ATLANTA—The new director of the archdiocesan Office of Archives and Records, Claire Galloway Jenkins, arrived recently in Atlanta from Fort Worth, Texas, ready to take the reins and get started.

Claire Jenkins

She brings varied and interesting professional qualifications for the job of preserving the history of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. A native of Louisiana, Jenkins most recently served as the director of records management and archives for the Diocese of Fort Worth. Prior to that, she was the archivist for the University, Labor, and Political Collections at the University of Texas at Arlington, Special Collections. As a graduate assistant, she worked at the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Materials Project and Library in Little Rock, Ark. She has published more than 15 articles in scholarly journals.

She earned her bachelor of arts degree in history at Centenary College, Shreveport, La. and her master of arts in public history, with a concentration in museum studies, at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Jenkins recently answered a few questions by email for The Georgia Bulletin.

Tell me about yourself in seven words or less. 

Kind teacher aiming to serve others.

Of your hobbies, what’s your favorite?

Crafting: knitting, crocheting, making  jewelry, etc.  It’s a great way to relax at the end of the day.

What has been your favorite job in the past?

I worked as a docent at Kent Plantation House in my hometown of Alexandria, La., one summer during college. I loved giving tours and interacting with visitors.

What will be your duties at the Archdiocese of Atlanta?

As the director of Archives and Records, my overall duties are to develop and implement policies and procedures associated with best practices management of archdiocesan records and archives.  One of my specific projects is to implement HP TRIM, an electronic records management software, to the archdiocesan staff with particular focus on project priorities developed by archdiocesan leadership. I also hope to expand the outreach aspect of the archives throughout the archdiocese. In summary, my goal is to be of the best service possible to the Archbishop and the people of the archdiocese.

What’s something about yourself that would surprise people?

My hometown of Alexandria, La., is the hometown of the real-life Ya-Yas.  Remember the Rebecca Wells books, “Little Altars Everywhere” and  “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”?  When the movie version of Ya-Ya  appeared in Alexandria, we saw the real Vivi Walker at the local movie theater watching the film with the rest of the town.