Election Information

To vote in the CIMA 2026 Election, please submit the ballot shared via email with all CIMA members on April 03. Your ballot must be RECEIVED by CIMA by Friday, April 17, 2026.

Candidates

Vice President / President-Elect

Statement of Interest: Hello! I am eager to offer my service for the open Vice-President/President-elect position with CIMA. I have previously served on Council from 2022-2024, and I have been serving as the website editor since 2022. At present, I am actively engaged as a member of the communications committee. My time serving on council has made two themes clear to me: many of us are reliant on this great organization for community belonging and professional development. I believe both are equally important. As VP I would seek to build on the established foundations of our organization to meet our community needs. The first opportunity to do so would be as organizer of the 2026 Fall Caucus. The first time I presented as a member of our community was during the 2021 Fall Caucus. I was met virtually with support and encouragement from proposal to presentation. At minimum, I’d ensure nothing less for all participants of the upcoming Fall Caucus. Beyond the Caucus, I will do my best to support this year’s president in leading CIMA forward. I welcome the opportunity to collaborate and lead all CIMA Council members and committees in furthering our community and expanding our knowledge as a future CIMA President. I would be humbled and honored to serve you all.

Bio: Jaime Valenzuela joined the Cracchiolo Law Library in February 2016 and worked there as an archivist since 2021. He is currently an Instructor at the College of Information at the University of Arizona. He holds a M.A. in Library and Information Science and a B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona.  He has worked and volunteered in various library settings which include the UA's Egyptian Expedition, Freeport McMoran Inc., the Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson, and the UA Poetry Center. Jaime is a Knowledge River Scholar (Cohort 12), a Certified Archivist as recognized by the Academy of Certified Archivists, and Andrew W. Mellon Cultural Heritage Fellow. He is committed to serving the underprivileged populations of all BIPOC communities.

Treasurer

Heather Housley, Utah State University 

Statement of Interest: I have worked at Utah State University's Special Collections and Archives for nearly five years. From 2002 until 2022, I served as the treasurer/board member of the Top of Utah Runners, a local running club that organized and administrated local races, including the Top of Utah Marathon and Half. This role involved handling all the financial details of a non-profit organization, including payments to multiple vendors, preparing yearly income/expense reports, and filing federal and state tax returns. I was also responsible for maintaining the registration details of anywhere between 100 to 2,000 runners per race, handling special request or questions, and providing the materials necessary for a smooth packet-pickup. I am interested in serving as the Treasurer for CIMA because I love this profession and am interested in making connection and providing behind-the-scenes support.

Bio: Heather Housley is the processing archivist at Utah State University Library's Special Collections and Archives. She considers working at USU a dream job, especially since her role is a happy intersection between historical materials and organizing. As a wife and mother of 4 children, she especially appreciates that her work stays organized fora good long time. She is fascinated by the "micro-history" of ordinary people in the archives and finds it particularly satisfying to highlight people whose stories have not been told. She is a Certified Archivist and has obtained her SAA Arrangement & Description certificate. Her favorite pastimes including reading (naturally), British murder mysteries, and hiking with her husband and/or friends, though her favorite hiking companion is her 6-year-old Vizsla, Nica (best dog ever).  

Council Members

Aarianna Harmon, College of Southern Idaho

Statement of Interest: Hello all! I am excited to have the potential opportunity to contribute to CIMA as a Council Member. I have just joined CIMA this year, and am looking forward to opportunities where I can make an impact in our fields of study and encourage others to promote professional and meaningful experience in their work.

Bio: Aarianna is the Education and Collections Coordinator at the Herrett Center for Arts and Science, located on the College of Southern Idaho Campus in Twin Falls, ID. Aarianna facilitates field trip programs, writes and creates curriculum and activities, and oversees the collections management of the center's archive, housing over 25,000 artifacts. Aarianna is new in her career, having been with the Herrett Center for a little over one year. She received her BA in political science from Idaho State University, as well as an MA in museum studies from the University of Oklahoma, specializing in collections management.

Genesie Miller, Utah Division of Archives and Records Service

Statement of Interest: I am eager to continue my service to CIMA as a Council member. Having spent the last year on the Communications Committee, I have gained valuable insight into CIMA’s operations, goals, and the needs of its members. I am committed to fostering collaboration among our diverse membership and strengthening CIMA's role as a vital resource for archivists and cultural heritage professionals across the Intermountain West. My background in administrative project management and experience with USHRAB give me the necessary skills to support CIMA’s strategic initiatives and ensure effective governance. I am dedicated to contributing to CIMA's growth and success.

Bio: Gen Miller is the Administrative Program Specialist at the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service (USHRAB). She provides project management and support for a variety of administrative projects and co-leads the emergency planning and preparedness team. She is the executive secretary of the Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board (USHRAB), which coordinates Utah Archives Month and provides grants, training, consultations, and other resources to support cultural heritage institutions throughout the state of Utah. She is also the managing editor for the Journal of Western Archives.

Sarah Patton, Nevada Historical Society

Statement of Interest: Since joining CIMA in January 2022, immediately after moving to Reno, I have been impressed with how welcoming and supportive the organization is. From offering free membership for the first year, to keeping membership and conference costs reasonable, to providing both virtual and in-person educational opportunities, CIMA really feels like it cares about its members and puts them first.

I have served as Chair of the CIMA Awards Committee (2023-2024), helped with local arrangements for the annual meeting in Reno (2024), and I am currently a member of the Awards Committee and the Membership Committee. I also was elected to the Society of American Archivists Nominating Committee (2024-2025). I am an appointed member of the Nevada State Historical Records Advisory Board and current Chair of its Education Subcommittee. With this experience under my belt, I now feel ready to take the next step in my participation with CIMA and run for Council. Coming from a smaller organization in Reno, I feel I can offer a unique perspective, and I would welcome the opportunity to give back to the organization and contribute to its ongoing success.

Bio: Sarah Patton is the Archivist at the Nevada Historical Society in Reno, where she oversees the library, manuscripts, and photographs collections; runs the Research Library; and responds to reference inquiries. Prior to her arrival in Nevada in 2022, she was the Research Services Manager at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives at Stanford University. Sarah has a MLS with a concentration in Archives, Records, and Information Management from the University of Maryland, College Park and a BA in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego. When not working, she enjoys reading, crossword puzzles, and yoga.

Danielle Rausch, University of Utah

Statement of Interest: Hello all, I am an Archivist in the Multimedia Division of the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections. My work involves making moving image and sound collections discoverable and accessible to our students, researchers, and the greater community. I have also been a member of the Marriott Library Graduate Student Services Committee, in which I help organize events geared towards graduate students and assist with Special Collections outreach. CIMA has helped me grow in my career by providing resources and opportunities to connect with other colleagues in the Intermountain West, and I now feel it is a good time to return the favor and be more involved as a Council member. I would bring the experience I gained through my current position as an archivist and committee member, and my past work as a records manager.

Bio: Danielle Rausch has been an Archivist working with Moving Image and Sound collections at the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library since 2021. Before that, she got her MLIS at the University of Denver in 2019 and started working as an Information and Records Specialist at the Salt Lake City Corporation Engineering Department in the same year. Danielle also has a BA in Portuguese and English Language from Brazil and worked as a translator until deciding to pursue a career change to libraries and archives. In her free time, Danielle enjoys spending time with her partner and 2 dogs, Kona and Finn, dabbling in wildlife and landscape photography, hiking, and playing video games.

To vote in the CIMA 2026 Election, please submit the ballot shared via email with all CIMA members on April 01. Your ballot must be RECEIVED by CIMA by Friday, April 17, 2026.