John Bence

John oversees all operations of the University Archives and Records Center (UARC), including its outreach initiatives and fundraising program. As the chief administrator responsible for UARC’s program to collect, manage, preserve, and make accessible materials of operational and historical value, he leads a team that serves the Penn community; scholars interested in the history of the University, institutions of higher learning in the United States, and American intellectual life; and the Philadelphia community. He also oversees the continuing integration of UARC with the Penn Libraries system.

John came to Penn from the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University, where he served as Assistant Director and University Archivist. Over a 12-year tenure at Emory, he re-established the University’s records management program and renewed engagement with stakeholders to raise visibility of the archives. He also provided leadership in building, preserving, and making available collections connected with Emory’s history. At Emory and nationally, John has played a variety of leadership roles. At Emory, he served as President of the Employee Council from 2018 to 2020. Nationally he was Co-Chair of the Standards Committee of the Society of American Archivists from 2017 to 2019. He was also a member of the 2015 cohort of the Archives Leadership Institute funded by the National Historical Publications & Records Commission.

John holds an M.A. in Archives and Public History from New York University and a B.A. in History from Kenyon College.