Participant Info

First Name
Christy
Last Name
Coleman
Affiliation
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Website URL
www.ChristySColeman.com
Keywords
Museums, Public History, Diversity, Civil War, 17th Century, 18th Century, American Civil War
Additional Contact Information
cscoleman5@gmail.com

Personal Info

Photo
About Me

Christy S. Coleman earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Hampton University. She began her career at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. During her time with CWF she had increasing levels of responsibility which included serving as Director of African American Interpretations and Presentations, Director of Midtown Operations and finally Director of Historic Programs. In that role she was responsible for all programming and tours in the Historic Area. In 1999 she left to become President and CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, MI.

In 2008, Ms. Coleman was named President and CEO of the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar (ACWC) in Richmond, VA. In 2013 she helped orchestrate the merger of ACWC with the Museum of the Confederacy to create the American Civil War Museum. She currently serves as CEO of the American Civil War Museum, located in Richmond and Appomattox, Virginia. In her role as CEO, she has been instrumental in furthering discussion around the Civil War, its legacies, and its relevance to our lives today not only in the Richmond region but around the nation.

In 2020, Christy will become the first woman and person of color to lead the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation which operates the Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

Christy has served on a number of local commissions and national boards. Christy strives to make museum experiences meaningful to diverse communities. A tireless advocate for the power of museums, narrative disruption and inclusivity, she has been an innovator and leader in the history museum field. She’s written numerous articles, is an accomplished screenwriter, public speaker and has appeared on several national programs.

Recent Publications

Among the Ruins-Creating and Interpreting the American Civil War in RichmondInterpreting the Civil War,  Kevin Levin, ed. Rowan and Littlefield Publishing, 2017

“Love, Sex and Consequences: An Intimate History of the American Civil War,” Presentation /Lecture 2016

“History, Heritage and Memory: A Public History Perspective” Lecture, 2013 (presented to a variety of civic and community organizations in metropolitan Richmond, VA)

The Rule of Law: Secession, the War Between the States and its Aftermath” The Virginia Law Foundation and The Center for the Constitution, September 2011

“Freedom Bound,” An Electronic Fieldtrip.  Colonial Williamsburg Productions.  Original Airdate: September 2008.  Screen Writer.  2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Instructional Programming (Capital Region).

 

 

Media Coverage
• 29 Groundbreaking Women Changing The World, Worth Magazine, March 27, 2019
Country Focus
United States
Expertise by Geography
United States
Expertise by Chronology
17th century, 18th century, 19th century
Expertise by Topic
American Civil War, American Founding Era, Colonialism, Emancipation, Material Culture, Museums, Public History, Slavery