Project

Appointed as Public Outreach Manager, Our American Journey, Smithsonian Institution, Grand Challenges Consortia

Program

Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows

PhD field of study

PhD, American Studies, George Washington University

Position Description

Our American Journey is a vibrant example of a research, education and exhibition program that promotes interdisciplinary examination of immigration and migration. Housed in the National Museum of American History Division of Home and Community Life, this initiative involves over 30 Smithsonian researchers from across the institution. Its goal is to examine the people, things, and ideas originating from waves of people coming to the United States whose interactions here make America distinctive and dynamic. It will explore how their cultures change and how these waves of migration change America.

As part of the Our American Journey team, the Public Outreach Manager will fill a key component of the project by functioning as a link between our curators and researchers in various disciplines, both externally and within the Smithsonian. He/she will be responsible for working with scholars in different fields, external partners in museums and other cultural organizations, educators, and the general public to explore questions of how America’s history of migration has made it the nation it is today. The Public Outreach Manager will be charged with developing programs and materials to bring this information to key audiences in ways that illuminate historical perspectives and provide fresh contexts for important contemporary issues. By contributing to the conceptualization and development of tools and resources for national outreach through this initiative, the Public Outreach Manager will gain deep experience and master strategies for creative interdisciplinary collaborations that will position them well for future careers oriented to research, education, and exhibition programs.