Scholar - Women Also Know History

Participant Info

Keywords: museums, public history, maritime history, theater in museums, food history, beer history, memory

About Me: Throughout my career in museums, my work, research, and writing has focused on exploring how performance connects audiences with the complexity of American history in public spaces. Asking, “How do we know what we know about history?” drives my work every day.

As the director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, I work with our talented team to get audiences talking, thinking, and acting about the connections between the people, history, and ecology of Lake Champlain in the past, present, and future.

In my previous role as Director of Programs and Audience Development at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, I led a team responsible for inspiring national conversations on the importance of the humanities to civic life. Our Smithsonian Food History Weekend was named “Best Festival for Foodies” in Washington, DC, and our music, theater, and food history programs engaged tens of thousands of visitors each year.

I have a BA in Theater, with a minor in American History, from McGill University and a MEd in Arts in Education, with a focus on museum education, from Harvard University.

Recent Publications: “What Does a Beer Historian Do?” Smithsonian.com. August 2016.

“Why We Eat What We Eat on Thanksgiving.” Syndicated Op-Ed published in Washington Post, Sacramento Bee, Time.com and other outlets. November 2014.

“Personal Beliefs and National Stories: Theater in Museums as a Tool for Exploring Historical Memory.” Curator. April 2013.