I joined the faculty of UMass Amherst in 1999 and served as director of the Public History Program from 2001-2021. I was appointed Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives in 2023, and in that capacity helped steer the development of the campus and college plans, “For the Common Good.”
In 2016, I was elected vice president/president elect of the National Council on Public History; the term as NCPH president commenced in Spring 2018, and concluded in Spring 2020. My presidential address, “‘In the Spaciousness of Uncertainty is Room to Act:’ Public History’s Long Game,” reflects on the longterm and often hidden and indirect outcomes of our work. I have also served for many years as the President of the Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife.
In January 2018, I attended the Principles and Techniques of Fundraising course at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, IUPUI. The course curriculum includes practical skills of effective fundraising, proven fund development tools, and fundraising planning. In summer 2019, I participated in the HERS Institute (Higher Education Leadership Development Program) at Bryn Mawr. The HERS curriculum includes leading change initiatives, general leadership principles, higher education trends, change management, budgets and financial statements, career planning, legal issues, equity, strategic enrollment management, talent management, and fundraising.
In 2025 I led a team of UMass Amherst colleagues to Humanities Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill, urging Congressional leaders from Massachusetts to support the Humanities in federal budgeting processes.
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