Utah’s Renée Wilson Receives National Outstanding Contribution Award

The Utah Division of Archives and Records Service (DARS) is proud to announce that Records and Information Management (RIM) Consultant Renée Wilson received the 2026 Outstanding Contribution Award from the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators (NAGARA) during the association’s annual conference in Philadelphia.

NAGARA is a professional nonprofit association dedicated to advancing government archives, records management, and the professional development of archivists and records administrators throughout the United States.

About the Award

The Outstanding Contribution Award recognizes individuals with at least ten years of service whose work has had a substantial and positive impact on their institution or on the archives and records management profession.

Wilson received the award in recognition of more than twelve years of dedicated service to Utah’s statewide records management program, including her leadership in implementing a new customer relationship management and certification system, and her consistent, user-focused approach to training and consultation across hundreds of agencies each year.

Serving Utah Government

As Team Lead of DARS’ State Government Team, Wilson works with state agencies throughout the full lifecycle of records management, including records identification, appraisal, scheduling, classification, and transfer to the State Archives.

In the past year alone, she provided 837 individual consultations, helping agencies navigate records management requirements and develop practical solutions for preserving and managing government records.

Wilson has also authored numerous guidance documents and educational resources, including an Email Management Guideline, a Social Media Use Guideline, and materials on managing data with third-party vendors.

Innovation in Records Management

Wilson was one of two project leads responsible for implementing the Division’s Salesforce-based customer relationship management system, integrated learning management system, and the Records Officer Hub. Together, these systems support Utah’s statewide records officer certification program and improve how agencies interact with DARS.

She also played a key role in developing Utah’s Open Records Portal, giving the public a centralized way to submit records requests while providing records officers with tools to view, track, and respond to those requests. More recently, she developed a data inventory tool to help agencies comply with new state privacy requirements and redesigned the Division’s record series search based on stakeholder feedback.

Advancing the Profession

Beyond her work at DARS, Wilson has served for nine years on the board of the ARMA International Utah Salt Lake Chapter, including two terms as president, during which she helped stabilize the chapter’s finances and modernize its operations. She continues to support records professionals through training, presentations, newsletters, social media resources, and educational materials.

“Renée is the exact type of professional I want representing DARS. Her contributions have had a substantial, positive impact on our institution and the broader profession.”

— Kendra Whitaker Yates, RIM Services Program Manager

Congratulations to Renée on this well-deserved national recognition!