2010 Board Election Results

Joann Brennan - re-elected
Tom Fischer - re-elected
Erika Gentry
Nate Larson

2010 Board Candidates’ Biographies and Statements

Joann Brennan

Bio
Joann Brennan is the Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs in the College of Arts and Media at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD). Her artwork has been presented in exhibitions and publications nationally and internationally. In the spring of 2003, Brennan was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for her photographic project titled “Managing Eden.” She has served on the National Board of Directors for the Society for Photographic Education (SPE). In March 2008, Brennan chaired and provided the vision for the 2008 SPE National Conference titled “Agents of Change: Art and Advocacy.” Before her appointment at UCD, Brennan taught photography at School of Art and Design, State University of New York at Alfred University and at Princeton University in New Jersey. Between 2005 and 2009 she served the UCD as Chair of the Visual Arts Department. She received her BFA and MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA.

Statement
SPE is a vital organization that is made up of talented artists, scholars, educators, and art professionals. The heart of SPE is the membership and the essential role of the organization is to create a framework that provides the membership with a vehicle to incubate, collaborate, network, educate, enhance community, and support the development of professional careers. Serving this terrific organization, as the Denver 2008 National Conference Chair and as Secretary of the Executive Committee, has been a highlight of my work in photography. My service to SPE has solidified my passion for advocacy in the arts. Not long after chairing the Denver conference, my career as a photographic educator and artist expanded into the role of Associate Dean. In this position I have had new opportunities to realize my commitment to advocacy in the arts. I have further developed my skills and experiences in areas such as, organization, partnership building, strategic planning, leadership, project management, faculty development, program development, outcomes and assessments, and new technologies in support of teaching and creative research. If the membership supports my election the Board I will focus all of my professional skills, experience, and enthusiasm for photography, on ensuring a vibrant and sustainable future for SPE.

Tom Fischer

Bio
Since earning his MFA at Stanford University in 1987, Tom Fischer has been a teacher, artist and administrator.  He is currently Chief Academic Officer and professor of photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design.  His work is held in numerous public and private collections and has been shown in more than 70 exhibitions in galleries and museums in the U.S., Europe and Asia.  Tom has received numerous honors for his work, but he is most proud of the collaborative educational, environmental, and community projects that he has organized in recent years.  They include historic preservation and documentary projects in the U.S. and Europe, work on the Olympic Games, and photo documentation of environmental issues.  His book, Paradise/Paradox was published in April 2008. Tom has been a member of SPE since 1985.

Statement
For the past four years I have served on the national board, and I was recently elected Chair.  In recent years, the SPE membership, staff, and board have done great work to professionalize the national office and expand the role of the Society as the leading international authority in photo education. The society functions well as a gathering place for the exchange of ideas on the various significant topics of teaching, history, theory, and practice.  We are on the right track but the coming years will be critical in sustaining our upward trajectory.  I truly care for the success of the SPE and would like the opportunity to make a greater contribution. It is my hope that the membership will recognize my part in the growth and management of the Society and honor me with re-election.

Erika Gentry

Bio
Erika Gentry is a Visual Artist, Educator and Consultant. She has been teaching and presenting electronic arts and photography at the institutional and organizational levels since 1996 and has been a consultant to many well-known photographers as they converted from film to a digital workflow. She has been a Visiting Faculty member at The Rochester Institute of Technology, The San Francisco Art Institute, Foothill College, City College of San Francisco and Rayko Photo Center. She is currently an Assistant Professor at City College of San Francisco in the Photography Department and Multi Media Studies Program.

Gentry grew up in Portland Oregon and received her BA from The University of Oregon in Eugene. She completed her MFA at The Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. Her photographic projects explore issues of identity as expressed through the use of technology. She exhibits her artwork nationally and serves as the Vice President on the Board of Directors for Fotovision.org and as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for The Society for Photographic Education West Region. http://erikagentry.wordpress.com/

Statement
As a SPE member since 1999, I continue to believe that SPE is an amazing community of talented and enthusiastic members. If elected to the board, I would very much like to see more online activity for this community. As a resident of the bay area – I would be happy to help research and build strategic partnerships with organizations that might provide helpful online tools for SPE. This includes use of mobile devices, online conference registrations, virtual art sharing, collaboration and community building. I also believe that I would be a good contributor and advocate for SPE in the areas of vendor relations, national conference planning and brainstorming new ways of promoting SPE to the newest generation of students, artists and educators. 

Nate Larson

Bio
Nate Larson joined the faculty of the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2009 after holding a tenured teaching appointment at Elgin Community College for six years. His work with photographic media, artist books and narrative video have been widely shown across the US and featured internationally in Canada, Hungary, the Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, and Spain. Numerous publications have written on and published his projects, including Exposure, Art Papers, The New York Times, and Afterimage. His photoworks and artist books are included in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Cleveland Institute of Arts, The Center for Photography at Woodstock, Visual Studies Workshop, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography. He earned an MFA from The Ohio State University and a BA from Purdue University. www.natelarson.com

Statement
I attended my first SPE conference in 1999, during my last year as an undergraduate, at the urging of a mentor. I had no idea that such a large community existed, where newfound colleagues were working on exciting and diverse photographic adventures. I was immediately energized and knew I needed to find a way to get involved.  After graduate school, I joined the team as National Conference Staff, organizing the Portfolio Reviews with rotating collaborators for five years. During that time, we streamlined the process with Reviewer Request Forms and divided the reviews into professional and student tracks. I learned a lot from my interactions with our membership and grew tremendously from serving in this capacity. In stepping back from this role, I felt that the time was right to seek new challenges. This board seat would continue my service to the organization while continuing to grow both personally and professionally. If elected, I plan to work on supporting the professional development of our membership and building bridges between institutions of different educational mandates.

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