Texas A&M associate professor Rebecca Hankins has been appointed to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission by President Barack Obama.
Hankins is a curator and archivist for Africana Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies and Arabic language and has worked at the A&M libraries for 14 years.
The NHPRC is responsible for tasks including implementing policies, oversees the grant program for National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and advises applicants and grantees concerning proposals.
“It’s a real honor for me,” Hankins said of the appointment. “I’m humbled that my long career as an archivist has been acknowledged, and it’s only because of the generous support of my colleagues and my institution that I’m allowed to do all these things.”
As Hankins steps into this new position she will continue her work of overseeing collections housed in Cushing Memorial Library and Archives.
“We don’t meet a lot,” Hankins said. “But we do evaluate proposals, and help people, and in some instances there may be a congressional committee that we have to bring information to them and testify on behalf of certain things, so it doesn’t interfere with my position here. It’s just service I do for the country.”