had significant value for the Canadian archival community
AND/OR Nominee’s contributions demonstrate achievement in the archival profession, which may include leadership in the field, scholarship, and/or other outstanding contribution and which has had a cumulative impact on the archival field.

Nomination and Selection Procedures

Award nominations are made by ACA members and submitted to the NAAC.
Nominators shall provide evidence that the nominee meets the criteria outlined for the award.
The NAAC: evaluates the evidence based on the selection criteria, selects the final recipient(s) by majority vote, and submits the nomination to the Board of Directors for final approval.

Award

Each new Fellow will be:

Acknowledged and celebrated at an ACA Awards Ceremony
Presented with a Fellow Award plaque and a Fellow lapel pin
Permanently recognized on the ACA website with an entry including their name and photograph

Instructions for Submissions

All nominations must be accompanied by a completed nomination form describing:

The nominee’s career, achievements and short biography
Minimum of two letters of support from ACA members in good standing
Additional letters of support can be considered

Deadline for Submissions

End of day - April 14, 2025

Revocation of Fellowship

The ACA Board has the authority to review and potentially revoke a Fellow's status in any rare or exceptional circumstances where documented evidence demonstrates a Fellow’s behaviors or actions undermines the accomplishments cited as the basis for the award or is damaging to the reputation of the ACA and its members.

What Information is in the Biographies?

Each Fellow biography was originally based on information submitted by their nominators. In 2024-2025, the Nominations and Awards Committee conducted a thorough revision project to bring them to a consistent standard and to ensure each was up to date. Each biography was reviewed by the Fellow it concerned, if available; if not, by somebody who knew them personally. The biographies will continue to be updated periodically to reflect life events.