Program Committee Annual Report 2023

submitted by Carlos Peña

Current Roster

  • Carlos Peña, Chair, 2025
  • Rachel Smiley, Past Chair, 2024
  • Ann Shaffer, 2025 Chair, 2026
  • Sara Outhier, 2024
  • Veronica Wells, 2024
  • Lina Sheahan, 2025
  • Tracey Snyder, 2026
  • Becca Fülöp, 2026
  • Sylvia Yang, Convention Manager (ex officio), 2025
  • Sonia Archer-Capuzzo, Board Liaison (ex officio), 2024
  • Margaret Corby, MOUG Representative (ex officio), 2024
  • Brendan Higgins, Education Committee Representative (ex officio), 2024
  • Michelle Rivera, Student/Early Career Representative (ex officio), 2024
  • Kathryn Miller, Diversity Committee/EIS Representative (ex officio), 2024

List of Previous Goals and Progress Made

  • 1. Conduct a successful national conference
    • Successfully held the first hybrid national MLA conference, meeting on-site in St. Louis and online
    • Created the conference program by soliciting, reviewing, approving, and scheduling all program sessions, business and interest group meetings, events, etc.
    • PC chair served as co-chair of Conference Planning Task Force
    • Reviewed post-conference survey results to inform future conference planning
  • 2. Collaborate and hold joint conference with Theatre Library Association (TLA)
    • Included a TLA representative on Program Committee and Conference Task Force
    • Solicited and reviewed program proposals to include theatre-related content, resulting in TLA-focused plenary session

List of Future Goals

  • 1. Conduct second successful hybrid national conference (in Cincinnati and online) by creating program, participating in all areas of conference planning as necessary, and assessing our work after conclusion of conference
    • Include programming that reflects organizational prioritization of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (goals 1.2 and 3.2), open access (goal 1.6), professional development (goals 2.1 and 2.6), mentorship and networking (goal 2.2)
    • Mode of delivery, program scheduling, and dissemination of program content reflects our priorities of equity (goal 3.4) and accessibility (goal 3.5)