June 25, 2020
Greetings, all. I’m writing to give you a brief but important update on our 2020 Annual Meeting.
For the safety and well-being of presenters and attendees, we’ve decided to forego our traditional in-person conference this fall and are shifting to a virtual format. Registration will be delayed a bit, but please know we’re working diligently to open it. Sessions will be held primarily on Zoom. The program schedule is still being developed, and the Program Committee will provide presenters and attendees information and instructions on how to participate in virtual sessions.
We still plan to hold our keynote address, plenaries, pre-conference workshops, business meeting and networking events, as well as provide access to virtual tours. As information on these events and how to participate virtually becomes available, I will let the membership know. Finally, in accordance with Maryland social-distancing orders, we also plan to offer regionally oriented in-person programming in Baltimore in October. Expect more information on these events soon.
We are working with the Hyatt Regency Hotel to rebook our meeting there for 2023, and we look forward to experiencing the city of Baltimore then.
I’m also happy to announce the OHA has been awarded a CARES Act Grant of $43,460 from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant will support staff salaries and allow us to host a curated collection of sessions and events from the 2020 Annual Meeting on our website.
There are more updates and information to come, and I thank you for your patience as we work to shift the meeting to a virtual one. This is uncharted territory for us, but I’m confident the 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting will be engaging and enriching.
Beyond this, I hope you all are staying safe and sane.
Best,
Allison K. Tracy-Taylor
OHA President
