Disciplinary organizations like the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians run on the dedicated volunteer labor of scholars who contribute their time, energy, and expertise to sustain the field. The Berkshire Conference elects new Co-Presidents every three years; their most public role is to produce the next conference, but they also set the agenda for the organization during their term. The Vice President is responsible for steering the Little Berks, its communication with the membership, and its committees. The Board of Trustees and the officers (the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) form an Executive Committee. The entire organization is sustained by a volunteer board whose members contribute significant unpaid labor and deep historical expertise to ensure its continued success. These volunteers lead and participate in essential committees, organize the triennial Big Berks and annual Little Berks gatherings, and manage the administration of multiple prizes recognizing outstanding scholarship. Their collective efforts uphold the mission and values of the Berkshire Conference and reflect an ongoing commitment to the field of gender history.
Timeline of Berks Leadership
1930 Founded by historians Louise Fargo Brown of Vassar College and Louise Ropes Loomis of Wells College
1931-1934 Chairman: Louise Brown Secretary: Frances Morehouse Special Correspondence Secretary: Helen Allen
1935-1939 Chairman: Viola F. Barnes Secretary/Treasurer: Elsie Van Dyke DeWitt Secretary: Beatrice Reynolds
1940-1941 Chairman: Emily Hickman Secretary: Beatrice Reynolds, Dorothy G. Fowler
1942-1944 Chairman: Helen L. Young, Violet Barbour Secretary: Dorothy G. Fowler
1944-1947 President: Beatrice Reynolds Secretary/Treasurer: Mary Latimer Gambrell
1948-1949 President: Mary Latimer Gambrell Secretary/Treasurer: Margaret Judson
1950 President: Margaret Judson Secretary/Treasurer: Joanne Neal
1951-1953 President: Vera Brown Holmes Secretary/Treasurer: Grace Larson
1954-1955 President: Mildred Campbell Secretary/Treasurer: Jane Ruby
1956-1957 President: Judith Williams, Viola Barnes Secretary/Treasurer: Nancy Norton
1958-1959 President: Ruth Emery Secretary/Treasurer: Jessie Lutz
1959-1961 President: Caroline Robbins Secretary/Treasurer: Jessie Lutz, Carolyn A. Edie
1961-1962 President: Beatrice Hyslop Secretary/Treasurer: Jean Sidar
1963-1965 President: Elizabeth Kimball Secretary/Treasurer: Emiliana P. Noether, Barbara Lane
1965-1967 President: Evalyn Clark Secretary/Treasurer: Barbara Lane, Mary Maples Dunn
1967-1969 President: Emiliana P. Noether Secretary/Treasurer: Mary Maples Dunn
1968 The Berks established a book prize
1969-1971 President: Emiliana P. Noether Secretary/Treasurer: Mary Maples Dunn, Carol K. Blesser
1971 The Berks established an article prize
1972-1973 President: Louise Dalby, Mary Maples Dunn Secretary/Treasurer: Carol K. Blesser
1973 The inaugural Berkshire Conference, now the Big Berks, was held in 1973 at Douglass College, Rutgers University.
1974-1975 President: Mary Maples Dunn Secretary/Treasurer: Gwendolyn Evans Jensen
1976 President: Caroline Prelinger Secretary/Treasurer: Gwendolyn Evans Jensen
1977-1979 President: Mary Hartman, Sandi Cooper Secretary/Treasurer: Gabrielle M. Spiegel
1980-1981 President: Sandi Cooper Secretary/Treasurer: Jenny M. Jochens
1981 The Berkshire Conference was incorporated in the State of Maryland as a 501(3) c.
1982-1984 President: Gabrielle M. Spiegel Secretary/Treasurer: Jenny M. Jochens
1985-1987 President: Carroll Smith-Rosenberg Secretary/Treasurer: Gay Gullickson
1988-1990 President: Judith Walkowitz Secretary/Treasurer: Marilyn Williams
1991-1993 President: Barbara Harris Secretary/Treasurer: Marilyn Williams
1994-1996 President: Laura Engelstein Secretary/Treasurer: Marilyn Williams, Sydney Weinberg
1997-1999 President: Claudia Koonz Secretary/Treasurer: Barbara Winslow
2000-2001 President: Margaret Hunt, Secretary/Treasurer: Barbara Winslow
2002-2003 President: Vicki Ruiz, Secretary/Treasurer: Susan Yohn
2004-2005 President: Vicki Ruiz, Secretary/Treasurer: Susan Yohn
2005-2008 President: Ruth M. Karras, Secretary: Laura Lovett, Treasurer: Susan Yohn
2008-2011 President: Kathleen Brown, Secretary: Laura Lovett, Treasurer: Susan Yohn
2011-2014 President: Franca Iacovetta, Secretary: Kathi Kern (2011-2013) | Secretary: Barbara Balliet (2013-2014), Treasurer: Ardis Cameron
2014-2017 President: Susan Yohn, Vice President: Jennifer Morgan, Secretary: Barbara Balliet, Treasurer: Elizabeth Tandy Sheerer (2014-2016), Executive Administrator (2016-2023 ): Sandra Trudgen Dawson
2017-2020 Co-Presidents: Martha Jones and Tiya Miles, Vice President: Jennifer Brier, Secretary: Marisa Fuentes, Treasurer: Stephanie Richmond, Executive Administrator: Sandra Trudgen Dawson
2020-2023 Co-Presidents: Barbara Molony and Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Vice President: Deidre Cooper Owens, Secretary: Julie A. Gallagher, Treasurer: Traci Parker, Executive Administrator: Sandra Trudgen Dawson, Newsletter Editor: Stephanie Richmond
2023-2026 Co-Presidents: Rhonda Williams and Ji-Yeon Yuh, Vice President: Traci Parker, Secretary: Stephanie Richmond, Treasurer: Audra Jennings