About CMSA: California Missions Scholars

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ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA MISSION STUDIES ASSOCIATION:

"With the inception of a California Mission Studies Association,... a need will be filled which has been recognized by many over the past years. It is very important that ... the widest possible circle be drawn to be certain of including everyone with an active interest in the given period. Every aspect should be encompassed, including music, dance, arts, crafts, etc., as well as the obvious in an effort to make mission studies as comprehensive a subject as possible. Continuing in this vein, because of the direct relationship between all aspects of research in the mission period, it seems imperative that studies relating to presidios, ranchos, villas, pueblos, etc., be considered ... along with strictly mission oriented investigations." -- Edna Kimbro, CMSA Founding Member, 1984

OBJECTIVES:
Founded in 1984, CMSA is a nonprofit public benefit corporation formed with the following educational purposes:

To preserve, advance and promote the Hispanic period historic resources in the State of California;

To advance and promote development of archaeological, historical, museum and archival resources;

To promote, conduct and coordinate research projects resulting in the preservation and restoration of period landmarks; and

To encourage and support educational opportunities for interested students of the Hispanic period and for persons of the public community regardless of color, race, creed, sex or age.

MEMBER INTERESTS:
CMSA members' interests and professions embrace such fields as archaeology, anthropology, architecture, art, music, history, religious studies, Native American studies and historic preservation. Some members' interest in these areas is avocational while for others it is vocational. Some members are docents at missions or independent scholars or genealogists, while others are active architects, archaeologists, historical consultants, history professors, musicologists, attorneys, landscape historians, archivists, winemakers, video producers, or museum curators. Most members live in the United States but a growing number are from Mexico.

The membership also includes Native Californians, and Catholic priests have been members from the beginning although CMSA is non-denominational and not associated with the Catholic Church.

MEMBER BENEFITS:
As a member of the California Mission Studies Association (CMSA), you will receive the CMSA electronic newsletter, Correo, which has items of interest to members and researchers, notice of mission-related events, discussion of current issues, and announcement and status reports on projects being conducted by CMSA members.

You will also receive the CMSA Journal, the Boletín, which contains scholarly articles about the Mission Era written from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and announcement and status reports on projects being conducted by CMSA members. See our Journals page for a listing of articles in past Boletínes.

You will also be invited to the CMSA Annual Meeting and Conference, held each year at a selected Mission site.

Membership runs for the calendar year. If you are a new member joining in August or after, payment will apply toward next year's membership. Renewals are due in January. All dues and contributions are tax deductible.

Please direct all membership inquiries to Carrie Fogg, 291 First Street, West, Sonoma, CA 95476

2009-2010 OFFICERS

PRESIDENT
Daniel Krieger
History Professor
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

VICE-PRESIDENT
David Belardes
Acjachemen Historian and Chief of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians
San Juan Capistrano
Member of the California Missions Foundation Board of Directors

SECRETARY
Carrie Fogg
Docent
Mission San Francisco de Solano (Sonoma)

TREASURER
Louis Sanna
Mission San Carlos Borromeo

2007-2008 CMSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

David Bolton
Santa Barbara

Theresa Brunner
Mission San Rafael

Jeffrey Burns, Director
Academy of American Franciscan History
Berkeley

John Clements
Mission San Diego de Alcalá

Andrew Galvan
Curator
Mission San Francisco de Asis
(Mission Dolores)

Sasha Honig
CMSA Webmaster
Bakersfield

James Lockman, O.F.M.
Executive Director
Mission San Luis Rey

Helen Nelson
Member of California Missions Foundation
Board of Directors
San Gabriel

Kyra Samaniego
Docent
Mission San Buenaventura

Ty Smith
Interpreter
California State Parks
Sacramento

For more detailed information, see the CMSA By-Laws