Brandon Oswald

Brandon Oswald is the Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Island Culture Archival Support (ICAS), which is dedicated to providing help to cultural heritage organizations throughout the Pacific Islands region of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia.

Brandon received his Master’s Degree in Archives and Records Management from the University of Dundee, Scotland. While attending this program that had a focus on students working in international cultural heritage organizations, he learned that an archive is the story of and about people regardless of who you are or where you live. After graduation, it was his desire to help preserve people’s stories in the very vibrant, faraway and sometimes often forgotten part of the world of the Pacific Islands. Brandon became an active member of the Pacific Regional Branch International Council on Archives (PARBICA), and participated in the every PARBICA conference since 2009. He has found these meetings to be an informative and excellent source of learning the issues pertaining to Pacific Islands’ archives, as well as it is a place to meet new and old colleagues from the region. Brandon also serves on the International Council of Archives (ICA) Expert Group on Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness. Two of the major goals of this group are to coordinate initiatives and exchange good practices in the field of emergency management and disaster preparedness, and to facilitate professional mobilization and archival solidarity when disaster strikes.

Brandon resides in Southern California with his wife and daughter. His first book, Mr. Moonlight of the South Seas: The Extraordinary Life of Robert Dean Frisbie, was inspired by his volunteer service in the Cook Islands. It examines the adventurous life of American author Robert Dean Frisbie who wanted to find the most isolated island to write his “great” novel. Brandon’s second book, The Darklands: A Melanesian Experience, is an exploration of the intriguing and mysterious Melanesian culture, and is based on his experiences while working throughout region.