Jennifer Pribble

Statement

I am honored to be nominated for the position of Treasurer and I am excited at the prospect of serving on LASA’s Executive Committee. I have been an active member of LASA since 2002 and I see the organization as my primary professional community. Involvement in LASA has allowed me to expand my intellectual community and, perhaps more importantly, it has provided me with deep and lasting friendships. As someone who works at a liberal arts college with only a small community of scholars who work on Latin America, I know how important LASA can be for linking scholars into a broader professional network and for fostering collaboration and intellectual exchange. My work as treasurer would be guided by a desire to protect and strengthen the organization, encouraging investments that build on LASA’s tradition of expanding access, lifting up young scholars, and promoting multi-disciplinary programming that advances a critical understanding of Latin America.

LASA has done a wonderful job of expanding its travel funding to allow scholars who might not otherwise be able to attend the Congress to share their work and build professional relationships outside of their home country and institution. As Treasurer, I would seek to build upon that success, working with LASA’s outstanding administrative team to seek out new sources of funding to further expand travel grants.

The LASA endowment is managed by a professional team that has done an excellent job of improving the organization’s financial strength and stability. I believe the work of a good Treasurer is to communicate the organization’s goals to the management team and to provide strong oversight, ensuring that LASA’s priorities guide investment and expenditure decisions. To that end, I would work to ensure that LASA invests in programs that further strengthen its reputation and expand the reach of the organization. I would also encourage fund managers to continue to invest in a socially-responsible manner, living up to LASA’s goals of advancing social and environmental justice in Latin America and beyond.