Call for 2026 Virtual Conference Program Team Chair  

The ACA is seeking a Conference Program Team Chair for the 2026 Virtual Conference. This is an opportunity to shape the conference program and give back to your professional community.  

Responsibilities: 

The 2026 Program Team Chair will oversee the annual conference, from recruiting the members of the Program Team to leading the development of the conference theme and overall programming. The Program Team Chair is (thankfully!) not responsible for all aspects of the conference and works closely with the Conference Planning Committee (CPC), the ACA Office, and the members of the Program Team. Specific duties include leading the Program Team to: 

• Develop, in consultation with the Conference Planning Committee, a conference theme; 

• Submit the conference theme and a call for submissions to the Board for approval; 

• Announce the approved theme and call for submissions; 

• Review submitted proposals and select the content of the conference; 

• Solicit plenaries based on conference theme and facilitate conference participation; 

• Solicit and evaluate conference workshop submissions and poster proposals and select for the conference; 

• Communicate with accepted proposals and those not accepted;  

• Announce a call for session chairs and placement within the program; and 

• Work with the ACA Board and Host Team to schedule and plan the conference opening. 

Time Commitment: 

The Program Chair will begin planning work in the summer of 2025 by forming the Program Team and beginning work on developing a conference theme. The Program Team typically meets once a month, excepting the period when the committee is evaluating proposals for inclusion (which is more time intensive), and the Program Team Chair is expected to attend monthly Conference Planning Committee meetings. If selected, the Program Team Chair is expected to attend the Conference that will be held virtually in June 2026. The Program Chair is also responsible for identifying and contacting plenary speakers. This requires a large time commitment, and it is recommended that interested individuals have some institutional support. 

Qualifications: 

You must be a member in good standing of the Association of Canadian Archivists. Preference will be given to individuals with previous ACA volunteer and conference planning experience. The successful candidate should have some of the following attributes: 

• Experience leading a committee or group with diverse members; 

• Experience delivering projects within budget; 

• Strong communication skills; 

• A collaborative outlook and willingness to delegate; 

• Excellent organizational skills, meeting deadlines and deliverables; and 

• Awareness of current trends in archives and recordkeeping.  

Application Process: 

Please submit a short expression of interest of no more than 250 words detailing your qualifications, conference planning (or similar) experience, and engagement with ACA to executive.director@archivists.ca by end of day July 28, 2025. 

The Association is open to considering Co-Chairs should that be of interest. Interested parties are encouraged to reach out to CPC Chair Max Otte at conference.planning@archivists.ca or Ottawa Program Chair Patti Harper at  Program.Team.2025@archivists.ca if they have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity.