Hello all,

I'll start with an introduction.  My name is Elizabeth Adkins, and I am currently 
Senior Manager of Global Records and Information Management at CSC, an IT 
services firm located in northern Virginia.  Previously I was Director of Global 
Information Management at Ford Motor Company.  I started my career as an 
archivist 27 years ago, and have gradually morphed into being a records 
manager.  I have been active in ARMA International, the Society of American 
Archivists, the Academy of Certified Archivists, and the International Council 
on Archives.

I am also among the ranks of new Certified Records Managers, having received 
the good news yesterday that I passed part 6 of the exam.  I'd like to add my 
congratulations to Julie and Jesse for their achievement.

I subscribe to the listserv via the Digest mode, so didn't realize until this 
morning that there was such a flurry of activity regarding the invitation letter 
that many of you received from People to People Citizen Ambassador 
Programs.  I'm happy to provide some background on the delegation.  

As several people have pointed out, People to People is a reputable 
organization that organizes both student delegations and professional 
delegations to various parts of the world.  The organization was established 
by President Eisenhower in 1956 as a way to promote world peace through 
facilitating cultural exchange.

Last year People to People invited me to lead a delegation to China, and I 
happily accepted.  We had 27 participants (including me), and had a terrific 
time both learning about the archives profession in China and learning about 
Chinese culture.  We posted a group blog about our experiences; I think it will 
give those who are interested an idea of what kind of itinerary and activities 
will be involved in the delegation to South Africa:  http://p2p-
aa2c.blogspot.com/

You will see from reading the blog that while records management was not the 
focus of the delegation visit, it repeatedly came up as a topic.  China (like 
South Africa) is a place where the archives profession holistically 
encompasses what we in the United States bifurcate into two professions 
(archives and records management).  While we had a few delegates on the 
China trip who worked in both roles, most worked only in archives.  I think 
that the delegation experience would have been enriched by having some 
records managers in the mix.  That is why I decided it would be a good idea to 
invite members of the records management community to the South Africa 
delegation.  

A word about the mailing list:  Yes, People to People did purchase ARMA's 
mailing list, although I can't explain why anyone who would have opted out of 
having their contact information provided to other organizations would have 
received the invitation.

For those who are interested in possibly joining the South Africa delegation 
(including those who did not receive the invitation), please contact me off-list 
at [log in to unmask], and I would be happy to provide more information.

(Note: The views expressed in this posting are mine alone and do not 
necessarily reflect the views of my employer.)

Elizabeth W. Adkins, CRM, CA
Senior Manager, Global Records and Information Management
CSC

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