CSA Scholars’ Roundtable Honor

The CSA Scholars’ Roundtable recognizes those who exemplify high standards in costume scholarship and charges them with leading a National Symposium event that stimulates consideration and discussion of an issue pertaining to costume scholarship.


The Scholars’ Roundtable was formed in 1997 to enhance costume scholarship, taking it in innovative and interdisciplinary directions through a program at the CSA National Symposium. Presented in various formats throughout the years, under the current format a complex or potentially contentious topic relating to the field of costume studies is chosen for discussion each year. Three to four scholars, selected for their varied insights, experiences, and viewpoints regarding that topic, each briefly explore aspects of the subject and then encourage attendees to join the discussion.

2026 Scholars' Roundtable

Generational Practices: Approaches to Sustainability Across the Dress Discipline


This year’s Symposium’s theme, “Re-Cycles of Dress,” forms the basis for the Scholars' Roundtable. The goal of the roundtable is to examine the historic and current practices across the field, in the context of environmental, social, cultural, and economic sustainability, and to spark ideas for CSA’s role in the sustainable advancement of dress studies. Members are encouraged to view the concept of sustainability as an on-going practice; one that addresses the past while offering tools for the present and strategies for shaping our collective future.*


All members of CSA are invited to apply to participate in this roundtable discussion. Applicants and nominees will contextualize sustainability within their work in a discussion guided by questions such as:


  • What can we learn about sustainability from dress history?
  • How can costumers, recreationists or other practitioners encourage society to revalue dress?
  • What can be learned about sustainability from conservators?
  • How do sustainable considerations affect the creative process? (e.g., raw material processing, design, production, and/or construction).
  • How do the strategies of costumers lend to sustainable practices in everyday life? (e.g., making, designing, use, wear).
  • How can we best instruct on the complexity of sustainability across the dress discipline? 
  • What actions need to be taken by dress and fashion scholars now to protect people and the planet in the future?
  • How can intersectional approaches to fashion and dress studies yield a more sustainable future?



*https://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/values/; https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/5987our-common-future.pdf


  • Eligibility

    Nominees should be those who:

    • Are members of the Costume Society of America
    • Have particular experience in or insight into as aspect of the elected scholarly issue
    • Are interested in considering and debating the issue from many angles
    • Have done or who are doing innovative work in the field of costume
    • Are willing to work collaboratively and help to lead a dynamic discussion

  • Nomination Procedure

    To nominate someone for this honor, please seek their permission, then send the person’s name and contact information along with a brief statement of why this nominee is a good candidate for this year’s roundtable. Interested scholars are welcome to nominate themselves by submitting the information outlined above. Email this information to Committee ChairEmily  Oertling at oertling@csus.edu.


    Once nominations have been received, nominees will be asked to submit a 200–300-word essay explaining how their experience and/or scholarship contributes towards the selected topic and how they plan to contribute toward the panel discussion.  A curriculum vitae or resume will also be requested (not to exceed 10 pages).

  • Rubric

    Nominees will be evaluated on:

    • The work’s alignment with the CSA mission of fostering an understanding of appearance and dress practices of people across the globe through research, education, preservation, and design.
    • The ability to advance CSA’s strategic goal of increasing diversity in subject matter and research, including hidden, overlooked, and marginalized topics or perspectives. The applicant’s contribution significantly expands upon previously understood knowledge.
    • The submission ability to provide unique and applicable approaches valuable to those in dress studies and adjacent fields; with the potential to spark ideas about practices, strategies, methods, and technologies that can positively impact sustainability.
    • The relevancy of the contribution to most CSA members, including but not limited to educators, costume designers, curators, historic interpreters, fashion historians, entrepreneurs, emerging scholars, and CSA enthusiasts.
    • Evidence of experience working in a collaborative environment to foster an engaging discussion or conversation. Examples of experience could include leading seminars, hosting workshops, or participation in other venues for public speaking.




  • Award Schedule

    The application deadline is November 15, 2025. Eligible nominees will be contacted, and the additional information as outlined in the "Nomination Procedure" tab will be due December 15, 2025. Applicants will be notified of the results by mid-January 2026.

Please contact the Committee Co-chair for more information:

Contact Emily Oertling

Recipients

2025, From Zoom to Lectra: The Tools, Theories, and Technologies That Move Dress Forward

Laura Camerlengo

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco


Daniel Drak

Parsons School of Design


Alyssa Ridder
Metropolitan State University of Denver


Dina Smith-Glaviana
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

2024, 1973 to 2073: The Past, Present, and Future of Dress Studies

Marilyn DeLong

University of Minnesota


Clarissa Esguerra

Los Angeles County Museum of Art


Monica Sklar

University of Georgia


Elizabeth Way

The Museum at FIT

2023, Crossroads of Dress and Adornment: Creativity, Culture and Collaboration

Shelly Foote

National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, retired (Organizer)


Adam MacPhàrlain

Missouri Historical Society


Kelly Reddy-Best

Iowa State University


Petra Slinkard

Peabody Essex Museum


Leon Wiebers

Loyola Marymount University

2022, Innovation in the Fashion History Curriculum

Linda M. Welters,

University of Rhode Island

Kingston, Rhode Island


Abby Lillethun

Montclair State University

Montclair, New Jersey


Lauren D. Whitley,

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Boston, Massachusetts

2021, Design and Curatorial Scholarship: Purpose, Place, Present, and Future

Co-Chair: Dr. Kelly Reddy-Best

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa


Co-Chair: Dr. Carmen Keist

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois


Karen DePauw

Indiana Historical Society

Indianapolis, Indiana


Kristen Morris

Colorado State University

Fort Collins, Colorado


Linda Pisano

Indiana University Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana


Eulanda Sanders

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa


Sarah Scaturro

Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, Ohio

2019, Do we really study diversity and dress?

Dr. Michael Mamp (Moderator)

Central Michigan University

Mt. Pleasant, MI


Nancy Deihl

New York University

New York, NY


Tameka N. Ellington, Ph.D.

Kent State University

Kent, OH


Carmen Keist, Ph.D.

Bradley University

Peoria, IL


Kelly L. Reddy-Best, Ph.D.

Iowa State University

Ames, IA

2018, Engaging Labor, Acknowledging Maker

Laurie Brewer

Rhode Island School of Design

Providence, RI


Dr. Michael Mamp

Central Michigan University

Mt. Pleasant, MI


Sara Bernstein

Pacific Northwest College of Art

Portland, OR


Ariele Elia

FIT, Fordham Law

New York, NY

2017, Technology: Friend and Foe?

Denise Nicole Green

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY


Virginia Heaven

Columbia College

Chicago, IL


Abby Lillethun

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ


Ingrid Mida

Ryerson University

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

2016, Everyone Their Own Curator: Professionalism and Authority in the Digital Age

Jo Paoletti

Chair, Scholars Roundtable Committee


Virginia Heaven

Columbia College

Chicago, IL


Sara Hume

Kent State University Museum

Kent, OH


Deborah Kraak

Independent Museum Professional

Wilmington, DE


Ingrid Mida

Ryerson University

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

2015, Credit Where Credit is Due

Jean Parsons

Associate Professor, Department of Textile and Apparel Management, University of Missouri

Columbia, MI


Sara Marcketti

Associate Professor, Department of Apparel, Events, and Hospitality Management; Associate Director, Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Iowa State University

Ames, IA

2014, Beyond Material Culture: Sources for Scholarship

Dr. Kimberly Chrisman Campbell

Dr. Jo Barraclough Paoletti

Petra Slinkard

2013

Sara Marcketti

Christina Johnson

Dr. Ann B. Wass

2012, Mind the Gap!

Dr. Elizabeth J.W. Barber

Cynthia Cooper

Mark D. Hutter

2011, Innovations in Fashion and Dress Scholarship

Anne Bissonnette

Marilyn DeLong

Howard Kurtz

2009 – 2010:

Hiatus of Scholars’ Roundtable Honor

2008

Tina Bates

Joseph Hancock

Gayle Strege

2007

Catherine Amoroso Leslie

Jean Parsons

Dennita Sewell

2006

Hiatus of Scholars’ Roundtable Honor

2005

Sandra Buckland

Jacqueline Field

Elaine Pedersen

2004

Hiatus of Scholars’ Roundtable Honor

2003

Hiatus of Scholars’ Roundtable Honor

2002

Nancy Bryant

Edward Maeder

Charlotte Jirousek

Laurel Wilson

2001

Joanne Eicher

JoAnn Stabb

Sally Helvenston

Margaret Spicer

Naomi Tarrant

2000

Patricia Anawalt

Beverly Chico

1999

Patricia A. Cunningham

Jane Farrell-Beck

Valerie Steele

1998

Linda Baumgarten

Claudia Brush Kidwell

Elizabeth J. W. Barber

Joy Emery

1997

Jean Druesedow

Jo B. Paoletti

Phyllis Tortora

Patricia Campbell Warner

Linda Welters