Staff Transition News: Congratulations to Roz Rini Larson on Seven Years at AFS

The American Folklore Society celebrates Roz Rini Larson’s 7 years of service as an AFS staff member. Joining the AFS staff as a graduate assistant in 2017-18, serving as administrative assistant 2018-21, and assuming responsibility for the Annual Meeting in 2021, Roz has worn many different AFS-branded hats. Roz’s last day in the office as AFS staff will be August 30, 2024. 

Spanning the worst of the pandemic years, Roz’s time with AFS has seen unprecedented circumstances arise time and again, and she has worked committedly with the AFS team to meet them. In her three years as Annual Meeting and Programs Director, Roz has stewarded the meeting through many “firsts,” including the first virtual + in-person meeting online and in Harrisburg in 2021, the first robustly hybrid meeting online and in Tulsa in 2022, and the first meeting to surpass pre-pandemic attendance numbers online and in Portland in 2023. Roz has also spearheaded many efforts for the 2024 annual meeting online and in Albuquerque, including the adaptation of our powerful, custom-built proposal database and conference website to an entirely new conference platform, with improved user interface.

“Roz’s commitment to excellence is unmatched, and she has been, and will remain, a valued colleague,” notes AFS executive director Jessica Turner. “It’s been a pleasure to observe her undertaking more challenging positions at AFS and I am certain that she will continue to have impactful contributions to the field in her future endeavors.”

Roz says, “It has been a pleasure and a privilege to serve our wonderful field for the past seven years, and to learn so very much from my friends on the AFS staff and from all of you in the AFS membership and community. By far, my favorite part of this chapter of growth in my life has been getting to know so many wonderful colleagues, and getting to support your inspiring folklore work across our unique and abundant field. Thank you for all the connections, which I am grateful to carry forward into my next personal and professional chapter.”

Roz holds a PhD in Folklore from Indiana University, specializing in foodways, American and Franco-American regional culture, and community gatherings. Her dissertation examines the role of communal cooking traditions in expressing and validating group identity among small-town Midwesterners.

AFS will adopt a transition plan until the Annual Meeting role can be posted and filled. Please continue to send questions about the AFS Annual Meeting online and in Albuquerque this November to annualmeeting@afsnet.org. 

Stay connected with Roz as she embarks on the next chapter of her career by following her on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/roz-v-rini-larson/